Polish Glacier, Glacial formation on Mount Aconcagua in Mendoza Province, Argentina.
Polish Glacier is one of the glacial fields on Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Andes and the Americas, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It lies at approximately 6,200 m above sea level. The Polish Route, an alternative climbing route to the summit, crosses the glacier.
In 1934, a mountaineering expedition established a new route across the glacier flanks, offering climbers an alternative to the classic path up the mountain. This discovery opened a new dimension for ascending South America's highest peak.
The glacier is named after the 1934 Polish expedition led by Konstanty Narkiewicz-Jodko, whose members Ostrowski, Karpiński and Osiecki opened the Polish Route to the summit across the ice. The name honours that team, and the route they established is still the reference for climbers on this face.
Access requires professional ice climbing gear and solid experience in high altitude mountaineering. The best time to visit falls between November and March, when conditions for mountaineers are more favorable.
The glacier sits at roughly 6,200 m above sea level, where summer nights average -20 °C and midday temperatures reach about 5 °C. The first ascent via this glacier was made in the winter of 1980 by the Catalan Winter Expedition Aconcagua 80.
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