Patagonian Expedition Race 2014: stepping into a world of ice
Patagonian Expedition Race 2014: stepping into a world of ice
It’s been seven days since a total of 19 teams set off into the far south of Chilean Patagonia, and through a mix of settled weather, good preparation, dogged persistence and scenic inspiration, a surprising number are still racing through the wilderness.
Traditionally, between 30 and 50 per cent of participating teams usually finish the annual Patagonian Expedition Race, and its always the closing stages when the going really gets tough. This year it's also where it course is at its most spectacular.
This year the route has taken participants into the Cordillera Darwin, in the south of Chilean Tierra del Fuego, and the names of the different checkpoints offered a hint at the terrain: Paso de las Nieves (Passage of the Snow), El Turbal (The Peat Bog) and Paso Glaciar (Glacier Passage).
Previous editions of the race have seen racers steered through the far Western fjords, around the mighty pointed peaks of Torres del Paine and all the way down to the spiky summits of the world’s southernmost trekking routes on Isla Navarino.
With 245 miles – more than two thirds of the overall journey – already clocked up, it would be easy to think that the remaining 106 miles would be considered the home straight. But when you’re greeted by some of the most remote landscapes on the planet, that’s simply not the case.
It’s been seven days since a total of 19 teams set off into the far south of Chilean Patagonia, and through a mix of settled weather, good preparation, dogged persistence and scenic inspiration, a surprising number are still racing through the wilderness.
This year the route has taken participants into the Cordillera Darwin, in the south of Chilean Tierra del Fuego, and the names of the different checkpoints offered a hint at the terrain: Paso de las Nieves (Passage of the Snow), El Turbal (The Peat Bog) and Paso Glaciar (Glacier Passage).
Previous editions of the race have seen racers steered through the far Western fjords, around the mighty pointed peaks of Torres del Paine and all the way down to the spiky summits of the world’s southernmost trekking routes on Isla Navarino.
Since Friday night, the leading team, which includes Briton Nick Gracie, has been setting a strong pace, despite the varied and difficult terrain.
At the Paso de las Nieves, recent snowfall created some interesting trekking conditions, to go with cool temperatures at up to 2,000 metres, while El Turbal, a spectacular wild peat bog which glows bright orange, is equally challenging. Firm and well structured to the touch, it appears to be safe ground until you step on it – if the ground is wet, you'll find yourself sinking fast. American racer Chelsey Gribbon is so short she admitted concerns about drowning in El Turbal when she took on her first race two years ago.