Rising Above

Two gutsy climbers tackle South America’s highest summit.

- KRISTIN SMITH

The climb up Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America at 22,841 feet, starts with an odd obstacle: small, round rocks that roll at the slightest touch. Crossing them is like roller skating on marbles. To do it without seeing what’s beneath your boots is even harder. Yet that’s just what Lonnie Bedwell and Steve Baskis did in January 2020, with the help of guides Danika Gilbert, Kennan Harvey, and Dave Penney. “You have to check every foothold. Your legs are constantly engaged, you get no rest,” Bedwell recalls. From there, the normal route up Aconcagua ascends to narrow ledges, scree fields, and what remains of the massif’s glacier. The duo navigated it all with the assist of verbal cues from their teammates.