Becoming snowblind is one of the most debilitating hazards of being in the high mountains. This article relates my own personal experience on the Patagonian Icecap with this painful condition. I am not a medical expert and haven’t read up on all the facts, so if you want the medical stuff then do a Google Search. I relate [...]
Read More glacier travel, Icecap, patagonia, snowblind, snowblindness
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 [...]
Read More construction, expedition, patagonia, snow wall, spindrift, tents
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 [...]
Read More cerro torre, continental ice sheet, hielo continental, southern patagonia
We bought the Yukon Down Jackets in an online winter sale from PHD Designs in the UK in March 2010. Gore Tex outer fabric. But how did they perform and stand up in the wilds of Patagonia? The ordering and delivery process- Easy. The website is well thought out and helpful. Sale items are identified [...]
Read More Down Jacket, expeditions, Gore Tex, handwarmer pockets, Icecap, Icefields, patagonia, Patagonian, PHD, Yukon
A report from Kiersten Rowland about her harrowing experiences on the Patagonian Icecap in November 2010. Not exactly a sparkling advertisement for joining us back there in 2012! Two taxis arrive to take us to the trailhead at Rio Electrico. From the trailhead we walk a few hours through a forest to our camp at [...]
Read More cerro torre, Chalten, expedition, expedition food, Fitzroy, hotel confin patagonico, Mountaineering, patagonia
Our own personal recommendations and help for mountaineers, trekkers and travellers visiting the town of El Chalten in southern Patagonia. The town of El Chalten comes as a pleasant surprise. It is tucked away between some rock walls north west of the magnificent Lago Viedma in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina. It has a [...]
Read More cerro torre, el chalten, Fitzroy, Glaciares, hielo continental, personal recommendations, southern patagonia, trekkers
The rescue efforts to aid 3 climbers continue on the Patagonian Icecap. 2 Argentine guides and their Mexican client are trapped on the Nunatek Viedma. The Mexican did not survive and died from hypothermia. Yesterday, the helicopter could not reach the ice cave where the two guides await. If the weather does not improve, they will [...]
Read More el chalten, patagonian ice field, rescue efforts, rescue helicopter
A summary of the Spanish Highs Patagonian Icecap Expedition 2010 which has just returned from Argentina. We must have upset the weather gods. Unlike previous trips, this time Patagonia threw everything it had as us weather wise. Like other Argentine groups we sat for 3 or more days at La Playita campsite waiting for our [...]
Read More Argentina, Chalten, expedition, Fitzroy, Icecap, mountaineer, patagonia, Patagonian
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that is growing. It is 5 kilometres wide with a total ice depth of 170 metres… A large visitor centre can be found here which features a walking circuit which allows you to both faces, and the surface of the glacier to be seen. The Team [...]
Read More expedition, glaciers, patagonia, perito moreno glacier
What to take for a 10 day expedition into a mountain wilderness is a perennial problem for me. I never have quite seemed to get it right. Now though, I think I’ve cracked it! The worst expedition food I ever ate was surviving on pasta, dried minced soya and packet soup for a week, but [...]
Read More carbohydrate, dehydrator, expedition, expedition food, mountain wilderness, Patagonian, Sierra Nevada