During April 2013, members of the Spanish Highs team joined a Berghaus sponsored expedition led Berghaus athlete, Julia Pickering, attempting to make the first ski and snowboard climb and descent of the highest active volcano in Kamchatka, Klyutchevskoy Sopka (4750m). Richard Hartley and Kiersten Rowland of Spanish Highs, Sierra Nevada were invited to join this Berghaus [...]
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In April 2013, Richard Hartley and Kiersten Rowland of Spanish Highs Mountain Guides are to join a team led by British snowboarder/mountaineer Julia Pickering attempting to become the first people to climb and snowboard down the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere, Kamchatka in far eastern Russia. The team’s main sponsor is outdoor clothing and [...]
Read More 2XS Films, berghaus, julia pickering, kamchatka, Klyutchevskoy Sopka
The team have today made their final decent after crossing the river and back through the tunel valley and into the village of El Chaltern. Well done. Time to enjoy a nice cold beer and a homemade meal. For more information and dates on our trips to Patagonia see our Patagonia Icecap page.
Read More el chaltern, expedition, Icecap, patagonia, tunel valley
The group is making good progress on the trek back to El Chaltern. They are off the glaciers and have only the freezing cold glacial rivers to cross before their feet touch green grass again ! They will be camping another night and crossing the river in the morning.
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The group has made it safely off the main ice and is setting up camp for the night in a sheltered area by the Laguna Ferrari glacial lake. Plenty of water here and no need to melt snow for drinking water tonight ! Tomorrow is the climb out over the Paso del viento (windy pass) [...]
Read More Cerro Azara, cerro grande, expedition, glacier, Glacier De Querrain, Glacier Rio Tunel, ice, Laguna, lake, patagonia
The team have reached Circo de los Altares. This is a relatively sheltered camp area regularly used by trekking groups. They have good weather so they should be able to get some fantastic photos of the west face of Cerro torre glowing red in the low sun. Tomorrow the weather looks good so they will [...]
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Another antagonizing day for the Spanish Highs team as high winds have forbidden them to move on across the Icecap today. Although weather forecast show good weather for tomorrow there is never a importantly as to what it really could be like there. So with a bit of luck they will once again be able [...]
Read More camp, expedition, Icecap, patagonia
The group have made it to Camp 1 on the Icecap. Here they will dig holes for their tents to protect them from the high winds which will blow relentlessly over the ice tonight. All is going well so far and everyone is OK. The wind is strong tomorrow morning so we have advised them [...]
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As you may have oticed the team have not moved since Sunday. We think they have had high winds and are sitting it out at La Playita. Hopefully, today (Tuesday) we will see them move up onto the Ice cap. We will update this evening with more news.
Read More expedition, ice cap, la playita, updates
The team have reached the last sheltered camp of their trip at La Playita. This is a small beach area totally sheltered from the prevailing winds. This is the place where groups commonly wait for a suitable weather window to move up onto the Marconi glacier and over the Marconi Pass. They will spend tonight [...]
Read More expedition, glacier, la playita, marconi, patagoing