Last Christmas Debs and I had the privilege of spending a few weeks in the Southern Argentinian and Chilean paradise of Patagonia. We experienced an almost-unheard-of run of fine weather for our visits to the Chalten Massif and Torres Del Paine, where we spent every waking moment soaking up one of Earth’s most beautiful landscapes. I would give anything to go back there on a longer climbing trip, but until then I’ll have to survive on memories and photos. Here is a selection of the latter, which I hope can go some way to conveying what a special place Patagonia is.
Stark contrasts on the Perito Moreno glacier as shafts of sunlight illuminate the tottering ice towers
Immense amounts of precipitation on the Southern Patagonian Icefield feeds the glaciers and pushes them down to low elevations, creating the bizarre juxtaposition of woodland and ice
It’s BIG! Dappled sunlight reveals the textures and intricacies of the monstrous Perito Moreno glacier
Spontaneous calving events send tonnes of ice crashing into the aquamarine waters of Lago Argentina, the biggest freshwater body in Argentina
The omnipresent wind sails icebergs from the glacier’s snout out into the lake, where they eventually drift into the more sheltered bays to melt
Our first proper view of the Fitzroy and Cerro Torre massifs from out on the Steppe – queue immediate excitement!
Typically beautiful scenery on the approach to Fitzroy – a riot of colour and contrasts
The snout of Glacier Piedras Blancas hangs above the Rio Blanco valley on the walk in to Fitzroy
Sheer magnificence – the castellated towers and spires of the Fitzroy chain emerge from the wind-whipped clouds
Perfect timing as we arrive at Lago de Los Tres to find the clouds lifting and the hulking mass of Fitzroy revealed. The Goretta Pillar forms the righthand skyline
Glacial silt suspended in the lake creates the stunning aquamarine colour when the sun’s light is reflected from the water
We heard them long before we spotted them – the giant Magellanic Woodpeckers announced their presence like something out of a cartoon!
The anticipation and excitement builds as the intermittent views of the Torres group get better and better during the walk up the Torres Valley
Inspiring, humbling and terrifying. Whatever feelings are invoked by Cerro Torre, Torre Egger and Aguja Standhart, their beauty is absolutely unequivocal
A serious place even in such perfect weather – serac collapse and rockfalls rumble constantly on the Glacier Grande
Andean majesty – the hanging glaciers, flutings and cornices of the Cerro Adela chain lead to the Col de la Esperanza on the right of the image
Messing around and narrowly avoiding a soaking at the waterfall of Chorrillo del Salto
The famous Los Torres del Paine in all their granitic glory!
The contact between the intrusive granite laccolith of Miocene age and the much older Cretaceous sediments above is dramatic
The lush woodland, tumbling streams and tranquil pools are home to the elusive Patagonian Fairy, probably
Andean Condors are just like buses…
Alpine meadows rife with flowers carpet the hillsides along the trail
Glacial erosion has carved the dramatic landscape of the park and often the softer sedimentary rock is only preserved on the very top of the peaks, as seen here on the well-named Los Cuernos
The spires and slabs of the French Valley looking ominous and moody on one of our only two bad weather days. The famous Patagonian wind absolutely tore down the valley making it feel like a day out in The Cairngorms, nearly
It’s not all mountains and ice you know! A forest of foxgloves on the trail beside Lago Grey
A midsummer snowstorm transforms the towers and pinnacles of Cumbre Central into an ethereal wonderland
A South American Kestrel dives in for the kill in the wetlands near El Calafate
What’s that? You want one more of Cerro Torre? Oh go on then!