Mt tronador ascent
The amazing landscape, the cozy Meiling Hut and the challenging ascent makes Tronador the classic mountaineering objective in northern Patagonia.
Located at the border between Argentina and Chile, nearby the town of Bariloche, Tronador (the one who makes thunder) raises up to 11.200 ft in the middle of several lakes.
Bariloche is our starting point, where we meet, make an introduction to the trip and enjoy dinner together in town.
We drive to Pampa Linda, a beautiful spot on Tronador foothills. From here we start our aproach by the Castaño River, which goes though deep Nothofagus forest at the beggining, and follows an exposed moraine between glaciers at the end.
We take advantage of the Meiling Hut facilities, a cozy Refugio with gourmet food, good music and a great wine cellar. On the next day we start hiking after midnight right on the glacier by the hut. Hours of moderate glacer travel will take us to a serac terrain and a big plateau just bellow the summit. On the exposed and steep last section, we might do one or two climbing pitches o fix a rope as well to get to the summit of Pico Argentino, one of the main three peaks of the mountain.
● Experience the best mountaineering objective in the area
● Enjoy the Argentinean cultural experience, its great food, people, and the charming town of Bariloche
● Learn and refine your mountaineering techniques helped by a top notch guide and local expert.
● Take advantage of the personalized service that makes Andes Mountain Guides the best option in Patagonia.
AMG offers the highests standards on Patagonia guided expeditions. Being a small company specialized on custom trips, we approach our Ice Cap Expedition with the same spirit, offering a personalized service in every aspect, with the advantage of having an office both in Argentina and in the USA. Our groups are small, our expeditions don´t overlap and our guides are simply the best: fully IFMGA certified, elite alpinists with extensive experience working not only in Patagonia but all around the world.
“Climbing in Patagonia was the culmination of years of training, reading, and dreaming. When I met Juan on a porch in Chalten, I knew immediately I was in good hands. His preparation for our time together was a savvy compilation of weather conditions, route knowledge, and ambition, evolving daily to provide the ultimate Patagonian experience. Juan never failed to produce a smile, even in the tough conditions and always knew just how to encourage me, that I could climb my best. During down time in camp he showed me a wealth of new knowledge that has served me well since our trip. Not only that, his in-tent stir-fry is the best I’ve ever had! I wouldn’t hesitate to call on the team at Andes Mountain Guides in the future. These guys all know their craft and the areas they guide extremely well, having formed deep relationships with locals over the years. With seeming ease, they put everything together to make my dream come true.”
James Sellers, Portland OR
EXPEDITION DETails
TRIP DETAILS
• Skill level: Intermediate. Glacier travel. Snow
slopes up to 50 degrees. 10 hour day on summit.
• Location: Bariloche, Patagonia Argentina
• Length: 3 days
• Climber/guide ratio: 1:1 / 2:1
• Cost per person: 1:1 US$1150 2:1 US$800
• Departure dates: on request from October to April.
INCLUDED
IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guides (English-Spanish)
All food when trekking/climbing
Restaurant and Hut meals (drinks not included) as seen on itinerary.
All camping and cooking gear
Private ground transportation during the trip
Group technical gear (ropes, climbing gear, snow shovel, maps, G.P.S, compass, etc)
24/7 assistance in the US before and during the program.
Not included
Plane tickets
Access fees
Porters
Restaurant Meals and those meals not listed in the itinerary
Restaurant drinks
Personal equipment
Personal expenses
Rescue costs and extra expenses caused by abandoning the trip
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Bariloche- Pampa Linda. We pick you up at your hotel where we check gear and arrange the last details. Drive to Pampa Linda, check in with the park rangers and hike 4/5 hours to Meiling Hut at 1900 mts. In the evening we arrange our equipment enjoy dinner at the hut and get ready for summit day. LB, D.
DAY 2
Tronador Summit. Early in the morning we have breakfast at the hut and start hiking on the glacier to take advantage of the firm frozen snow. Our first challenge will be to traverse the Filo de La Vieja, a sharp ridge that divides two glaciers. After a technical descend from the Filo, we keep traversing though crevasses and seracs until reaching the big plateau before the summit. From here the terrain gets steeper and windier by the pass, so we change techniques to short roping, pitching and/or rope fixing to deal with the last challenging section that leads us to the summit of the Argentinean Peak. After spending some time on the top, we traverse down back to the hut. B, LB, D.
DAY 3
Pampa Linda/Bariloche. After a great rest at the hut we leave it after breakfast. We retrieve the moraines and forest to get back to Pampla Linda, where we have Lunch before start driving to Bariloche. Later in the evening we make a stop at the brewery for a deserved celebration before taking you to your Hotel. B. L.
