Monte Pissis 6.881 m.s.n.m.

(19J, 0519893; 6929980)

I. Description

Located 92 kmts. West of “La Coipa” (Argentina, Provincia de Catamarca). Its geographical position its in UTM under the title and in pharentesis next to every place. It’s a beautiful place and one of the most desired and more unexplored mountains in this part of the world.

It’s important to go there with an experienced guide (it’s very easy to get lost there!). Here you can see lots of animals and birds, like guanacos, llamas, flamencos and condor andino..

You have to go by the International Road to Argentina through Laguna Verde and Paso San Francisco. We propose this schedule to climb.

II.- Climbing Program

Day 1.- We meet you before 14:00 hrs. in Copiapó (airport, buses terminal or hotel), or in Caldera and start to Vallecito (0 465485; 7006729) 3.100 m. And at 120 kmts. from Copiapó (2 hours). Vallecito is a little oasis to the feet of an abandoned mine of semi precious stones, the place is full of “Colas de Zorro”, one of the few food plants that sheeps and goats eat.

There we will camp and we will have a short trekking of1 hour by soft terrain with little stones and no more than 20º. We will have dinner at 20.00 and we will sleep after that.

Day 2.- Breakfast at 08:30 hrs. then we will lay up our camp at 10:00 hrs. And we will start in our vehicles toLaguna Santa Rosa (0482562; 7004644) 3.780 m. And at 154 kmts. from Copiapó. Laguna Santa Rosa is a beautiful place where you can see flamingos (known as “Parinas” in the North of Chile), guanacos, and of course a beautiful lagoon. In this place we will set our camp and we will have lunch at 13:30. At 15:00 hrs, we will have a hike around the lagoon of about one hour, by smooth road,(do not walk near the water for sinking danger). We will have dinner at 20.00 and we will sleep there alter that.

Day 3.- Breakfast at 08:30. We will take down our camp to start to Custom Office in Maricunga. We will get there after a trip of one hour to show our passports. Then we will continue to Laguna Verde, 4.340 m. (0550985; 7025563) . There we will have a snack about 14:00 hours. Then we will continue to Argentina to make our Custom Office controls and get to “La Coipa” about 17.00 (3.600m and at0577460; 6944120) where we will set our Camp and we will have dinner at 20.00. Sleeping there at 22.00.

Day 4.- Breakfast at 08:00 then we will pickup our Camp and then we will continue our trip through Laguna del Aparejo and Laguna Azul and then by the impressive Salina of the Laguna Verde (not the same in Chile), where you can find a beautiful sight of Mount Pissis. Afterwards we will continue by the side of Laguna Negra and Laguna Verde to set our Base Camp at 4.560m . (0528550; 6934418), Dinner about 20:00 there and sleeping at 22.00

Day 5.- Breakfast at 08:30 and preparing our equipment that we have to transport for the next 3 days. Al 11.00 we will have a soft lunch to start walking to Camp One. After a trip of about 4 hours we will get to the feet of a glaciar, next to a stream of water, where we will set our Camp 1 at 5.100m ((0524511; 6932459). Resting and dinner at 20.00. Sleeping at 21.00. Here you can have -10ºC to -15.00ºC

Day 6.- Breakfast at 08.30 and at 10.30 we will start walking to our next camp. After a 4 hour walking we will get there, and we will set our Camp next to a glaciar and at 5.420m (0523283; 6931682). We will have a soft lunch at 15.00. Dinner at 20.00 and sleeping at 21.00. Tomorrow is OUR SUMMIT DAY.

Day 7.- SUMMIT DAY. Today we will have breakfast at 05.30 to start walking at 06.00, this walking goes by the glaciar so, you have to use your crampons on the hard snow and with an inclination of about 30-35º. Afterward the road is with stons. Getting the summit takes about 8 hours. We will stay 20 minutes at the summit to start going back to our High Camp. We will get there about 17.00. Dinner at 19.00 and sleeping at 20.00

Day 8.- Extra Day. If any problem of bad weather we can use this day to attempt the summit again.

Day 9.- Brakfast at 09.00. Taking down our Camp and going back to Base Camp. 5 hours to get there. Lunch at 15.00; resting afternoon, dinner at 20.00 and sleeping at 21.00.

Day 10.- Breakfast at 09.00 and starting in our vehicle to FiambaláTown at 180 kmts. Lunch, dinner and sleeping at Hosteria Municipal of Fiambala. This trip will take 6 to 8 hours, depending on the road conditions.

Day 11.- Breakfast in the Hotel at 08.00 and starting to Copiapó. This trip takes about 11 hours. At 13.00 we will have a snack on route to get to Copiapó, Caldera or Bahía Inglesa about 20.00. Dinner and sleeping in hotel (Hotel Inti in Copiapó, Ramón Freire St. Nº 180, phone 52- 212737 or Hotel Montecarlo in Caldera, Carvallo St. Nº 627, phone 52 315388), or similar.

Day 12.- Breakfast in hotel at 09.00 and afterward transfer to airport. End of our services.

III.- Personal Equipment needed:

•Matress.

•Back pack of 80 lts.

•Travel Bag for no more than 80 lts. for your personal equipment.

•Personal cleanliness elements (toothbrush, soap, towel, comb, etc.)

•Sleeping bag for below -25ºC

•Insurance for personal accidents, equipment loosing, sicknesses, hospital emergencies, extra or incidental expenses, (“Seguro de vida en viaje”), (These insurances are not sold in Chile to people without residence).

•Extra clothes for travelling days.

For the “Summit Day”:

•1st ,2nd and 3rd layers, ideal feather anorak for -30ºC.

•Gloves 3 layers (insulation, warming and wind stopper).

•Plastic shoes.

•Crampons.

•Termic Bottle (“Thermo”) for unless one liter.

•Sticks or marching axe.

For acclimatization hikes:

•1st and 2nd layers, optional 3rd coat.

•Trekking shoes.

•Resting (or “refuge”) shoes.

•Solar protectión , hat, sun creams, UV lenses.

•Sticks or axe.

IV.- Equipment supplied by Aventurismo expediciones:

•Camp common equipment: Tables, chairs, dishes, silverware (knife, spoon, fork, tea spoon), glasses for hot and cold drinks, lamps, dinning tent for 8 to 10 people.

•First Aid box, movil oxigen equipment.

•2 Radios VHF (to comunícate withcamps), by every 4 climbers

•Mountain tents for 2 people , with “duroaluminium” sticks, model Ferrino Stardust, Lafuma Camp2, The North Face VE-25 or similar.

•During camps with vehicle, we use stoves with butangas of 5 kgs.

•During high altitude camps we use small butano-propano stoves 80/20 or 70/30.

•4 WD vehiclesfor 4 climbers each. If necessary, we use without 4WD Vans for approaching trips.

•We provide 1 Mountain Guide with experience in the zone by every 4 climbers and camp assistants and conductors or cookers when necessary for more than 4 climbers expeditions.

Food:

Aventurismo expediciones provide breakfast, lunch, dinner and summit food during our expeditions.

Breakfast:: Coffee or tea, oak, cornflakes, long life bread, marmalade, low cream milk, butter, jam, cheese, eggs 2 times during the expe.

Lunch and dinner: spagehtti, soups, rice, cow meat, chicken meat, fresh salads the first days, Canned goods the next days, canned green salads (summit days), canned fish , etc, milk desserts , fresh fruits when possible and then canned fruits. Chilean Wines, coffee , tea or herb water.

Summit food:Chocolates, candies, dryed fruits, peanuts, raisins, almond, isotonic juices, water.

Water:

We recommend to drink unless 3 liters a day by each climber. We supply all the water necessary.

Emergency food:

We suply extra food for 3 more days appart from that of the expedition program.

V.- Hotel and transfer:

We provide the hotel with breakfast in Fiambalá and Copiapó at the end of the expedition, and the transfer to the airport ; the hotel in Fiambalá, Argentina is in Hostería Municipal de Fiambalá (Argentina), located in Diego de Almagro street two blocks from the square, phone03837- 49-6291.

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VI.- Duties of the expedition members:

To obey the Guide’s instructions.

To Participate actively in the group in order to get the aims. To have good will and cooperation . To help a partner in difficulties. None may remain alone in the mountain. To Inform the Guide as soon as possible, when a trouble may become a problem.

VII.- Amount of climbers by group.

We can give service from 1 (one), up to 20 (twenty) climbers by expedition.

The best number by expedition is 7 .

The climbing season goes from November to March and the best time is December, January and the begining of March.

VIII.- Our Prices:

·If you can’t participate in an expedition you reserved, you can use that value (30%) for another expedition in another date.