Andes and tents, 4 roommates in South America

"Andes et tentes" is the idea of ​​4 friends, roommates, who decided to go on an adventure in South America for 7 months, combining a sports project with a community project.

Who are you?

We are 4 engineering students at Grenoble INP – Phelma (National School of Physics, Electronics, Materials): Rémi, Noé, Arthur and Louis. We have been living in a shared apartment for 3 years and share the same passion for the mountains.

How did the idea for the project come about?
What are your motivations? Your goals?

The four of us wanted to go on an adventure together.

Since the mountains are what connect us, we had the idea of ​​doing a long trek. We looked for a fairly well-known mountain range where there are many trekking possibilities. We turned to the Andes.
The idea is to experience high altitudes, see the country, and climb the highest peak in South America: Aconcagua (6,961 m).

Our goal: to test our athletic abilities and our friendship!

And what's more, we wanted to have a project with an impact. We turned to low tech (these are useful, accessible and sustainable innovations) because it makes sense with our studies.

Any details on this solidarity part of the project?

Throughout the trip, we will meet locals who use low tech, whether in the areas of food, hygiene, housing, water...

At the end of the trip, in partnership with the Franco-Peruvian association Munay, we will help a Peruvian village fight against malnutrition: provide them with solutions such as the installation of one or more underground agricultural greenhouses that will allow farmers to diversify their crops and reduce the village's deficiencies.

What circuit are you planning to do?

We have planned 3 main parts:

- Climb Aconcagua: this first challenge will mark the beginning of our journey, upon our arrival in January 2023; - Crossing Patagonia on foot: for 2 months via the Great Patagonia Trail; - Explore Bolivia and Peru: 2 months to discover these 2 countries by alternating treks, nights with locals, hitchhiking and public transport; and climb some Andean peaks like the Salar de Uyuni and Machu Picchu.

- A month and a half stop in Andahuaylas, Peru to help the farming families of the region.

We plan our own circuit and stages and leave without a guide.

What equipment have you planned to take?

As this adventure will be on foot, it is a self-guided trek. We will therefore have to carry everything with us, in your backpack. We will each take a large backpack for our 7-month journey! We will try to travel as light as possible, while having everything necessary for bivouacking: tent, sleeping bags, clothing that can withstand both very cold and very hot climates, cooking equipment, etc.

We couldn't see ourselves leaving without walking poles even though we haven't been used to using them until now. The main advantages we see in using poles are the fact that they reduce the impact of the backpack on our body and relieve our joints!

As we try to find local partners and French manufacturing, we naturally turned to your brand, Guidetti. After discussion, we opted for foldable carbon/aluminum hiking poles (Flashlock Ambre model) and foldable aluminum hiking poles (Flashlock Emeraude model) for more resistance on the stony terrain we will be crossing.
These poles have the advantage of being light and very compact when folded (42cm), 2 undeniable advantages when you go trekking independently like us.

Do you do any special physical preparation before your departure?

Yes, we have a schedule with 4 to 5 training sessions per week. During the week, we do muscle strengthening, running, interval training... And on the weekend, we go to the mountains with a big backpack and train for the big climbs!

The four friends are leaving France on December 30th. You can follow their adventures on their Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/andes_et_tentes/ or via our Guidetti Instagram account from this date.