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The San Pablo Volcano, 6,092 m, together with its older brother, dominates the Atacama Desert, rising majestically over the plain
without other mountains to compare with them. Both mountains are linked by a pass at 5,000 m where San Pablo is the summit to
the east.
Situated to the north-east of the city of Calama, this Alti-Planic mountain is characterised by the enormous crater at its summit. It is a
dormant strata volcano with no registered signs of activity. This would not always have been the case as its dark colour is due to the
fields of lava originating at its large cols, which extend, fan-shaped, on its slopes.
Despite its beautiful shape and the fact that is situated in a place of Incan influence, no vestiges of Incan culture have been found on
its slopes or at its summit.
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As San Pedro and San Pablo are linked by a pass from where it is
possible to access either summit, the access information will be the
same for both mountains until this pass.
From Calama, take the international highway that leads to Bolivia
via Ollagüe (Ruta 21) in the direction of Chiu-Chiu. After Chiu-Chiu
the road changes into a dust road. It is in good condition and follows
the eastern side of the Loa River. From there, it is only a few kilometres
until it is possible to see the San Pedro and San Pablo volcanoes.
About 30 km from Chiu-Chiu, there is an intersection with an interior
road which you must take in an easterly direction towards the town
of Incaliri. The road meets the San Pedro River on its southern bank
and you should follow it until you reach a small bridge that crosses
the river and allows you to continue driving through the foothills
of the San Pedro Volcano towards the pass. The road is sandy and
difficult to negotiate. You should follow this road as far as you can,
taking special care to find the existing path and to follow it, in order
to have the least possible impact on the vegetation. On our expedition,
BC was set up close to some cairns located at 4,000 m, but with a
good vehicle it is possible to reach close to 4,500 m. |
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From BC, the route follows a track that stays close to San Pedro,
ascending its south-east slope and heading towards the pass between
the two volcanoes. Close to 4,500 m, you have to try to stay to the
left of the San Pedro Gully that descends from the pass and not
deviate too much from the existing path.
To facilitate the ascent it is recommended to set up a C1 close to
4,600 m, which will divide the ascent into three days and make it
less strenuous. Before arriving at the pass it is necessary to avoid
some small cliffs that sometimes have ice cascades. The route skirts
to the left, then crosses to the right to finally arrive at the pass
(5,300 m), where you can set up HC.
From HC it is necessary to follow the only ridge that emerges clearly
from the pass towards the east, and that rises and narrows until
stopping underneath the large band of red cliffs where the ascent
starts through scree slopes until the base of a couloir in the rocks
that, from here, seems to have no exit point. Near the end of the
couloir, before arriving at the vertical walls, you should turn left,
looking for rocky steps that allow you, in a delicate but simple climb,
to reach the summit ridge. Due to the looseness and steepness of
the terrain you should wear a helmet in this area.
Once you have reached the ridge (5,900 m), where the wind is
strong, you ascend through scree slopes with moderate gradients,
sometimes being able to distinguish a track. If you look up you can
see a rocky red area which you skirt to the left and then climb a soft
slope with pale-coloured rocks. Here you can see clearly three steps
at a distance of approximately 400 metres. Passing this stretch, the
slope starts to ease and the terrain becomes a soft and fine pale
sand.
After this intense effort, you arrive at the false summit which you
skirt on the left. You then come to the final hill and the summit,
where there is an iron stake.
The descent should be carried out completely on the ridge until
nearly reaching the pass, where the slopes are gentler and you can
clearly see the route of descent. This avoids descending the cliff,
which would require you to be very confident and sure of the route. |
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• No special permits are required to climb San Pablo but you should
inform the police in Calama of your expedition, giving them a
letter showing participants, nationalities, passport or ID numbers,
details of activities and specific itineraries, dates, route and a map
of the area.
• The best transport option is to take a 4x4 vehicle. See appendix
for recommendations.
• If you do not have your own transport it is recommended that
you contact Regimiento Reforzado No 1 Topater in Calama and
the respective PARME (Patrulla de Rescate de Montaña del Ejército,
Army Mountain Rescue Patrol) to ask for support. It is also possible
to get accommodation at the Topater Regiment.
• A good transport option is offered by Manuel González in Calama
(mobile: 87439321), who has a great knowledge of the area and
mountain activities.
• The key stretch of the route is the cliff. If you don’t have the
confidence to climb on rock at this altitude there is the option to
go to the bottom of the pass to take the ridge. Obviously, this
route is quite long and hard, due to the number of scree slopes
and false summits.
• It is recommended to take equipment and clothing suitable for
high altitude mountaineering. As part of the equipment it is
recommended to take an ice axe and crampons.
• The water in the San Pedro River is potable. Before crossing the
river you should look to see if there is sufficient snow in the areas
of BC and C1 to evaluate whether it is necessary or not to bring
water.
• This area is affected by the so-called 'Alti-Planic winter', with an
unstable climate and intense precipitation between the months
of December and March. It is strongly recommended that you do
not climb during this period. The winter months (June - August)
are more stable but overnight temperatures are close to -30º C.
The spring months (September – December) are the most
recommended as the climate remains stable and the temperatures
are higher. |
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