Gear Test: Feathered Friends Icefall Parka

I had heard a lot about Feathered Friends down products but this was my first experience with any of them. The product that I am reporting on is the Icefall Parka with eVENT waterproof-breathable shell and the 800-fill upgrade.
MSRP US $435 + $13(800-fill upgrade).

Let’s just start by saying I am usually cold. I don’t know if it’s my age catching up to me, or what, but it seems that I need a warm jacket all the time. Most of my use for this jacket was on Aconcagua (6962m) in Argentina. Since Feathered Friends recommends this parka as a seven summit or expedition parka I guess Aconcagua was the perfect testing ground because it’s both. Aconcagua tests gear to its limits, as it is a very cold and unforgiving mountain. There is lots of wind, dust, some snow and cold weather.

This year when I was there it was a colder season than most times I’ve been there so the importance for warmth was critical. I started using my down parka at camp 1 at 4200 metres and used it everyday from there; including climbing in it on summit day.

The warmth of this jacket cannot be disputed…it is the warmest jacket I have ever worn, and isn’t the whole idea of a down jacket for warmth? Although I’m sure there are warmer jackets out there (Feathered Friends Rock and Ice Parka) this parka is probably warm enough for most anywhere on earth. With that said, lower on the mountain it was definitely overkill but I didn’t mind being so toasty warm. I found that the eVENT shell material was solid enough to stand up to the abuses of Aconcagua. It blocked the wind great and held of the snow just as well. The hood was large and warm but I did have some trouble with the hood snaps coming undone. There is a double zipper storm system that is made withs heavy-duty YKK zippers. The main difficulty I found with the jacket is the double zipper system. I think the idea is great in theory but I found that when I was doing up the zipper the material between the zippers would always get stuck in the main zipper. It even tore the material one time. I think the lightweight characteristics of the eVENT material encourage the zipper to trap it. I believe that a slightly heavier material sewn between the zippers will reduce the zipper catch.

All in all I am quite happy with the Feathered Friends Icefall Parka and it really does keep you incredibly warm. I would recommend this product for high altitude, expeditions, winter expeditions and anywhere else extreme cold is encountered.
View at Feathered Friends
Features: (As listed on Feathered Friends Website)
- Tuck Stitch Baffled Construction & Differential Cut
- Interior water bottle pockets, large expansive Velcro Cargo Pockets
- Removable Hood
- Down Filled Zipper Draft Tube, Velcro cuffs & draw cords at waist and hem to seal out drafts
- Full length design for layering over your waterproof/windproof shell

Climbing Aconcagua

On January 14, 1897 Matthias Zurbriggen from Switzerland reached the summit of Mount Aconcagua. Today the mountain sees more than 3500 attempts per year.

Aconcagua is one of the Seven Summits (the highest point on each of the seven continents). Aconcagua is very popular to climb because the mountain offers many straightforward routes to such a high summit. With these issues it has become one of the deadliest mountains in the world, as people tend to try to climb the mountain too quickly with no understanding of the elevation gain or the rapid severe weather changes. The key to climbing Aconcagua is to respect these issues, take your time and you should never climb it alone.

The main climbing season for all routes on Aconcagua is from December to February. During this time up to 3500 climbers attempt to reach the summit and approximately 65% reach the top. Most people attempt to climb via the "Normal Route" which follows the northwest ridge. Other more popular non-technical routes are the Polish Traverse and the Upper Vacas route. The Upper Vacas is still uncrowded but it is getting more and more popular every year. None of these routes require any technical climbing and ice axe and crampons are used minimally. The most popular technical route is the Polish Glacier.

More to Come...
In following posts I will have articles on the essentials of climbing, route descriptions, trip reports and more so please visit often.
Chau.
Mike

Getting There & Red Tape

Getting There.
There are two popular ways of getting to Argentina from most international destinations. First is to fly directly into Mendoza with a stopover in either Santiago, Chile or Buenos Aires, Argentina. The other way is to fly into Santiago and take a bus or van to Mendoza. This is a much cheaper option but it does take about 71/2 hours (if you're lucky) to get to Mendoza from Santiago. If you are not on a tight budget it is much easier to take a short 45min flight from Santiago to Mendoza. As well, it is worth mentioning that if you are from the U.S., Australia or Canada and you land in Santiago and leave the airport you must pay between US$55 and US$100. So if it is a one-time visit it may be better to fly to Mendoza. The carriers from Santiago to Mendoza are Lan Chile and Aerolineas Argentina.
It used to be that most expedition parties looking to climb Aconcagua would start and end their Aconcagua expeditions in Santiago and drive to Penitentes or Punta del Inca but the government has wised up and requires everyone needing a permit to apply and pick it up in person. This usually means most people climbing Aconcagua can spend a few days in Mendoza to help the economy.
International carriers going into Santiago are:
From North America
Air Canada
American Airlines
Lan Chile
From The UK
Aerolineas Argentina
Lan Chile
From Asia
(Japan)
Continental
American Airlines
Delta
(China)
Air China
Northwest
(Delhi)
Delta
American Airlines.

From Australia
Qantas Airways (Perth)
Aerolinas Argentina (Sydney)
American Airlines (Melbourne)


Visas
If you are from Canada, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and most European countries you do not need a visa to get into Argentina. You will get a free tourist card that is good for 90 days and it can be renewed for an additional 90.
Customs
Your bags can be searched whether you fly into Argentina or drive. Generally foreign Aconcagua climbers are treated well and there is not a problem with bringing in food items such as dried fruits & veggies, and dehydrated meat (such as beef jerky). Please note that these items are not allowed to be brought into the country so they could be confiscated.
Hint: customs folks are usually reluctant to search the bottom of bags especially if they get a "tip".

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to the new blog called All Things Aconcagua. This site is intended to be a an informational blog about...you guessed it...Aconcagua. However, the idea with this site is to focus more on the essentials of climbing Aconcagua. Hopefully this site will be filled with valuable information and great photos. If you have any questions or comments about this blog please feel free to take part as I hope this site can be as interactive as possible. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the site.
Mike

About Aconcagua

Aconcagua is located in Western Argentina close to the Argentina/Chile border. It is the highest mountain in the Western and Southern Hemispheres and stands to 6962 metres above sea level.

The name Aconcagua loose translation of the Quechua word AKONC-CAUAC which means stone and today the most commonly accepted translation is "The Stone Sentinel".