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Fernando: Here is what you wrote about the Gran Crater, asking for my comments: “Backup strategy for Gran Crater traverse: I'm planning to have our cars waiting 2 days at Bonete base camp and then other 2 days on Pissis base camp in order to have a small backup in case something should happen. That is, if something happens during the first 2 days or in the last 2 days of the traverse we could try to go back or to go forward and call for help. It would remain 2 or 3 days without backup. What do you think about this strategy? Once we are in the Gran Crater I don't see any chance to get out to the west- nor to the east-side.” Your plan to have trucks at the two sites sounds solid. It’s a good plan. As for the escape route from the Crater area, a very real possibility exists for a storm to come that could block your escape to the north, east, or south. The ring of peaks from Incahuasi to Ojos/Cazadero to Tres, and then south to Puntiagudo and then down to Pissis and Bonete, form a “C” that traps and holds storms for various periods of time. These can dump a good deal of snow. Even though this melts and evaporates pretty quickly, still it could cause a major problem for an escape from Pissis/Bonete to the south, north, or east. There is, in fact, an escape to the west. Check your map for Portezuelo Vidal Gormaz. It lies to the west of the Pissis/Crater/Bonete area. Snow rarely accumulates in this area, so if you are blocked in the other directions, then this is the escape. To get off the plateau, proceed as far north to Pissis as possible. At a point just to the southwest of the peak, proceed west. The plateau that the Crater lies upon and that is the intervening space between Pissis and Bonete, drops off, as you proceed west, into a flat basin area that stretches for many miles from north to south. It is not a salar, with salts and so on on the surface. Rather, it is composed of dark orange sand. In this basin, you will see a track that vehicles have worn in the surface and that leads upwards to the Vidal Gormaz area. You will only see the tracks to Gormaz if you are directly west of the Pissis summits. The track leads upwards and you might even see the Pass marker (all the passes on the Chile/Argentine border have 30 foot high iron pyramidal markers), but don’t waste time if you can’t find it. Proceed down slope, still going west. Near the bottom, you should see some truck tracks. Whether you see the tracks or not, once you are below Gormaz on the Chile side, then go north west. It is pretty tortured ground, but you will eventually reach Laguna Negro Francisco. There is a large Chilean Refugio there that lies down slope from a Chilean gold mine that is now, I think, in caretaker status. Anyway, you can get help at the Refugio. From the point of dropping off the plateau to the southwest of Pissis to Vidal Gormaz is about 15 miles. From there to Negro Francisco is about 25 miles. I know. It’s a long way. But, it can be done in a pinch. Greg Horne did it, so it isn’t impossible. The main problem is finding water or snow along the way. Another point to keep in mind. There is an abandoned gold mine to the north of Pissis. I believe it also is in caretaker status. It is about 10 miles north of Pissis, just to the west of the direct line from Tres Cruces to Pissis. You can’t miss it. As you proceed north to Tres, you cross the road that leads to the mine. I hope that helps, Bob |