Introduction
The Aconcagua…Rock Sentinel…in its slopes, covered of ice and wind, two extremes come together: the beginning and end of a road, success and failure, life and death… It is the scenery of uncommon stories, of expressions of great courage and heroism, also, where vanity and freight are exposed. It is here where man is shown as it is, there is no place for lies.

To what extent your life is worth risking to reach its summit ?
The Aconcagua…Rock Sentinel…in its slopes, covered of ice and wind, two extremes come together: the beginning and end of a road, success and failure, life and death… It is the scenery of uncommon stories, of expressions of great courage and heroism, also, where vanity and freight are exposed. It is here where man is shown as it is, there is no place for lies.

To what extent your life is worth risking to reach its summit?

High altitude mountaineering implies serious risks and whoever decides to try it, must be absolutely and exclusively responsible of one’s own actions.

Nowadays mountaineering is a game. A game of fantasy and power, where converge technique, physical strength, experience, ethics and determination. Mountains are like goals that only exist in an alpinist’s imagination. The climbing is seen as a problem and the person tries to find a ludic way to solve it.

The game consists of overcoming major difficulties with almost no technological tools and with the maximum body strength, training and courage. Mountaineering is a way for a human being to grow. You can’t fight against nature but you must harmonize, understand, respect its rhythm and try to sense its power. This is the only way of beautifully solving mountaineering’s "big problems”. And only through this ludic point of view, whoever plays fair, will have access to an unknown dimension of oneself and the world itself.

The Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Andes Range, and this is why it is very well known all over the world. But its fame is due to its great alpinist challenge. According to many experienced international mountaineers, who have climbed the Himalayas, the Aconcagua with its almost 7000m, represent such a psychological and physical challenge that it seems to the climber that it is hundreds of meters higher. This effect is caused by several reasons: in the Himalayas the vegetation grows up to 5000m, in the Central Andes Range it only grows up to 3500-4000m. Humidity in this area is extremely low, and the atmospheric layers are thinner in this portion of the globe. The facts that it is a vast deserted area, with no population for long kilometers, have with no doubt, important consequences for the climber.
 
The Aconcagua is the perfect terrain where the alpinist can measure its strength to therefore succeed in 8000m mountains. This is an excellent field where the "player” endeavors its greatest ambitions.

The mountaineer’s skills will be fully tested in the East side, Glaciar de los Polacos, as much as in the South-West side or West side.  The West side of the Aconcagua is where the Normal Route runs it doesn’t have technical difficulties, so there can be practiced either, sport or recreational climbing. The latest though, is only for those who are in excellent physical conditions, conveniently equipped and should be directed by experienced guides.

About the South Wall, its desolation, the bad rock quality, the avalanches, seracs and snow, the constant falling of rocks, the important height over sea level, the sudden weather changes, among others are the cause of its wilderness.

From a technical point of view the wall has all types of difficulties on ice, snow, and rock; and whoever tries the climbing must have excellent technical and physical conditions. The climbing in this mountain is of the highest alpinist level together with a great adventure dose make of the Rock Centinel the perfect challenge for any climber.