DAP AVENTURA 2016 - 2017

Aventura al fin del mundo 2016 - 2017
unattended, and one of the secondary
objectives of the trip was to rescue part
of this network to monitor the relationship
between meteorological conditions and
the glaciers in the southernmost part of
South America, a project that has already
started with Universidad de Magallanes in
Punta Arenas, in conjunction with student
and investigator Eñaut. All of this will be
captured in a quality, publicly available
cartographic map.
The Cloue Ice Field Voyage
“The snow and hailstones storm had come
out of control against all forecasts, and the
wind was strong enough to drop us into the
ground on a dark night. Hurricane, glacial
wind was eating us alive, like a great black
mouth daring to devour us. Tierra del Fuego.
We were finally standing by these “small
great mountains” of Cloue Ice Field, and now
everything seemed clear to us…” wrote Ibai
in one of the critical moments of the voyage.
Cloue Ice Field, with a present extension
of 210 square kilometers had first been
mentioned by Romanche expedition at the
end of the XIX Century, and many years
later, in 1989 by a Canadan expedition that
ventured into the northeastern extreme,
but the main summits and ice field were
unexplored. After a week sailing on the
Northanger, through complicated winds,
the team reached the western extreme of
Hoste Island, where the ice field is located.
Evan and Ibai decided to opt for a light
travelling style to cross the 30 kilometers
of thick forest, cracked glaciers, peaks and
edges of the island, heading from west to
east. With light equipment and gas for a week,
they began at Coloane Estuary, prepared
for ski-alpinism and material to build a tent.
After crossing a live ice area and a broken
corridor, they reached the top plateau. In
spite of favorable forecasts by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(USA), that same afternoon they had to set
camp and were stuck in a storm that lasted
the entire next day in a rocky hill on the
western extreme of the ice field. Meanwhile,
the ship had to endure strong wind gusts
and bad conditions in general, to be able
to reach the other extreme of the ice field
by sea, and thus gain access to the most
remote and least accessible meteorological
stations in the South American continent. and a thermal sensation of -45°C), they
Encouraged by a relative improvement, decided to continue without stopping, past
rise in pressure and favorable meteorology dawn and for the rest of the following day,
for that night and the next day, Evan and for a total of 18 hours fighting cracks and
Ibai picked up the camp and left at 2 in the rocky points, until arriving at Fouque fiord in
morning. The forecast, once again, did not the eastern extreme of the Cloue peninsula,
stand, and the two men were caught in where the Northanger ship managed to arrive
what they consider to be the worst storm for their pickup.
of their lives. Hurricane winds, snow and
hailstones, visibility of only two meters and First climbs of Mount Cloue
a sea of cracks hidden under thin bridges of
and Tower Saia
snow… The roped team kept skiing through Some days later, and after developing scientific
the night, led by the GPS and the maps work in the area, the team decided one of
previously created by the team, signaling the objectives of the expedition, climbing
the importance of good preparation for this some of the virgin summits of the ice field to
expedition.
have a better knowledge of altitudes, was
The wind let them advance very slowly and not yet achieved. Thus, Evan and Ibai left
they suffered several falls in cracks from the Northanger and set upon a new incursion
which gladly they could escape without issue. in the high area of the ice field, where the
Even so, with no chance of setting camp or highest peaks were located.
stopping to dig a cave (winds of 120 km/h Access and logistics play a main role in a
Team photo: top, from left to right, Caesar Schinas, Ibai Rico and Evan Miles; bottom, from left to right Eñaut Izagirre and Keri Pashuk. /
Foto de equipo: arriba de izquierda a derecha Caesar Schinas, Ibai Rico y Evan Miles; debajo de izquierda a derecha
Eñaut Izagirre y Keri Pashuk.
Adventure at the End of the World
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