 
mountain adventures
MOUNTAINEERING IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES
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Mountaineering, Climbing, and Skiing In Patagonia
Dates Price El Calafate Add-on Guides, Guide ratios, Group Size Meeting Details Traverse Itinerary Weather Difficulty & Prerequisites Getting There & Local Transportation Accommodation & Meals Gear & Clothing Insurance How to Book Patagonia is one of the wildest places on the planet and this upcoming southern summer we offer you the chance to explore it with senior Yamnuska guide Manuel Quiroga. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Patagonian Ice Cap is the third largest freshwater ice mass in the world exceeded only by Antarctica and Greenland. Huge snowfields feed glaciers that plunge into vast lakes. Surrounding the ice cap are awe-inspiring granite needles including Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitzroy, scenes of legendary mountaineering ascents. We are offering this expedition because of our relationship with Manuel who spends northern summers guiding for us here in the Canadian Rockies. Home for Manuel is El Chalten, right at the base of the Ice Cap. Manuel's passion for this grandiose region plus his local knowledge and expertise as a guide make him the ideal leader for this expedition. For beginner, intermediate and advanced mountaineers. DatesDecember 3 - 14, 2008; January 3 - 14, 2009*; February 1 - 12, 2009 Private departures are available from mid-October to the end of March. Price$3050 Canadian Price includes: Guides, most meals including Asado on last night, accommodations, personal and group mountaineering gear, group camping gear, emergency gear, park permits, all transfers (road and boat) from El Calafate and return. Price does not include: Airfare to El Calafate, personal camping gear, mountaineering boots, restaurant meals, alcoholic drinks, gratuities and anything not specifically mentioned above. Medical Cancellation Insurance is available for an additional $155.
Minimum group size is 4, to run the trip with fewer than 4 guests a surcharge will apply. El Calafate Acclimatization OptionIn order to be well rested before starting this physically demanding traverse we recommend that you consider arriving in El Calafate two days in advance allowing yourself a full day to recuperate. To facilitate this we are offering El Calafate hotel and sightseeing packages for an extra $575 Canadian. Package Includes: Airport transfer, 2 nights single occupancy hotel room*, breakfasts and 1 packed lunch, sightseeing excursion to Perito Moreno Glacier. *For those wishing to defray the hotel cost we will try to pair them with other participants who have selected this option and book a double occupancy hotel room. Guides & Guide RatioThese expeditions will be led by Manuel Quiroga*. Manuel is a senior Yamnuska guide who alternates guiding in the Canadian Rockies with guiding in his homeland, Patagonia. He will be assisted by local Patagonian guides. The maximum guide to guest ratio is 1:3. Minimum group size is 4, to run the trip with fewer than 4 guests a surcharge will apply. *Except the January 3 departure which be led by another internationally-certified Argentinean Mountain Guide.
Manuel's office! Summit of Cerro Gorra Blanca. Meeting DetailsThe expedition starts in El Calafate, the major tourist centre of Argentine Patagonia. See Getting to El Calafate for travel suggestions. Having met everyone we will then drive for 4 hours with the group to El Chalten, our starting point. We will need your exact travel itineraries so as to best coordinate our meeting time with your arrival in El Calafate. As our itinerary is physically demanding we recommend that you have a rest day before commencing the expedition during which you can recover from the very full day of travel to Argentina. To facilitate this we are offering an optional add-on package for two nights accommodation in El Calafate plus local sightseeing. This would be at an extra cost. Traverse ItineraryDay 1: Meet in El Calafate (see "Meeting Place"). We introduce the group and guides, discuss the trip, check gear and sort out any last minute issues. We then drive for 4 hours to El Chalten. En-route we'll journey past 11,000 year-old moraines before passing two huge turquoise-colored, glacier-fed lakes: Lago Argentino and Lago Viedma. We check in to our hotel and head out for dinner. Local specialties are barbecued lamb and great Argentinean red wine? Day 2: We drive 17km to the Rio Electrico Valley where our expedition kicks-off at the bridge. For 2 hours we hike through Lenga and Nires forest (these are distinctive southern beech trees, the same as found in New Zealand and Tasmania). Leaving the forest behind, we continue on moraines up the valley. After an hour we come to the Pollone River which we have to wade across; sometimes this is an adventure in itself! We continue up the Rio Electrico to its head and "La Playita" camp. After a rest or, even better, a meal, we hike to the snout of the Marconi Glacier to check out the next day's route. 100m height gain, 14 km travelled, approx. 6 hours.
View up Rio Electrico, Day 2 Patagonian Icecap Traverse Day 3: Today's section is the crux of the expedition. The Marconi Glacier provides a key access to the ice cap. This is a tough day as packs are heavy and the prevailing winds and weather from the northwest tend to funnel through passes like this one. Weather permitting, we get an early start then head onto the Marconi Glacier, which starts off as bare ice and rock. We make our way to the base of "Cambio de Pendiente" (change of gradient) where we rope up before starting the climb to Marconi Pass. After a section of 30 to 35 degrees and a further hour and a half we reach Marconi Pass. And there in front of us is a breath-taking view of the 3rd largest fresh-water ice mass in the world!
Climbing to Marconi Pass, Patagonian Ice Cap Traverse The view is stunning, one of the best! We gaze over the Koliker, Lautaro, Gaea and Mariano Moreno Ranges. A further hour of walking over mainly flat snowfields brings us to the Refugio Gorra Blanca where we may stay if there's room (this cannot be booked in advance). 800m height gain, 14 km travelled, 8 to 10 hours. Day 4: Summit Ascent! Cerro Gorra Blanca is is a large glacier peak with an amazing summit panorama that includes Fitzroy, Cerro Torre and the whole Patagonian Ice Cap. To gain its 2900m summit we weave our way through crevasses, past seracs to to the west ridge. Once on the ridge we head east zigzagging past distinctive ice mushrooms to the summit. 1200m height gain, 8 to 12 hours depending on snow conditions and fitness of guests. Day 5: Spare/Rest day! Day 6: With everything packed and ready to go, we bear south for about 6 hours towards "El Circo de los Altares" (A bowl formed by the west faces of Cerro Torre and its satellite needles). We will be camping at the entrance of the bowl. Amazing views. Only the ones who get here and are lucky with weather get the chance to see this. We will spend plenty of time building ice walls to protect our tents from predominant northwest winds. 50m height gain, 15km travelled, 6 - 7 hours.
Camp on Patagonian Ice Cap, Day 6 Day 7: Spare day. Weather permitting we might stay one more day at this camp to take advantage of the opportunity to hike all the way into the Cirque and the foot of the Filo Rosso, start of the Casimiro Ferrari route of Cerro Torre. It's just amazing to think they first climbed this route in 1974! Day 8: Another full and challenging day ahead! This is the day we hike across and off the ice. We'll be walking on snow, bare ice, rock and grass! From Circo de los Altares we hike to Refugio Paso del Viento. We get off the ice at Bivouac Laguna de los Esquies and keep walking passing by Laguna Ferrari and Bivouac Ferrari. We start to see Mascarello Range, a restricted reserve of Los Glaciares National Park. One more hour to the rustic hut of Paso del Viento. We use the hut only for cooking, camping outside. 400m height gain and loss, 18km travelled, up to 10 hours. Day 9: We contour around Cerro Huemul, always having Glacier Viedma on our right. Alpine meadows delight us along the way. At the end, only 400-meters elevation separates us from Paso Huemul. It's an impressive view, on one side Lago Viedma, on the other Glacier Viedma! More walking and some bushwhacking brings us to Huemul pass Camp. After pitching camp, a five-minute walk delights our eyes: The face of the Viedma Glacier falling into Lago Viedma. Only fifteen minutes further on we can see condors nesting on a huge cliff. 500m height gain, 12km travelled, 6 hours.
Glacier Viedma feeding into Lago Viedma Day 10: Spare/Rest day. Available to make up for days lost to bad weather on the traverse or to allow us to make better use of good weather. Day 11: From now on it's all downhill! We drop 500m down a steep hill and the local rule is that if your butt touches the ground, you buy a beer for the group! Our destination is Iceberg Bay (Baya de los Tempanos) where a boat will pick us up! Just over an hour later we are at Tunnel Bay, where a minibus ride (15km) brings us back to El Chalten and civilization. Tonight it's time to celebrate and celebration is another local specialty! We can enjoy a "Cordero Asado" which is barbecued lamb (veggie options always available) washed down with vino tinto! Day 12: Return after breakfast to El Calafate to fly home. Note: If you like, you can arrange to spend extra days exploring the area before or after the traverse. We can help you make the necessary bookings. Weather!Patagonia is famous for its weather. Its high winds and quickly changing conditions are legendary and you need to be ready to experience the tough side of nature in all its beauty and power. In planning this trip we must remain flexible so as to best adapt to these conditions. We have two back up days, which we can use to make up for days lost to weather. Sometimes we may spend several days waiting at the "La Payita" campsite before getting on the ice field. You must also realize and accept that weather conditions may prevent us from even getting started on the traverse and that we may have to opt for alternate activities in less weather effected areas. If you cannot accept this risk we ask that you not join us on this expedition. In this event no refunds will be given. Difficulty & PrerequisitesThis is a physically demanding expedition. This is because the weather in this region can be challenging and because you will be carrying heavy (25kg) backpacks over glaciated terrain for an average of 6 hours per day with a couple of longer days such as crossing Marconi Pass on Day 3 (up to 10 hours). It is essential that you have good hiking fitness and are used to carrying a heavy backpack. This will contain your own clothing and gear plus a share of group camping gear and food. Personal porters can be arranged in advance if you feel you would be unable to do this. This expedition is ideal for beginner or intermediate mountaineers. You must be comfortable using ice axe and crampons ("flat foot" on moderate angle ice up to 35 degrees). Yamnuska's Intro to Mountaineering course would be a perfect training program.
Cerro Fitzroy is adjacent to the Patagonian Ice Cap Getting to El Calafate and TransportationParticipants are responsible for their own transportation to El Calafate, Argentina. If travelling from North America it will be easiest to fly first to Buenos Aires and transfer there to El Calafate. Buenos Aires is served by Air Canada and major US airlines. Aerolineas Argentinas, Lan Chile and Lan Argentina all fly direct to El Calafate from Buenos Aires. We will meet you in El Calafate and drive you to El Chalten by minibus. Accommodation & MealsAccommodation from Day 1 (Meeting in El Calafate) to the final night in El Chalten is included. In El Chalten we spend the 1st and last night's of the expedition in a small boutique hotel such as the Hosteria Kaulem (double occupancy). In the mountains you will be sharing a four-season tent (double or triple). All out-trip meals are supplied as well as the celebratory cordero asado on the last night. El Chalten has lots of restaurants you can try for other meals on the 1st day. Please let us know of any special dietary requirements you have when booking. Clothing & GearWe supply group mountaineering and camping gear such as ropes, hardware, tents, pots and pans. You must bring your own personal mountaineering, camping gear (e.g. harness, ice axe, pack, sleeping bag) and clothing. A complete list of what to bring will be added to this page well in advance of departure. InsuranceYou will need to have travel insurance that covers mountaineering. Booking InformationPlease book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. A deposit of $1068 CDN is required at time of booking. Final payment is due eight weeks before the start of the program. To avoid unnecessary cancellation penalties we suggest you take our cancellation insurance for an extra non-refundable $15 5, this can only be purchased at the time of booking.For detailed booking instructions and conditions, click here. Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the program. Please view our sample waiver copy. We also request that you complete and return our on-line mountain experience questionnaire.
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