Cordillera del Paine
Encyclopedia : C : CO : COR : Cordillera del Paine
|- | style="border-top:1px solid #999966; border-right:1px solid #999966" bgcolor="#e7dcc3" width=85 | Coordinates: | style="border-top:1px solid #999966" width=220 | |-
|- | style="border-top:1px solid #999966; border-right:1px solid #999966" bgcolor=#e7dcc3 width=85 | Type: | style="border-top:1px solid #999966" width=220 | granite |- | style="border-top:1px solid #999966; border-right:1px solid #999966" bgcolor=#e7dcc3 width=85 | Age of rock: | style="border-top:1px solid #999966" width=220 | 12 Myr |-
|}
The Cordillera del Paine is a small but spectacular mountain group in Chilean Patagonia. It is located 400 km (244 miles) north of Punta Arenas, and about 2,500 km south of the Chilean capital Santiago. No accurate surveys have been published, and published elevations are often seriously inflated, so the elevations given on this page are all approximate.
The highest summit of the range is probably Cerro Paine Grande. Its elevation is usually claimed to be 3,050 m but analysis of local photography suggests that it may be nearer to 2,750 m.
The best known and most spectacular summits are the three Towers of Paine (Spanish: Torres del Paine). They are gigantic granite monoliths shaped by the forces of glacial ice.
The South Tower of Paine (about 2,500 m) is now thought to be the highest of the three, although this has not been definitely established. It was first climbed by Armando Aste.
The Central Tower of Paine (about 2,460 m or 8,100 feet) was first climbed in 1963 by Chris Bonington and Don Whillans, and the North Tower of Paine (about 2,260 m) was first climbed by Guido Monzino.
Other summits include the Cuerno Principal, about 2,200 m but often quoted at 2,600 m, and Cerro Paine Chico, which is usually correctly quoted at about 2,650 m.
The group is included within the Torres del Paine National Park, which was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 1978.
The national park (with an area of 2,400 km2) is a popular hiking destination. There are clearly marked paths and many refugios which provide shelter and basic services. Views are breathtaking. Hikers can opt for a day trip to see the towers, walk the popular "W" route in about five days, or trek the full circle in 8-9 days. It is a national park and thus hikers are not allowed to stray from the paths. Camping is only allowed at specified campsites, and wood fires are prohibited in the whole park.
In 2005, a careless Czech backpacker camping illegally used a gas stove and caused a fire that destroyed 160 km2 of the park. Replanting, with assistance from the Czech Republic, is set to begin in September 2005.
References
- Biggar, John, 2005. The Andes: A Guide for Climbers (3rd edition, ISBN 0-9536087-2-7).
- Kearney, Alan, 1993. Mountaineering in Patagonia. Seattle USA: Cloudcap.
External links
- [Torres del Paine on summitpost]
- [Everything you NEED to know to hike Paine]
- [Torres del Paine] Trek information
- [Torres del Paine] All you need to know about the area
Blogs
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.