The first MTB descent of Cerro Mercedario6 770m

The first ascent of Cerro Mercedario is claimed to be less than 100 years ago, in 1934, by Polish expedition members Adam Karpinski and Wiktor Ostrowski.

However, there are signs that the Cerro Mercedario`s mountaineering history goes back much further than that.

On the way up, you can see remains of the Inca-period. More than 500 years ago incas climbed the mountain as a religious ritual, pro mountain biker and guide Andreas Tonelli from Italy explains.

— You can see rock walls in half circle formation that they used as shelter. It´s a big contrast to all the comfortable tents, sleeping mats and sleeping bags we use today. Having the history of Cerro Mercedario in mind gives a special feeling when you are climbing the mountain, Andreas Tonelli says.

And speaking of that special feeling, let`s go back and find out where a European mountain biker finds motivation to embark on a world`s first mountain bike mission to the top Cerro Mercedario in Argentina.

What inspired you to take on the challenge of riding down Cerro Mercedario, Andreas?

— I grew up in the Alps, in Süd-Tirol, so I am very deeply connected to the mountains. I like climbing and mountain biking, and I like to combine these two sports. I have been on adventures to South America several times before, but now I felt it was time to take the next step and do something more intense and remote than I´ve ever done before.

After a vast amount of detailed research, studying satellite imagery and speaking to people that had been in the area before, it seemed like Cerro Mercedario could be bikeable. If, bikeable, it would be the highest mountain in the world you can climb with a bike and ride all the way down without going off the bike and having to walk through technical sections.

Riding Cerro Mercedario would mean a - literally speaking - breathtaking 4000 altitude meters of downhill mountain biking.

But before you can ride down, you need to get to the peak, 6770 meters above sea level.

Climbing a 6770-meter-high mountain is an accomplishment. Add a mountain bike, and everything gets more demanding and complicated.

Andreas teamed up with fellow mountain biker Giovani Mattielo and together they put together a plan and started training for Cerro Mercedario. As professional mountain bikers and guides they had a solid foundation to build on. Still, they had to more specific preparations for the expedition:

— The specific training started two and a half months before the trip. It consisted mostly of running and biking in the mountains with a weight vest. It was important to simulate the weight we would have to carry with us on the expedition, Tonelli says, and reminds us they would have to carry with them everything they would need to survive in the mountains for two weeks.

They also needed to prepare for living and moving at high altitude. Not being prepared for high altitude and thin air with less oxygen could compromise the whole expedition.

— Just prior to the trip we spent several days in a hut at 3200 meters above sea level in Val Senales, Italy. From there, we did daily training runs to get used to thin air. Then the plan was to acclimatize on the Cerro Mercedario itself by not rushing it on the way to the top.

Before take-off they also needed to get their equipment sorted. Andreas built an extra light bike for the occasion, as he knew the bike needed to be pushed or carried to the top, he knew weight would play a significant role. A bike with carbon frame and 150 mm front and 145 mm rear travel was assembled. Powerful brakes and solid tires were prioritized to make the descent as safe as possible. The total bike weight ended at 13 kg, which is a weight any weight weenie would approve of for a capable full suspension mountain bike.

For steep sections where it would make sense to carry the bike, they used a hike-a-bike harness that made it possible to strap their bikes to a plastic plate on their backpacks.

To make the trip possible, they brought along cameraman Luca Putzer and Julia Kremer. Julia’s main role was to take care of logistics and safety, which was critical for the success of the expedition. The plan was for the group to hike together up the mountain.

In January 2025, the team gathered in Argentina, at the foot of Cerro Mercedario. The area is extremely remote. Far away from other people, infrastructure, nearest village, or any sort of comfort. And far away from the hospital if anything would go wrong.

The ascent started at the foot of the mountain at 2900 meters above sea level, that means that the group needed to climb almost 4000 meters of altitude before they could stand on the top of Cerro Mercedario.

— Well, there were even more meters to climb, Tonelli explains: - To live on the mountain for two weeks, you need a lot of food, and gear like cooking equipment, tents, sleeping bags – just to mention a few things. Drinking water was made by melting ice, as you can’t bring water for almost two weeks.

— To be able to transport everything up, we first pushed and carried our bikes up, and then went back down, usually to spend the night at camp before we moved the camp up the next day. The load to carry was typically around 20 kilos per person.

This was not only a strategy to avoid carrying super-heavy loads, but also a good way to get used to the altitude. Day trips to high elevation and sleep at low elevation is best practice to avoid altitude sickness and is a principle that is common on most high-altitude expeditions.

The last camp on the way up was below a glacier at 5700 meters. A very exposed place. — Unexpectedly it started to snow, and it snowed 5-10 cm, Tonelli recalls. — We started to worry about the riding conditions, and decided to skip a rest day, and start the summit push. In fact, for the following days the weather was expected to worsen with more snow coming, so it was time to get going. This came at a risk and could provoke altitude sickness. 

At 2.30 am at night they left camp and started to move towards the peak.

As they moved slowly up the mountain, the effort was starting to take a toll on the team. At 6200 meters Luca, the cameraman, started to feel nauseous and got a headache. The same happened to Julia. With signs of altitude sickness, Luca and Julia needed to head down to lower elevation, while Andreas and Giovanni were able to proceed towards the summit.

With a small backpack with only 8 kg of their bare necessities, they continued towards the peak. Pushing and carrying their bikes. Strong winds had blown away the snow that fell the day before, and on February 2nd, at 2.00pm, 2025, in -11 degrees and sunshine, Andreas Tonelli and Giovanni Matiello were the first people ever to stand on top of Cerro Mercedario with bikes.

It was now eight days since they started the ascent at 2900 meters, and Tonelli was getting tired and emotional, knowing they had made it to the top: — It had been such a struggle, we only had one rest day, and I was so tired that I started crying. Gio and I hugged, trying to let the impressions soak in.

The first stage of the downhill was to ride down to the glacier where Julia and Luca were waiting in the camp at the bottom.

Safety was a big concern. As the nearest hospital was far away, they needed to play it as safe as possible. An accident could be fatal, as a rescue operation in such a hostile environment would be complicated. There was no cell phone reception, however they carried a satellite phone for emergency situations, hoping they would never have to use it.

During their summit push, Andreas and Giovanni had to pass a long and narrow traverse: — We found it difficult and risky to ride the way we came up, so we started to look for other routes down to the camp. After discussing the options, we decided to take another way down. We went for a freeride line, outside the trail, down to the glacier. This was faster, safer and more fun than it would be to balance down the traverse, Andreas says with a smile.

The ride down was challenging, but it was possible to ride everything. The total descent down to the foot of the mountain was approximately 4000 meters, and they had to split up the descent in stages where they first hiked down with their gear, then climbed up again to get their bikes and ride down while having Luca filming and taking pictures for a documentary. — In total it took us three days to get down to the base of the mountain, Andreas says.

— Riding Cerro Mercedario 500 years after the Incas climbed it added depth and meaning to the experience, Andreas says. – For them it was a religious journey that had a personal meaning to them. For us, the expedition also had a strong personal meaning. We only pursue activities that we genuinely love and want to inspire other people to embark on adventurous journeys that are meaningful to them.

What advice would you give to other riders who dream of attempting something similar?

— Do it! Get out of your comfort zone. Dreams are to be lived. Even though you don’t make the goal, you´ll enjoy the journey. Push a little bit on the limit, it makes you feel alive. On an expedition like this, you don’t only get to know other people better, but you also get to know yourself better.

Forget the comforts of your life, you need to struggle. Then you realize how little you need to be happy.