TWINS SALT
The Twins from the base camp
TWINS 6,196 m
Made from 3 to February 10, 2005
Location:
This mountain is located in Argentina, in the province of La Rioja, in the position S 27 ° 51'416 and O 068 ° 54'586.
Altitude:
For GPS, 6,147 m sea \u200b\u200blevel; by IGM map, 6,196 m.
Summit Date:
February 9, 2005.
Route Name:
Gladiators.
Promotions:
Our expedition was the 3 rd ascent crowned the summit, Johan Reinhard, USA, and Alexander Von Götz, Germany and was the former, and became the first country.
best time of climb:
November to February.
High mountain. Essential to acclimatize. Also previous experience in high, running at high altitude and very good knowledge of the Andes. There is difficulty to ascend the last 200 meters high summit of the hill. You have to take crampons, although not used, since according to the year by an unexpected snowfall at the beginning or end of season display glaciers on the road, especially at the end. Proper acclimatization is essential.
Team: Shop
high. Fuel or gas stove and enough. High Mountain Shelter.
parka and sleeping bag high, double shoes, crampons, poles. GPS.
Water:
must be worn at least in the vehicle, 10 liters of water per person.
Access:
already in the province of La Rioja, up to Laguna Brava, from there to the Salado River, from where he enfilará parallel north. Access details and itinerary are quoted in the story.
Objective Twins .... Twins, a name that probably will not appear on any map are in the province of La Rioja, only 10 miles south of the border with Catamarca and 20 miles east of the border with Chile. Part of the peaks remaining virtually unknown in our country. Two cones are almost similar, the North and South peaks separated by a mile away. The North, which is the highest, is about 50 meters higher than the south and north has a false summit to the lower 100 meters of which is separated by a hill that drops from 5,950 meters to the side with the glaciers and west. From the top of this hill you can reach the summit.
Twins is the end of the Sierra del Veladero. This saw is born above the Laguna Brava and extends from south to north for about 26 kilometers. In this system Veladero summit, the inmate and Twins are the main mountains, but despite the map, the latter two seem to be independent of the Sierra.
was proposed as a target, considering it was a mountain with very few ascents in a very pristine area still in exploration. The only impediment that we saw was probably having to leave the truck for several days at altitudes close to 5,000 meters with the resulting problems caused by cold liquids and fuels. We start
from Mendoza to La Rioja, on Thursday, February 3 at 8 am and noon lunch in Villa Union, which completely filled the fuel tanks. From there follow the road until Vinchina and then consolidated road, with traces of asphalt, until you reach the checkpoint at the Reserve de la Laguna Brava in High Jagüé, where once again Don Cirilo Urriche, after the relevant and warm greetings proceeded to charge us admission to the park. Was 15 pesos per vehicle and 10 for each person carried. Like it is always advisable to consult for variations that might occur.
It's nice to watch before getting to High Jagüé, the magnitude of the beautiful silhouette of Chico Bonnet (6759 m) to the northwest and a little later, looking toward the southeast, the snowy Famatina profile and the main summit of 6,107 m. General Belgrano
Past 17 hours we arrived at the shelter
The Rock , inevitable place in which its 3,600 meters of altitude acclimatization begins the expedition. We pitched our tents on the side of the shelter, respecting a logical distance from the existing graves of the track is no longer visible, indicating that. We turned and fed a small fire inside the old building and proceeded to prepare a delicious dinner. In the morning we saw, close to our tents, a beautiful and brilliant fox coat for food.
About ten o'clock we left for the Laguna Brava. Once there we leaning on his border to seek access to the remains of the plane that landed there years ago and found almost the opposite. But the level of salt water that we come to the knees, we are discouraged. Continued our journey passing in front of the shelter
Laguna Brava (the destapadito), we see the majesty of the bonnet, the Pissis, the prisoner and the Sierra del Veladero, then overcame the refuge of Veladero (S 28 ° 13'467 and O 68 ° 55'263, 4,395 meters) to finally arrive at the
Barrancas Blancas, where we were spending the night, but an offer of workers from a nearby bakery, who had helped repair light of his truck, let us sleep in very good roof. Our position S 28 ° 10'416 69 ° 08'692 and O, the height of 4,050 meters, almost about 500 higher than the Rock, we came very well for our plan of acclimatization. As always, once placed in a camp, then proceed walking and climbing around. Later he was very nice to enjoy a good dinner, we could easily prepare and hospitality that was provided. We would leave the next morning to meet the Rio Salado.
Leaving the next day at 9.30 am, just over beyond 8 km we reached the Rio Salado, starting our way north along its banks. At position S 28 ° 03'457 69 ° 09'419 and O by about 4,140 meters and just over seven miles of the river found to have followed the detour after driving three miles to the west, it stood at the "little volcano." S 28 ° 01'380 69 ° 10'994 and O in the 4,210 meters. Jaime suarez
The
Volcancito
This training is the result of a curious and constant eruption of water that has been forged over many years is similar to a cone-shaped volcano. It flows through the center and toward the surface, possibly with some temperature, but on reaching the shore the water can not see any heat. You do not see the bottom, which proves to be very deep.
We return to the position of diversion and face our way north again. Soon we broke the bed of the Rio Salado and move the mountains that separated us from the river on one side and the border with Chile on the other. Quebrada Seca before the North began to look toward the east profiles the back of Veladero, the west front of Reclus and Twins
Jaime Suárez Jaime Suarez
Twins, from track parallel to the Rio Salado
and the south wall of Pissis. We continue our progress on a track with occasional difficulty caused by floods up to S 27 ° 48'172 69 ° 02'640 and O, in the nearly 4,600 meters, where a detour route to Twins, thin wire across the surface that shapes the Salado River plain. Have continued the path we had come to the Valley Wide, to pass the north face and end Pissis out in Las Coipa on the path to Step San Francisco, and in Catamarca.
base camp
From there a steep ascent, which we should use the lock and all our management tricks. Soon we were in the 4,700 meters over loose stones and gravel that we were drifting, until it reached a better surface on the 4,900 meters. We are looking from a nice area down there a few feet to a canyon or channel extinct, which fell at higher elevations, between two large rocky shoulders. It was the ideal place to locate our base camp. Position 27 ° 47'828 68 ° 59'352 and O on the 4,870 meters, five km from the diversion almost eleven of the summit would try. We were delayed four hours to arrive. We pitched a tent
large structural gave us room for everyone, and we would spend two nights in the place and wanted to be as comfortable as possible. In a base camp at almost 4,900 meters high, primarily alone and far from any town or possibility of help is important to maintain good communication and encouragement. We ate very well, we moisturize enough and could not help but admire such a bright and cloudy night sky filled with thousands of stars. Look a lot better than in any city or town to sea level. No longer worry about the large number ray that looked very distant at elevations below ours, and almost all around us. That night listening to the radio we heard very heavy rains in many cities.
I will never stop stressing the importance of proper control of liquid trucks. Despite being summer, on nearly 5,000 meters, temperatures can reach, especially in the predawn hours, easily at 20 degrees below zero. In our tent the first night was at 12 degrees below zero as the thermometer registered abroad added to zip the tent. Therefore the water should be a sufficient antifreeze as well as gas-oil, which precipitated paraffin and prevents it from starting. Disconnect the battery and protect it with a special blanket and shelter from cold wind to the radiator, plugging the more you can, support more than might be supposed. Beware of long bursts to life remaining electrical charge and if necessary wait for the hottest hours to start the vehicle. Logically, going into one vehicle is exposed to no return. Keep a set of cables to connect batteries. Sunday 6
had planned to make a portage with vehicles up to 5,500 meters, where would establish camp 1 and return to Base Camp on Monday as "light baggage." Languages of penitents who were later prevented us from doing so. Climbed nearby hills to acclimatize better and decided to leave on Monday, 7 to Camp One, continuing the original plan, but with all the weight on our shoulders. We enjoyed that evening a small snowfall.
Towards a
camp We start at 8 and a half, with the equipment, tents and food. The sun had started half an hour before breaking up its rays on a thin mantle left by the snow. Lumbering walk a mile and climbing a little over 100 meters towards our mountain. A little high. Five miles later and having risen almost 350 meters further, there appeared a wide penitents high glacier we had to cross, not without some degree of difficulty by their edges and toughness. It took a while and we had to rest at the end of a good time. We climb for more than a mile and reached the 5,427 meters and the place where one would set up camp. We seek the shelter of large stones to protect us from the wind and put up the tents. The next day we would try to reach the summit. Were about seven hours of walking and climbing. The weather seemed to improve. We were in S and 27 ° 49'854 54'392 OR 6 °, a little over 700 meters and nearly 3 km from the point that we had budgeted as the summit.
To our mountain ...
distances and heights that drove us to attempt the summit made possible with a single high camp as well once the sun had appeared. That will avoid spending unnecessary cold. We left on Tuesday 8 again to half past eight armed and well-closed, leaving the tents. We carry a liter of water and running light meal which included some candy. After crossing three glaciers of penitents, smaller this time, we face the rise longitudinally by two long, steep scree, located on the north face of the mountain. It was the effort involved than Hans named the route as "gladiators." The last haul we planned to 5,890 meters. Then came the soft ice coming down the hill that separated the northern peak of his false summit, covered in a regular surface that easily allowed us to place ourselves above fifty yards. We had reached the highest point of the hill. Quickly to the top face north on good-sized stones that facilitated the rise, despite the inclination. The effort will only increase the height. Were almost two hundred meters of hard work, but ultimately crowned the top four highest Twins. It was 14.30 hours, had been an effort of 6 hours from the game, but we now contemplate the beauty of that part of the mountain Argentina. Hans
The Gladiators called route had begun at Camp One high moving from north to south on the north wall of this mountain and carries on the area, then climb on the northeast wall formed by the glacier and the end cone.
Before our eyes stood out the south wall of Pissis displaying their peaks, the glacier and through it the cone of the summit Cardenal Samore. To the south the summit some 50 meters lower South Twin. Further the Reclus and beyond the Veladero. Eastward Bonnet Grande and the edges of the crater of the Caldera del Inca Pillo. The south-east across the bulk of the Bonnet Chico.
Far to the north, beyond the Pissis profile and environment, Tres Cruces, the Three Gorges, the tip of Walter Penck, the peaks that form the crater of the Nativity and the unmistakable silhouette of the Inca Huasi.
was a wonderful show we enjoy the good days we had touched the summit. Photos, collecting the testimony of the expedition of Alexander, who was the second summit, congratulations to Susan for being the first woman and the pride of being the first issue of Argentina in that mountain top.
Jaime, Oscar and Hans at the top. At the back wall Pissis South
Past 15 hours began to return. For every meter down, a little more oxygen filled our lungs tired. Soon we went down the glacier. The long and laborious were now rushing down easy and after three hours we were arriving at a camp. A sleep and the next day would reach the target vehicle, disarm the base camp, starting our trucks and start the long return.
Passing the Laguna Brava we saw that the storms had increased the height of water, and now proudly wearing a larger size and depth. He began a comeback
again, you want God to be the beginning of another adventure in the mountains. Jaime Suárez
February 2005
jaime suarez