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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

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Author
Climbing & mountaineering ideas for South America.
LGJ
20-Jul-2008
7:04:06 PM
I've got Feburary and March in South America next year. It's at the tail end of an Antarctic trip, so will be starting from Ushaia, and looking at visiting Chile, Argentina and Peru.

Is it too late in the season for any kind of mountaineering?

Can anyone point me in the direction of information for climbing in the Torres del Paine? Is there easy/moderate stuff there?

Any destinations that I should be heading for? Multi pitch rock routes would be the main goal I think - even if it isn't too late in the season I might be sick enough of snow anyway...

Any general info would be appreciated. I'm travelling at the moment so its a little hard to know where to start looking.

mousey
21-Jul-2008
12:41:02 AM
aparently siula grande is nice this time of year
LGJ
21-Jul-2008
2:08:44 AM
Haha. As with the Bonatti Pillar on the Drus?
WM
21-Jul-2008
9:01:19 AM
its a fair way off your route but Carnival is on in Rio around that time and the rock routes there are fantastic.

Robb
21-Jul-2008
10:45:17 AM
there's loads to do in sth america in feb and march. mountaineering, long rock routes short rock routes etc etc. dont know your experience so ill give some general info. few ideas for you.
torres del paine - some excelllent stuff there. logistically a bit more difficult. need permits and good to have partner organised b4hand. worthwhile going in there for look around anyway. mate of mine managed to cruise in and find a partner and poach and ascent of the central tower a few years back.
fitzroy area - lots of stuff to do here. its mostly quite big and serious stuff here. once again good to have parter sorted b4hand but possible to find partners here. great bouldering 2 minutes from town too. no permits.

lots of climbing around bariloche - great alpine rock around refugio frey. just need approach shoes. lots of other stuff around bariloche too. sport climbing too.
can also go and do an ascent of tronodor near bariloche. snow and ice peak.

further north lots of 6000m peaks in chile, argenitina and bolivia and peru. slightly out of season for bolivia and peru but still possible to do stuff.

let me know if you have any questions

Cheers
Rob

microfe
21-Jul-2008
4:25:53 PM
Definately go to Bariloche, and up to Frey. It is the most beautiful place in the world that I have climbed. immaculate multi-pitch granite.
Mic.
V
21-Jul-2008
7:38:54 PM
San Carlos de Bariloche (aka Bariloche) in northern Patagonia is a good base for climbing.

Club Andino Bariloche may be able to give you some advice on where the climbing areas are, and
provide maps. There's awesome rock climbing about a day's walk from Cerro Catedral out of Bariloche,
possibly what Mic is referring to, near Refugio Frey.

For something more serious there is Cerro Tronador, also accessed from Bariloche: http://www.peakware.com/peaks.html?pk=819
LGJ
12-Nov-2008
7:59:52 AM
I'm counting down the days now...

Cheers for the ideas re Bariloche - I will definately be heading there. I aam travelling with a non-climbing companion though, so am starting to realise more and more that I may not end up doing all that much climbing.

We are thinking of walking the Torres del Paine circuit. But - I know it is a huge tourist trap. I'm sure the views would outweigh most nuisances (maybe), but after recently reading Andrew Lindblades book - I am thinking about other options. Such as - walking around the base camp(s) of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy.

Can anyone that has been there comment on this? Is it possible to enjoy all the grandeur of the Torres del Paine on paths less travelled?

IdratherbeclimbingM9
12-Nov-2008
8:08:39 AM
On 12/11/2008 LGJ wrote:
>Is it possible to enjoy all the grandeur of the Torres del Paine on paths less travelled?

Seek & yes, ye shall find grandeur glasshopper!
(Esp. if the grandeur includes mtns hiding in wind, rain, etc. Would be a welcome change to the flat & dry Cobar?).
Heh, heh, heh.
LGJ
12-Nov-2008
3:26:06 PM
M9 - you must have lot of time on your hands! Wouldn't you rather be climbing than researching?

Yes - I'm sure whatever I find out there will be better than the dry, dusty plains around Cobar. Thank f#ck I'm nowhere near that place anymore...

Any ideas a bit more specific would be appreciated. I'm sure there's a plethora of brilliant walking to be done around the area, sans the tourists and tourist fees, but a few ideas would be handy.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
12-Nov-2008
4:19:51 PM
On 12/11/2008 LGJ wrote:
>Any ideas a bit more specific would be appreciated. I'm sure there's a
>plethora of brilliant walking to be done around the area, sans the tourists
>and tourist fees, but a few ideas would be handy.

Sorry but I have not been there. It all sounds like a grand adventure, so I doubt you can go too far wrong.
Good luck with your researching!
:)

vwills
12-Nov-2008
6:45:46 PM
I was expecting a bit of over touristy stuff around Torres del Paine, but its not too hard to avoid and I thoroughly recommend the walk. I did the 8 day full circuit with valley side trips in early April 2005 and saw fewer than 5 people a day on the "backside" of the circuit. The front "w" was a little more crowded but not painfully so.
Tips:
-go as late as possible. The tourist numbers drop and the deciduous beech are turning orange. April was great. Also hardly had any severe wind, and had rain only for a few hours one day.
-Do the full circuit. Its worth it. Scenery changes dramatically day to day.
- Leave time for a side trip up the Valle Frances. Worth a day, or camp overnight.
- I camped. there are cabins most of the way
- good infrastructure in Puerto Natales for arranging the walk and buying permits etc

The area around El Chalten in Argentina also has great walking. The side trip up to Lago Electrico is well worth it. But the Torres circuit is probably more classic- given that its longer, and a circuit. I hear there is very good walking around Ushaia as well.
V
12-Nov-2008
10:30:03 PM
Torres del Paine is a must see - definitely do the Gran Circuito, and you can work in the 'W' as well if you
allow extra time. The GC is supposed to take 12 days but it can be done in 5 if you're motivated. There
are tour groups and a lot of people at T del P, but I'd still say it's worth it - the scenery is some of the
best I've seen anywhere, and the place is so big that you won't notice the people so much. The GC gets
a lot less traffic than the 'W'. (I did the GC in March.)

I haven't been to Cerro Torre or Fitz Roy, but they look quite spectacular. There's also some stuff worth
doing out of Bariloche - the Cerro Catedral walk is pretty good, starting from the ski resort and finishing in
Colonia Suissa. Takes about 3 days, quite rugged and spectacular. Highlight for me was a close "fly
by" from a condor. It must have decided I didn't look very tasty :-)
qman
13-Nov-2008
12:29:40 PM
i rate baraloche also, refugio frey is a very cool place to hang out. it must have wickes ski touring and ice climbing in the winter also.


There are 14 messages in this topic.

 

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