Icefield 7-8 Day Circuit Parque Nacional Los Glaciares El Chalten, Santa Cruz Patagonia Argentina
Icefield 7-8 Day Circuit El Chalten, Santa Cruz ICEFIELD 7-8 DAY CIRCUIT PARQUE NA CIONAL LOS GLACIA RES SPECIFICATIONS 7-8 days. One extra day for bad weather. 6-7 camping nights. Backpack weight: 20-25 kg Level: Hard. From 2 to 8 people. November till March. INCLUDED Mountain Guide. 1 Assistant every 3 people. Glacier and Snow Equipment. (snowshoes and crampons) 4 season Tents (Mountain Hardwear) and cooking set. Meals during the trip. VHF Radio. GPS. First Aid Kit. Personal Accident insurance. SPOT satellite tracker. NOT INCLUDED Bus from and to El Calafate. Personal Equipment (boots, backpack, sleeping bag, etc). You can rent this equipment. Let us know if you need any of these items. You get a 30% discount by hiring our services. Additional Porters. Non specified in this program. Tips REQUIRED EQUIPMENT Backpack 60-70l. 3 pair of socks. Shoes for wading. Sleeping Bag down or synthetic -15º. Insulated Mattress. 1L Bottle. Syntethic underwear top and pant. (midweight) 2 top fleeces or similar. Fleece pant or warm tight. Waterproof Jacket (Gore-tex or similar). Down Jacket or similar. Hiking poles. Sunglasses with UV protection. Sun block and lip balm. Waterproof Overpant (Gore-tex or similar). Gloves (3 pairs). Cup or similar. Hiking Boots. Gaiters. Mountaineering boots. Neck protection. Personal hygiene set. Headlamp with extra batteries. Fleece beanie or similar. 1
The Patagonia Ice FIield is the third biggest mass of ice in the World after Antarctica and Greenland, and the biggest if you think outside the polar surface. It extends from North to South for 350 km. 49 Glaciers begin here such us Upsala Glacier (902 km²), Marconi, Glacier, Viedma Glacier (978 km²) and Perito Moreno (258 km²) in Argentina and Pio XI, O'Higgins and Grey in Chile. With this circle we offer a 90 km hike entering on Marconi Glacier to the amazing mass of Ice, were only a few people have been, circling both Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre Mountains and walking off Paso del Viento. No previous mountain experience is required, nor technical skills in crampons and snowshoes, but you do need an excellent physical condition and hiking skills to face long hiking days, steep paths and heavy backpacks. The average weight of the pack you ll carry is between 20 and 25kg. You can hire porters to carry 15kg off this weight. DAY 1: El CHALTEN LA PLAYITA Meeting with the Guide in the morning; debrief about the details of the program and check of the gear. A transfer with pick us up to drive us to Electrico River, 24km away. We will Hike for 2 hours up to Piedra del Fraile campsite. Piedra del Fraile is a private campsite with services, at the edge of the forest. After getting there, the terrain is open and rockery until the next campsite (La Playita). Box Lunch and dinner. Duration: 6 hs Elevation: 700 mts. DAY 2: CAMPAMENTO LA PLAYITA REFUGIO GORRA BLANCA This day is considered the key day in this expedition. Marconi Glacier is one of the accesses to the Ice Field, and the winds from the west can be very strong. We wake up with the first lights, and after a strong breakfast, depending on the weather condition, we start the hike. After an hour or so we will be on the Marconi Glacier and starting to use the crampons on the ascent. As we move forward we find the slope change where we put on harnesses and tie ourselves to ropes. With each step up behind us rises the majestic Mount Pier Giorgio, Cerro Fitz Roy, Aguja Polone. Upon completion of the slope ahead of us opens the Icefield bordered by Cordones Kolliker, Gaea, Mariano Moreno and Lautaro Volcano. Once we arrive to camp we make ourselves comfortable and enjoy the evening watching the Cerro Fitz Roy, Pier Giorgio, the white cap and surrounding areas. All meals included. Duration: 8-9 hs. Distance: 10km. Elevation: 800 mts to climb. 2
Icefield 7-8 Day Circuit El Chalten, Santa Cruz DAY 3: REFUGIO GORRA BLANCA CIRCO DE LOS ALTARES Early in the morning an assistant guide/s pick up some general cargo and dump it on sleds. This is so that the backpacks do not go so heavy, and we can walk lighter. We place the snowshoes and start the walk. Soon we begin to appreciate on our left Los Hongos de Hielo on the Cordon Marconi, the field of ice under our feet, the Lautaro Volcano and the Mariano Moreno to the right. After approximately 5 hours of hiking, we arrived at the Circo de los Altares where you can admire the stunning west side of Cerro Torre, Egger and Standhart. Here we build snow walls for protection from the wind, we set up tents facing Cerro Torre and we will dine, hydrate and enjoy one of the most magical places on earth. All meals included. Duration: 6-7hs Distance: 12km Elevation: 50 mts to climb 100 down DAY 4: CIRCO DE LOS ALTARES LAGUNA FERRARI In the morning we break camp and continue south on slight decline, with our sleds and snowshoes. We leave the circus behind and after a few hours We will start to see obvious racks, making us avoid them. We will walk an hour and we'll remove the snowshoes, we carry the sleds again to head up the glacier with no snow and afterwards step on land. We will camp on Ferrrari Lake. If weather conditions allow us we will hike up to Paso del Viento Refuge. Al meals included. Duration: 8hs. Distance: 14km. Elevation: 250 down, 250 to climb. DAY 5: LAGUNA FERRARI LAGUNA TORO As with any journey through the morning, quiet and still enjoying the amazing view of Viedma Glacier, we head towards Paso del Viento. After we crossed 300 meters of vertical drop we will find a change of scenery, we will see the huge and snow-white lower and upper Tunel Glacier down from the slopes for the next 800 meters downstream. After a last walk on the Tunel glacier we expect the river crossing, which according to the decision of the guide, we will cross by a zip or wading. From there a short 30 minutes walk to reach camp, where a green forest will surprise us again. Al meals included. Duration: 6-7 hs. Elevation: 300mts to climb 800mts down. Alternative: Go up to Paso Huemul and cross to Bahía Tunel. 3
DAY 6: LAGUNA TORO EL CHALTEN We wake up early in the morning have breakfast and hike back to town on an easy trail through La Loma del Pliegue Tumbado. *Paso Huemul Option: An alternative is to continue this day to Paso Huemul, in order to arrive the following day to Bahía Túnel ( Boat transfer is optional from Bahía Cabo de Hornos ). Breakfast and Lunch. Elevation: 450 mts. climb y 700 down. Duration: 6 hrs. DAY 7: BAD WEATHER, EXTRA DAY This day is contemplated to be used in case of having to wait for bad weather conditions and should not be used necessarily within the expedition. The use of this day will be up to the guide in charge. DAY 8: BAD WEATHER, EXTRA DAY This day is contemplated to be used in case of having to wait for bad weather conditions and should not be used necessarily within the expedition. The use of this day will be up to the guide in charge. ADITIONAL OPTIONS Changing intinerary up to Bahia Tunel. Boat from Cabo de Hornos Bay. USD 150 extra per person. REFERENCE TIME OF THE YEAR: from October till April. D. SCALE: Hard. GROUP: from 2 to 8 people. FULL MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, box lunch and Dinner. This difficulty scale is the physical, technical and psychological demand that Involves each activity. This scale is divided into 5 categories: Easy: Marked trails, elevations up to 400mts. 3 to 6 hour hikes. Intermediate: Easy walk with elevations between 400-900mts, 4 to 8 hours hikes. Demanding: Less stable terrain, it could involve semi- technical field. Elevations between 400-1000mts. 6-9hs hikes. 15 to 20 kg Backpacks. Hard: Semi- technical and technical terrains, elevation from 600-1500mts, 6-10 hs hikes 20-25kg backpacks. Very Hard: Technical terrain, strong elevations and long hiking journeys with heavy backpacks. It requires previous mountain experience. WEATHER IN PATAGONIA It s important to take into account that the weather in El Chalten is very unstable. This expedition counts with two extra days to improve the odds of success. Waiting, continuing, or suspending decision will be on our Mountain Guide criteria. 4
Icefield 7-8 Day Circuit El Chalten, Santa Cruz 5