Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
387
Patagonia's Famous Peaks
The C erro Torre and F itzRoy g roups ma y be t wo of the alpine w orld's most
recognized skylines, made famous b y decades of unbelievable mountaineer-
ing feats, and by the U.S.-based Patagonia Inc. clothing company, which chose
this horizon as its company's logo. Climbers consider these among the tough-
est challenges on the planet. They ar e also a r emarkable displa y of natural
beauty, with a rich human hist ory of struggle, controversy, and ex traordinary
achievement. Whether y ou're a serious climber or a nonclimbing mountain
lover, these peaks ar e sure to inspire. From left to right, on those ex ceptional
clear days, here is what 's making your jaw drop:
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Cerro Torre:
At 3,102m (10,174 f t.), this g ranite needle sticks straight int o
the sk y. I ts first asc ent has been the subjec t of debat e for 50 y ears, since
photographer and climber Tony E gger disappear ed on what climbing
partner Cesare Maestri claimed was the first summit. M aestri's account has
been long doubt ed and debat ed. A r ecent team of climbers f ollowed the
route Maestri described and found it impossible to climb, with no apparent
evidence of pr evious attempts.
•
Cerro Standhar t:
The g ranite needle Standhar t, at 2,650m (8,692 f t.), is
seen as a good warm-up f or those att empting the summit of C erro Torre.
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Torre E gger:
Named af ter Tony E gger, who allegedly climbed what was
considered the har dest mountain climb in the w orld with M aestri in 1956.
When Egger disappeared on the desc ent, along with his camera, he shat-
tered the cr edibility of the summit M aestri claimed.
•
Pico Poincenot:
The big one to the left of FitzRoy group, this spire reaches
3,002m (9,846 f t.).
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Mt. FitzRoy:
Named f or Sir Rober t F itzRoy, the C aptain of HMCS
Beagle,
which brought Charles Dar win on his first v oyage t o S outh America, this
magnetic g iant stands 3,405m tall (11,168 f t.). F or generations , the local
Tehuelche people have called FitzRoy “El Chaltén,” or volcano, because it is
almost always covered by clouds, which they c onfused for smoke. To the
left of F itzRoy are the spir es Agujas, St. Exuper y, and R afael Juarez. To the
right are Mermoz and Guillaumet.
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glacier, and its milky blue lake. N ext to the Torre G lacier, y ou hav e a glimpse of the
Grande Glacier. This is a 22km (12-mile) r ound-trip; plan for 3 hours each way . There
are also good views of Mt. Solo and the Adela chain en route. If you have time left at the
lake, scramble to the north shore of Laguna Torre to Mirador Maestri. For an even fuller
day, you can include a hike with crampons on theTorre Glacier as well, though this must
be done with a guide fr om Fitz Roy Expediciones (see “Tour Operators,” above).
Return 6- to 7-hr. 11km (7 miles) one-way. Medium.
Laguna de los Tres
The best full-day hike in E l Chaltén takes y ou along the
Chorrillo del Salto river past the campground at Poincenot—which is probably the best
and most centrally located campground in the area—and over the Rio Blanco before the
