Climbing Cerro La Paloma (4900 m)

Central Andes, Chile

Hola a todos!
On Friday, Nov.12th 99, I made it up to the summit of Cerro La Paloma (4900m). It was the most interesting climb I've done so far in the Andes. Cerro La Paloma is located in the Cordillera directly to the east of Santiago and is visible as beautiful snow/ice ridge to the left of the impressive Cerro El Altar (5200m). With me on this tour was Alfred "Fredu" Gautschy from Switzerland. Here comes my journal
(click on the thumbnails to view the images):
Day 1: after being dropped off by Vanessa at 1900m at the beginning of the Hierba Loca valley which leads towards the mountains, we hiked with our 30 kg backpacks about six hours to the waterfall at the end. It is about 1000 vertical meters up, but it doesn't seem like that because the valley rises only gradually.

The beautiful Cerro El Altar visible at the end of the valley.

A little snack during a rest in the Hierba Loca valley. Actually we also found cows which were a little more alive than this one.
We found two big orange tarantulas crossing our way and after setting up the tent in the sunset light we started cooking our dinner, which attracted a small desert fox, who checked us out from a save distance. The weather was typical: in the morning picture-perfect, while in the afternoon clouds were gathering. The same pattern I have seen before at the Plomo trip in February.

The last sunlight illuminating the steep rockfaces which towered above our camp 1

Day 2: After the waterfall the path goes up over a steep step in the glacier moraene. It is recommendable to put on the stiff boots here. The path goes to the right of the creek but we missed it somehow and had to find our way along the scree and snow patches. After this first step we stood at the beginning of a very beautiful highvalley which is framed by high rock walls and one hanging glacier. The upper ridge of La Paloma is also visible in the background. This place, La Piedra Carvajal (about 3200m), is the usual first camp, but we planned to go on this day to an old broken refugio at 3500m to set up high camp. We continued along the valley and crossed below the impressive hanging glacier. We thought we could see some tracks in the snowfields but they turned out to be tracks of rocks which had rolled down there.

Fredu climbing one of the many snowpatches on the glacier morane. The lower section of the impressive hanging glacier is visible in the middle of the picture while the icy summit ridge of Cerro La Paloma looms over the scenery.
We couldn't find the refugio and decided to set up the tent at the end of the moraene where the snow starts. We had to flatten a place in the snow for the tent but nevertheless the thermo-rest made it quite a comfortable night. Except the wind which sometimes tore on the tent pretty bad! Already at sunset we watched with some suspicion high cirrus clouds coming in from the west.

Camp 2. While Fredu was preparing the cooker clouds where coming in from the west. The ascent route follows the snowfields to the left and then turns to the right above and behind the prominent rock face directly ahead

Day 3: We woke up at 4 o'clock and were shocked by a cloud covered sky and slight snowfall! We geared up and left tent at 5. We watched the weather carefully and planned to turn around if it gets any worse. After half an hour walking on the rising snowfields, the snowfall was getting worse and we were engulfed by a huge cloud coming up from the valley. So we decided to turn back and maybe wait for the sunrise. We almost got back to the tent when the snowing stopped and it cleared up a bit. So we turned around again and started the climb a second time. During the first two hours one has to climb along the snow (which was unfortunately not hard frozen) to the end of the valley where a steep step in the snow leads up to a broad ridge. Unfortunately, just before the step Fredu had to turn back due to increasing stomach problems. I continued alone with the thought to also turn around in case the weather is getting any worse. In the meantime the sun was up behind the clouds and I could see the wind blowing the clouds in from the west, but I could also see the first patches of blue sky which gave me some hope. I climbed the final step in a direct line to do a shortcut but it was a mistake because I had to continue on loose scree before reaching the broad ridge. Anyway, from there I could see a peak in the distance and two rocky hills which are located in the foreground. Over this hills I climbed, getting slower and slower. Sometimes dark clouds were covering the peak but the wind always blew them away. It took me another two or three hours to reach the ridge which leads up to the peak which was visible from the end of the snowfield. I was praying this would be the summit but didn't really expect it (I was right). Following the weak tracks, sometimes on scree, sometimes on the snow, I could now see to the North and started hearing the big mine which is located in the next valley.

The view from the beginning summit ridge to the north with the big copper mine down in the valley.
Getting close to this top I saw that on the other side the mountain drops away in an impressive rock face. Finally stepping on the little false summit I could see along the combined ridge to the next higher point. After a while this ridge was getting narrower with beautiful cornices. Here I put on the crampones and had to use the iceaxe to climb along the steep right (southwest) side of the ridge. Making a lot of rests I got up to the higher point just to discover that there is a point on the ridge further off which looked still a little higher.

Approaching the summit. Someone forgot his hands here....
Cursing, I continued. At 12.30 I reached this small rocky top in the otherwise snow/ice ridge. A little stoneman was build there, presumably marking the top of Cerro La Paloma. The weather had improved during the morning and I could see the whole Andes to the North, the highest summits covered by clouds though.

The view from the summit to the north over the Andes mountains.
Cerro Plomo was visible to the South as a big chunk of rock. Directly behind me the beautiful El Altar was rising for another 300 vertical meters. It took me seven hours to reach the summit and I stayed for 20 minutes snapping away my last slides and enjoying the view.

Self-portrait on the top of Cerro La Paloma, behind me the remarkable Cerro El Altar rises for another 300 meters to its summit height of 5200m.
Under my feet I could see the valley we came and in the distance the smog cover of Santiago. Then I headed back. Fredu was waiting for me with warm tea at 4000m. After three hours I was back at the tent where we stayed for another night.
Day 4: since we would not be picked up by Chris before Sunday, we had a free day and hiked leisurely back along the high valley enjoying the scenery. On our way down we stumbled across the old refugio and found the place not so good for camping anyway. From here we estimated that our high camp has been at about 3700m. We continued down to the waterfall where we met the first people doing daytrips in the Hierba Loca valley.
Day 5: Walking back along the valley we met Chris after surprisingly short time and after three hours we were back at the starting point. We put our feet and heads into the cold water and after driving to Santiago started the apree-climb with two quick beers at Plaza San Enrique!

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