An interesting photo diary from Michelle Wakeley of her recent trip to the Patagonian Icecap, visiting El Chalten, Rio Electrico, Marconi Glacier, Paso Marconi, Cirque de los Altares and Paso del Viento before returning via the Tunel valley.
Dec 222011
Our group spent a rather wild 2 days ascending to the Refugio de Caballo with the intent to do some winter mountaineering in the area. In the event, strong winds and severe icing had them beating a retreat for the valley the following day. Thanks to Ian Tupman, from the Costa Tropical who sent in [...]
Sometimes a basic snow wall is not sufficient to keep the elements at bay. The wind can drop spindrift on the leeward side thus burying the tents. Is there a solution in the way we can construct snow walls that would make them more efficient? I asked this question on the Worldwide Expedition professional group [...]
The rock climbing at Naranjito, Peña Cabrera just west of the town of Diezma is accessible on good clean rock with 70 routes of all grades from 4 upwards. It is south facing so gives pleasant climbing outside the summer months. Access is very easy as the crag is just north of the A92 between [...]
The Postero Alto Refugio is a wonderfully situated guarded refuge located on the north side of Sierra Nevada, within the National Park, in the region of the municipality of Jerez de Marsquesado and Guadix. It commands a wide panoramic view stretching from the Hoya de Guadix-Baza to the ridges of the Sierra Nevada mountain peaks [...]
The jagged ridge of the Raspones provides a high class scramble and mountaineering route to the main ridge line of the Sierra Nevada. It is not done very often, so we decided to check it out. The Raspones emerges from the upper reaches of the Poqueira gorge, just west of the Rio Seco. It is [...]
Sometimes you need to do a bit of lateral thinking for your mountain adventures. We might be only two hours from the sun drenched beaches of the Costa del Sol, but there is still some good mountaineering sport to be found. An early alpine start is the chief requirement. The snows are still quite plentiful [...]
Yes, we are heading back to the Patagonian Icecap. In November 2011, a year earlier than planned, we shall be renewing our tussle with the magnificent but ferocious elements of the “Hielo Continental Sur” (Southern Continental Ice Sheet) in southern Patagonia. Due to the difficult nature of the expedition we keep the group small. Only [...]
Apr 092011
Great video shot by David Spreadborough and his group in March 2011. Bad weather and snow conditions hampered progress but in the end they had a fine summit day. See the video on Youtube David Spreadborough mulhacen trip report Spready on Twitter
What to think about when planning your self guided winter mountaineering trip to the Sierra Nevada in Spain. A multitude of factors have to be considered. We recently assisted a group led by David Spreadborough in enjoying a somewhat mixed weather week in these mountains. How did they go on? The following article was originally [...]
