Summit

The silent companion of the Vicuñas Mountain, Barrancas Blancas is another of the volcanoes in the area that is rarely-climbed.

It is located completely in Chilean territory and is part of the volcanic range called Cordón Foerster that constitutes three summits of which the Barrancas Blancas is the highest. This range is approximately 20 km long and is just before the Ojos del Salado range. The range, and especially the Barrancas Blancas, is characterised by being much older than the rest of the mountains in the area, estimated to be three or four million years old.

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 it is
recommended that you set up BC.

From the BC, take the road that leads right (west) for about three
km. Then you must turn left (south), following the sandy bed of the
Barrancas Blancas Gully, which rises slowly through some small, flat
hills until reaching its source in the central part of the mountainous
massif.

As with Vicuñas, the ascent is simple and does not have technical
requirements. Precautions, are however, necessary as it is an area
far from any kind of help in the case of emergencies. Care also
needs to be taken with the extreme UV radiation that affects the
whole area of the Puna de Atacama.

The access route leads directly to the main summit through the
central gorge, averaging about six or seven hours from where the
vehicle is left.

The first section of the route crosses a scree slope with an initial
gradient of approximately 25º which then increases and remains at
40º. There is a temptation to advance by the snow fields but, as
they have penitentes, they can be more of an obstacle than a benefit.
This stretch, of about four or five hours walk, finishes at 5,800 m,
where the ridge connects with the different summits of the massif.

The slope eases in the next section, and it is possible to see the main
summit towards the south-west. On reaching the summit you can
view an overwhelming landscape of mountains, plains and lagoons,
amongst which rises the Ojos del Salado Volcano, the highest peak
in Chile.

The descent follows the same route as for the ascent.

• No special permits* are required to climb Barrancas Blancas 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.

• 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).

• The facilities of the company Aventurismo at Laguna Verde and
the Claudio Lucero Refugio 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 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 Barrancas Blancas Volcano will also require such a permit.