Summit

This giant volcanic massif is on the border with Argentina and belongs to the Ojos del Salado volcanic range which consists of a series of high altitude volcanoes. Despite its attractive shape, it is not often-visited due to its proximity to the “Ojos”.

The shape of El Muerto (The Dead) is due to large accumulations of viscous lava on its craters. This lava solidified before it could flow down the slopes, creating what are known as “lava domes” over its craters. The mountain is characterized by having at its peak a large elongated depression of approximately 2.5 km in length, which contains at least 12 eruptive centres. In total, the entire complex of El Muerto is composed of about 25 of these centres whose eruptions have covered an area of approximately 20 km2.

The access route is similar to that of the El Ermitaño Volcano and
the other Six Thousand Metre Peaks in the Ojos del Salado area.
Taking the city of Copiapó as a point of departure, head towards
and then take the international road, Ruta 31, that leads to Argentina
via the San Francisco border crossing.

In the area of the Maricunga Salt Lake is the San Francisco border
post where it is necessary to register your expedition.

Continue along Ruta 31 to Laguna Verde (4,342 m) where there is
a police station that is closed during the winter and re-opens at the
beginning of October. Here, the budget company Aventurismo can
supply radios, water, bathrooms and hot springs which makes it a
good place for the process of acclimatisation.

From Laguna Verde it is necessary to go back to the turning that
leads to the old police station next to what was the Murray Hostal
and is now the Claudio Lucero Refugio (4,540 m) where, on our
expedition, BC was set up.

From BC, continue by 4x4 vehicle along the route that leads into
the Ojos del Salado Gully towards the Atacama Refugio which
belongs to the Atacama University (5,300 m). The road goes through
areas of sand that make the advance difficult and emphasise the
importance of making the approach only in a 4x4. Once at the
refugio, take the track east, towards El Muerto. After approximately
three km it leads to the Los Ventisqueros Gully which runs between
El Muerto and the “Ojos”. The route is barely passable and disappears
in the highest part of the gorge. However, the advance can continue
by vehicle until the base of El Muerto at approximately 5,270 m.

From the point where you leave the vehicle, you walk through a
rocky area until arriving at a field of penitentes and then a large
sandy area, without gaining much altitude (5,250 m). Here you
begin the ascent, using the west slope, taking the precaution of
always following the semi-rocky ridge. The mountain is very sandy
and the ascent shouldn’t follow paths that go through the sandy
areas. These should only be used for the descent.

At 5,500 m there is a flat section where it is possible to find water
and where you can take the opportunity to rest. From here the route
becomes steeper the higher you climb.

Approaching the summit (6,200 m) you walk through rocks of larger
sizes to gain access to a flat summit, from where you walk in a
north-easterly direction until you reach an area with three false
summits. The actual summit is on the north-west edge of this plateau.

The descent should follow the same route used for the ascent, using
the sandy areas.

• No special permits* are required to climb El Muerto but you should
inform the police in the San Francisco border post 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. As the mountain is on the border,
foreigners must ask for permission from DIFROL (www.difrol.cl).

• The best transport option is to take a 4x4 vehicle. See appendix
for recommendations. Buy sufficient fuel in Copiapó as there are
no other places to buy it during the rest of the journey.

• If you do not have your own transport it is recommended to send
a letter asking for support to the headquarters of the Army 1st
division in Antofagasta (Av. Ejército 01180, Antofagasta). Once
approved it will be sent to the 23rd Regiment in Copiapó, which
will co-ordinate the support.

• Another option is a transport service from Copiapó. Among the
companies that offer the service are Aventurismo (52-235340 /
mobile: 99694654, who also offer transport from Laguna Verde
to the various mountains), Gran Atacama Tour Operador (52-
219271, www.granatacama.cl) and Atacama Chile Tour Operador
(mobile: 98723652, www.atacamachile.com).

• From the Atacama Refugio, the last three km of the track are in
very poor condition, so should be driven very slowly and with
care. If you do not wish to take a vehicle over this terrain, you
can start the walk from the refugio.

• The day of the summit climb, it is recommended to leave no later
than 6.00 am.

• The facilities of the company Aventurismo at Laguna Verde can
be used from November 1st to March 31 every year. You can pay
at Laguna Verde.

• 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.

• Take sufficient water for the whole expedition. This can be taken
from Copiapó or in Laguna Verde.

• The Puna de Atacama area has high precipitation in winter and
summer, when it is slightly affected by the “Alti-Planic winter”.
The climatic instability can also be accompanied by strong squalls
and wind-storms. It is therefore strongly recommended to climb
during the months of spring and summer, as the winter presents
very low temperatures and abundant precipitation. It is necessary
to keep up-to-date with the weather forecast.

* From December 1st 2004 the company Aventurismo (32-235340) has had
the rights for access to the summit of the Ojos del Salado Volcano and its
neighbouring summits over 6,000 m, also to the Atacama (5,200 m) and
Tejos (5,800 m) refugios and the Laguna Verde thermal springs. The permit
includes a series of services that can only be used if the expeditions are run
between November and the end of March. At the date of publication of this
book, the only permit that requires payment is for the Ojos del Salado, but
eventually the El Muerto Volcano will require such a permit.