 |
| |
 |
| |
Located at the same latitude as the city of Santiago, although not visible from there, Alto San Juan is on the border with Argentina
and is another of the little known Six Thousand Metre Peaks.
“Alto”, as it is identified in the official cartography, does not have a clear shape and its summit is distinguished by the little cone to
the east of the main cliff which is on the border with Argentina. However, those who climb other high mountains in the Central Andes
will be able to identify it in between the immense glacier system of the Tupungatito Volcano to the north and the Nevado Piuquenes
to the south, forming part of the valley of the Tupungato River. |
|
From the city of Santiago head towards the Cajón del Maipo on
Ruta G-25 until crossing the bridge over the Colorado River, where
you have to take the turning that leads to the El Alfalfal hydroelectric
plant, owned by the AES Gener company. The road to the
mountain continues through the grounds of the hydro-electric plant
and you therefore require a permit that must be organised in advance,
as explained in the recommendations. After passing the plant’s
entrance barrier, follow the road for 25 km until you come to a fork
whose left hand option leads to the La Perla mine. You should take
the right hand option and after a short drive you come to a turning
signed for Estero Chacayes which you need to take. The road passes
through a settlement and then turns and heads into the valley. Just
before the road descends to a water inlet it is possible to see a wellmarked
path that begins on the right side of the road. Here you can
leave your vehicle.
The approach continues on this path that follows the south bank
of the Colorado River. After two hours of walking, the Museo Valley
opens up on your right and after a small descent you arrive at the
area of Baños Azules, where there are pools, very close to the Museo
River, caused by springs of mineralised water. Continue, skirting the
southern slope of a small hill known as Pan de Azúcar for approximately
15 minutes, then continue south-east through the “island” of Pan
de Azúcar, a thin stretch of land that owes its name to the fact that
it is flanked by the Museo (to the south-west) and Azufre (to the
north-east) rivers along nearly its entire length. On the island there
are three lagoons which can provide water. Close to its extreme
south you can already see the Alto Mountain, its summit and part
of its access route.
At the end of the island you arrive at the extensive Vegas del Azufre,
populated in summer by numerous cattle. At this point the valley
divides in two. The valley of the Museo River continues to the south
and leads to mountains such as Alto del Yeso, Trono, Pirámide and
Nevado de Piuquenes, amongst others. To the south-east opens the
valley of the Azufre River with the mountains Cerro Alto and Nevado
Sin Nombre.
Cerro Alto doesn’t have a well-defined shape and it is therefore
difficult to identify its summit. It is distinguished by a small cone to
the east of the main cliff that borders Argentina.
The approach continues through the Azufre River valley always
following its southern bank. There are several marshes with water
springs (some with a sulphur flavour) where it is possible to set up
ApC1. From this point continue through the valley for approximately
two hours until descending to the bank of the river to cross it and
continue, following a small stream that leads directly to the base of
the El Barco Mountain (4,547 m). This mountain is characterised by
having a series of columns of sandy rock of about 100 metres in
height on its upper section and a large scree slope at its base.
Alto is behind El Barco and from this point there are three alternatives
to arrive at its base. The first is to skirt El Barco to the north, crossiag
a large glacier that descends from the Nevado Sin Nombre and that
at the end of summer can have quite a lot of crystal ice. This route
is recommended only when there is a lot of snow. The second is to
skirt El Barco to the south following a small clear water stream,
passing through an area of large blocks of rock and ascending in
an easterly direction until the base of Alto. The third is to climb El
Barco directly, ascending its western slope on a large scree slope
with some stretches of rock formed by conglomerations of fossils,
until a pass (the Cerro Alto view point) at 4,200 metres to the left
of its rocky walls. From this pass it is necessary to descend about 60
metres until the valley that leads to the Cerro Alto Glacier.
About four hours walk from crossing the Azufre River it is possible
to set up BC behind El Barco, very close to the pass between this
mountain and Alto (4,380 m). |
|
|
To reach the summit of Alto it is necessary to skirt the mountain
completely. This way, the ascent will be carried out through its west,
north and east slopes, in that order, passing on enormous volcanic
caldera that is between Alto and Nevado Sin Nombre (to the north).
There is an extensive cliff that runs right across the upper part of
the west face. On the northern edge, the cliff is very sheer, forming
a great wall that is probably the most recognizable feature on the
mountain. Below this cliff, which stops all the access routes from
the west, there are three glacier tongues, the left hand one (north)
being the shortest and with least crevasses.
From the BC the ascent starts directly on this glacier tongue. The
characteristics of the route can vary depending on the time of year,
and the gradient of the glacier ranges between 25º and 45º. On
the left edge there are crevasses of considerable size because of
which it is recommended to advance through its centre and its
southern edge, until the base of a band of rocks. From here make
a small traverse to the north until reaching the pass (5,200 m) that
gives access to the cirque between Alto and Sin Nombre.
Here it is possible to see the rocky wall of Nevado Sin Nombre and
the glaciers that descend from its slopes, as well as the bordering
ridge of pinnacles that connect it to Alto. At this pass it is possible
to set up a relatively protected HC that makes the day of the summit
ascent easier. At the end of summer there are small streams that
can provide water and there is also the glacier and the snow fields
if you have to melt snow for water.
The route continues on the southern edge of this cirque, ascending
through the scree slopes towards the east until arriving at another
pass on the border ridge (5,700 m). From here you have a privileged
view of the great glacier that runs from Alto into Argentina.
Once on the ridge you should follow the eastern slope of the
mountain in a southerly direction, ascending on quite steep snow
fields (35º to 45º) through a connected series of slopes and couloirs
connected and some easy stretches of bare rock, depending on the
time of year. You then reach the Alto’s uppermost glacier where the
gradient eases considerably. After arriving at the base of the final
cone, you make for the north-west ridge (normally without snow)
until arriving at the summit.
The descent follows the same route but it is recommended to use
wands or a GPS to mark key points.
|
|
• No special permits are required to climb Alto San Juan but you
do need them to enter the El Alfalal Hydro-Electric Plant and to
cross private land owned by the army (called Rio Colorado). For
this, you must first ask the permission of the Jefatura de Propiedades
del Comando de Infraestructura del Ejército, Departamento de
Predios (Santo Domingo 3317, Santiago, phone 2-3777214,
fax 2-3777133). Send a copy to Max Mardones of the Company
AES Gener (phone 2-6868140, fax 2-6808131). It is recommended
to do this some time in advance.
• You should also inform the police in San José de Maipo 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 require permission from DIFROL (www.difrol.cl).
• The best transport option is to take a 4x4 vehicle. See appendix
for recommendations.
• You should be prepared to cross rivers (particularly the Azufre
River), as crossing by the rocks is not always possible.
• It is recommended to take equipment and clothing suitable for
high altitude mountaineering. As part of the equipment it is
recommended to take snow and ice anchors and rescue equipment,
as the gradients on the glacier are too steep to be climbed while
roped-up.
• It is recommended to take mules to transport the equipment
during the approach and the return journey. Jacinto Ortega is
the most experienced muleteer in the area. He lives in the town
of Maitenes (before Alfalfal) and it is necessary to organise things
with him before your expedition takes place.
• Even in late summer it is still possible to find water (and/or snow)
along the entire route. However, some streams have high sulphur
content which could lead to stomach problems.
|
|
|
|
