Ski Cerro Castillo & El Chaltén

Introduction

Cerro Castillo is located 100km south of Coyaique, in the Aysén region of Chile. It´s an amazing area for the ski touring and backcountry ski, and is very pristine, away from Cities and ski resorts.
Considered one of the hidden treasures of Southern Chile, with several mountains and Valleys to explore around!
The Villa Cerro Castillo is very small, with 500 inhabitants, and basic services: Grocery store, cafeteria, cabins. The new “Refugio Cerro Castillo” will be our base.
A long day driving , but very scenic as well, will be on day 7 from Villa Cerro Castillo to El Chaltén, 800km , mostly on the famous “40 road”.
El Chaltén offers the possibility to climb and ski moderate mountains with incredible surrounding views of Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre and the Southern Ice Field. The Village was established in 1985, and today has a population between 1500 and 2000 people.
Some of the ski options will be: Loma del Diablo, Cerro Vespignani or Crestón and Cerro Madsen. These places are very remote, with incredible views of Fitz Roy and the Glaciers! You´ll rarely find any other people around...
It´s very important to have ski touring experience and very good fitness, because in all cases the approach to the snow will be walking and carrying your own skis.
The program in Fitz Roy area, it´s designed to do 2 or 3-day trips plus one camping trip for one night. This flexibility will allow you to adapt according to the weather conditions.

Data Sheet

Best time of the year: August –September- October

1

DIFFICULTY

Very difficult, training required

2

EXPERIENCE

Ski touring experience required

3

ACCOMODATION

Occupancy based on double rooms and double tents

4

GUIDE RATE

4 to 8 people. Guide ratio: 1/4

Itinerary

Day 1

Reception at Coyhaique Airport, and transfer to Villa Cerro Castillo. Lodging at Villa Cerro Castillo. Briefing with the guide; equipment check, and details of the program

Day 2

We will drive 20min to Ski at “Portezuelo Ibáñez” , different valleys to explore on our own from the road, starting at 1000m/a/s/l. If the conditions are good, we could make 2-3 different ski runs this day. Lodging at Villa Cerro Castillo.

Day 3

30 min drive to the beginning of the trail. We will carry skis and personal equipment; the porters will carry the camping equipment and food, on the approach day to the Camp.The approach takes between 3-4 hs; optional Ski in the afternoon. Camp Neozelandés.

Day 4

Different ski options according to weather and snow conditions. Full day ski Cerro Castillo area. Camp Neozelandés.

Day 5

Possible ski tour in the morning. Back to Villa Cerro Castillo in the Afternoon (3 to 4 hs). Lodging at Villa Cerro Castillo.

Day 6

This is a Long Day on the road, but very scenic as well: the route goes along Buenos Aires lake ( second largest lake in South America), and then on the historical “40 Road” ( the longest road of Argentina from North to South along the Andes) Total driving time: Aprox. 12-14hs. Lodging at El Chaltén.

Day 7

We start the morning driving 1h to Mosquito Creek; we will hike from then carrying the skis until we reach the snow, usually starting above the three line ( 1000m above sea level). We will Ski the “Loma del Diablo” (1800m/a/s/l). Vertical gain: 1200m. Lodging at El Chaltén.

Day 8

Drive to Lago del Desierto ( 1,5h drive). We´ll hike to Laguna Huemul and approach to the base of Huemul Glacier ( 1 to 1,5 hs approach to the snow) , were we´ll skin up the “Cerro Vespignani” (2146m/a/s/l). This is a fantastic descent, with great views all around! Vertical gain:1500m.
Lodging at El Chaltén.

Day 9

We will drive 30 min to “El Pilar” to start our approach to Fitz Roy Basecamp, 3 hs hike. After setting camp, we will continue to Laguna de los Tres (another hour carrying the skis on steep rocky trail). We will cross the frozen Lake and Ski at Glacier de los Tres, the closest you could get to Fitz Roy Mountain!
Camp. Poincenot.

Day 10

After breakfast, we´ll go back to Laguna de Los Tres, and skin up the “Cerro Madsen (1806m/a/s/l), with great views of the Piedras Blancas Glacier. Back to the camp and hike back to El Chaltén.
Vertical Gain 1000m. Fare well dinner with a good “Asado” ( barbecue). Lodging at El Chaltén.

Day 11

Transfer to El Calafate Airport. End of the services.

Note:

The Itinerary can be modified and should be considered only as a guide. External factors such us the conditions of the snow or weather conditions could change the original plan, and your Guides will have the criteria to change the program if they consider is necessary.

Essential Information

Please take note!

Ski Touring Patagonia

PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

• Backpacks 30 and 50 liters
• Sleeping Bag and sleeping mattress (Therm-a-Rest recommended)
• Head lamp
• Water bottle and small thermo flask
• Trekking shoes
• Merino or synthetic base layers
• Mid layer fleece & Windstopper
• Down or synthetic hooded jacket
• 2 pairs of gloves
• Warm hut and buff
• Extra socks
• Waterproof pants and Jacket ( Gore-Tex)
• Lens and goggles
• Sun bloc & lip protection
• Ski touring set: Skis, skins, boots, ski crampons, ski poles ( compressible ideal).
• Crampons & Ice Axe*
• Safety avalanche set: Shovel, beacon, probe*
• Helmet (optional)

If you need to rent some of these items, please let us know in advance

Ski Touring Patagonia

 INCLUDED SERVICES

• Certified Mountain Guide UIAGM - IFMGA
• Detailed transportation (4x4 or Minibus)
• Detailed lodging, based on double occupancy (7 nights)
• Full Board on Camping days (B,BL,D) , 3 nights.
• Porters for Camping Equipment (Camp Neozelandés & Camp Poincenot)
• Double tents an kitchen set
• First Aid Kit
• VHF Radio or Sat Phone communication

Ski Touring Patagonia

NOT INCLUDED SERVICES

• Personal Equipment (Please see detailed list below)
• Personal insurance (It´s mandatory to hired your own accidents and rescue insurance)
• Restaurant Meals
• Lift Tickets
• Alcoholic drinks
• Gratuities
• Services not specified

Some pictures of this program

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Toll Free Number in the USA & Canada

Contact us and schedule your trip

Our Office
Our office is located at El Chaltén, Patagonia Argentina.

This is our meeting point and base of operations for all our programs

Address
Eduardo Brenner 88 (9301)
El Chaltén, Santa Cruz, Argentina

Email for inquiries
info@chaltenfreeride.com

From outside of Argentina:
Phone: ++54-2962-493194
Cel Phone: ++54-9-2962-409207

Ski Touring Patagonia
Ski Touring Patagonia
Ski Touring Patagonia
Ski Touring Patagonia