- Address: border of Chile and Argentina;
- Height above sea level: 3,128 m;
- Exceedance: 1 227 m;
- The mountain range: the Andes;
- First ascent: 1959 (Cesare Maestri and Tony Egger).
In the northern part of the National Park Los Glaciares, on the border of Chile and Argentina is a mountain range with the highest peaks of Patagonia . One of them, Mount Cerro Torre (altitude 3128 m), is considered one of the most difficult and dangerous for the ascent of the peaks of the world.
The story of conquering Cerro Torre
In 1952, the French mountaineers Lionel Terrai and Guido Magnioni in their report on the ascent to the summit of Fitzroy described the neighboring mountain - a beautiful, original needle-shaped form, with a narrow peak. The unapproachable peak was called Cerro Torre (from the "serro" - the mountain and "Torre" - the tower) and became the dream of many climbers. Vertical slopes of 1500 m, unpredictable weather and constant hurricane winds, characteristic of Patagonia, made this dream especially desirable. The first attempt to ascend to Cerro Torre was undertaken by the Italians Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri in 1958. Only 550 meters remained to the summit when an insurmountable obstacle from rocks and ice appeared on their way. Another Italian climber, Cesare Maestri, claimed that he had reached the top with the Austrian guide Tony Egger in 1959, but the tragic tragedy ended: the conductor was lost, and the camera was lost and Maestri could not prove his words. In 1970, he made another attempt to climb, during which he used a compressor and hammered into the wall 300 rock hooks. This act gave rise to ambiguous opinions among the climbers; some of them believed that a climber's victory over a mountain can not be complete if he uses such adaptations. An official pioneer is the expedition of Italian Casimiro Ferrari, who climbed Cerro Torre in 1974.
What to see on Cerro Torre?
The excursion to the peaks of Fitzroy and Cerro Torre also includes the inspection of the Torre lake, from which the coast offers a superb panoramic view of the mountain. Near the lake there is a large glacier. Most of the time, the top of the mountain is covered with clouds, but in clear weather in the sun it looks amazing. For tourists with tents in the vicinity of Cerro Torre comfortable free campsites are organized.
How to get there?
The path to Patagonia starts from Santiago or Buenos Aires and lies in the capital of the Argentine district of Santa Cruz , the town of El Kafalate. Every day, scheduled buses go to the mountain village of El Chalten, located next to Cerro Torre.