Entre Argentina y Chile yace el volcán más alto del mundo, una mole que pese a su tamaño es completamente inofensiva.
https://curiosidadconc.com/naturaleza/nevado-ojos-del-salado/
Damn beautiful view, but it it seems like this is a 1 or 2-day trek after driving to a high altitude plateau, and that wouldn't suit me.
Can anyone tell me about the ascent profile? I can't seem to find much info with a simple google search.
(Argentinian side)
Short story-ish
I’ve read everything I could and talked to a bunch of people and still missed some stuff. So, just in case someone else is in my situation, and if you prepare for Ojos del Salado, the following info will help you out a bit, hopefully.
The route we took (self-guided): Santiago (we had a rented car waiting for us there), Copiapo, Laguna Rosa, Passo San Francisco, Refugio Claudio Lucero (or No 1, or Murray… whatever you want to call it), Atacama, Tejos.
We didn’t do the acclimatization by the book, but we felt pretty good. We also used some altitude sickness pills (Acetazolamida - no clue if these really worked or it was just some placebo effect on me). We chewed on some coca leaves as well and maybe those helped with the altitude too.
The first night was at the Laguna Rosa. Second night at Claudio Lucero. Third night at the Atacama. After that, we went to Tejos, on foot, back to the Atacama, by car. We left our gear and tents there and went down to Claudio Lucero. After two nights there we had to go get our stuff and leave. The weather was going from bad to worse.
Only one guy made it to the top (but I can not be sure of that) while we were there from about 40 people that were on the mountain at the time. Most of the people didn't even reach the crater rim. There was way too much snow, over 1 meter of puffy snow in the cone and the fixed ropes (we were told) are in a really bad state. For us, the summit day was supposed to be 30-31 January 2020.
Tips and details
- First of all, after you leave Copiapo, in about 50km you’ll have no phone reception. If you need it you can use a satellite phone. We didn’t have one. Make sure you check the weather forecast before leaving and keep asking about the weather when you see newcomers.
- The weather is the key element to your success. You can prepare for anything, but the weather can ruin your plans very quickly.
- We had a 2x4 petrol car. We made it to the Atacama with a bit of luck. If you want to make sure you are getting there you’ll need a 4x4 car.
- The last gas station is in Copiapo. We filled our tank and took an extra 60 liters of gas with us. We had 125 liters of gas and I think you can make it with less than that. You can buy canisters in Copiapo at Sodimac Homecenter. There you can find gas for your stove as well.
- In Copiapo, there is a supermarket in the center but there is also another one on the way to Ojos. It is called Jumbo or something like that. We didn't know but t
Hi everyone,
I and four more friends plan to climb Ojos del Salado in January-February 2019. It will be a sefl-guided tour. We already booked the plane tickets and everything is pretty much clear, but we are a bit stuck with the car rental.
We need a car for four people and all our bags and gear. We have two options. Get a 4WD car or, to cut a bit on our expenses, get only a 2WD. Our goal is to reach Atacama Refugee with the card. We will hike from there.
Now, do you think we can reach Atacama Refugee with a 2WD car or we shouldn't risk it and go for a 4WD?
Thank you in advance for your replies and may the good weather always be with you :)
TLDR: 4WD or 2WD to reach Atacama Refugee?
Digo eso porque se que es totalmente normal que la gente se relacione con toda clase de gente, pero eso no dejaba de molestarme y ponerme celoso, pero me aguantaba las ganas. A alguien más le pasa? Hombres o mujeres?
Hace dos años compré un paquetito de tres y lo tiré en un bolsillo de la mochila. Cuando se acerca un vendedor le digo que recién compré y que me gustaría ayudarlo pero soy tan solo un hombre.
I looked to see of there were any posts about Ojos de Salado. I am a long distance backpacker (specialized in desert backpacking if that's a thing) and ultrarunner looking to get into mountaineering. Ojos de Salado seems like an interesting choice as it's not too technical. Apart from the obvious elevation issues and water scarcity from the Argentinian side, are there other challenges I should know about? I'm not as concerned about gear as climbing challenges, logistics, weather dangers, etc.
