After a nice vacation in snowy Idaho, I was anxious to get back into the high Andes and work on ticking off some peaks I’d had in mind. This first trip of 2017 involved taking a crack at Cerro Pintor (4180m), just above the La Parva ski resort. I had been past (and camped below) Pintor before, during the attempt on Cerro Leonera about a year ago. Having not been to the top, I was keen to give Pintor a try and I thought it would make a nice training / test outing.

We opted to make it a day trip from Santiago, so yesterday morning we set out as early as the car rental would permit (a “Chilean start” of around 09:00). Along the way we met up with another car-load of people. Initially we had been a group of ten where not everyone knew each other. The friend linking us all together eventually dropped out and we were left with eight – five astronomers and three other Santiago residents.

After meeting up at a gas station we started the drive up to the base of La Parva. We passed through the familiar curves on the way up and eventually found ourselves at the bottom of a ski lift, a little over 2800 meters elevation. As with last summer, the ski lift was in operation, ferrying cyclists (and the occasional hiker) up the mountain. Feeling sporty, we opted to save the 7000 pesos and hike up the ski hill, adding an hour and a few hundred meters to the trip.

Image for Hiking up La Parva

At the top of the lift, we continued up to the ridgeline connecting Cerros La Parva, Pintor, and Leonera. The scree field between the lift and ridge was familiar from last year’s trip through the area. As before, it wasn’t the most fun hiking, but at least this time we only had day packs instead of fully loaded backpacks.

Once on the ridge we stopped for a rest and a snack. It was great to know that the major climbing sections were over (though there would be more vertical to achieve the summits, it wouldn’t be on as steep and unsteady terrain). We took in the views, being happy to have gotten above the smoke-filled valley, and regrouped.

Image for Skirting Around Cerro La Parva
Image for Final Stretch to Cerro Pintor

After nearly an hour on the summit of Pintor (which included a short nap!) we turned around and headed back down. After all the elevation gain it felt great to have gravity on our side again. But, it didn’t last, for me.

Along the ridge is a minor summit, Cerro La Parva. It extends about 100 meters above the ridgeline as a well-defined Cerro. We had camped below it during last year’s attempt on Cerro Leonera and most of my friends had climbed it one evening as a vantage point from which to watch sunset. I was feeling the altitude then, so I opted to stay in camp for the sunset. But, passing by La Parva on the way down from Pintor meant another opportunity to stand on top of La Parva; I decided I did not want to pass that up.

Instead of skirting around the Northwest side of La Parva, I started up the trail that zig-zaggs its way up the northern slope. My lungs and legs start burning again as the slope steepened, but I managed to keep a reasonable pace up to the summit. After another 30 minutes of hiking I reached the top of Cerro La Parva. The rest of my group had opted for the direct route back (instead of going over the top of La Parva) and were waiting for me at Cerro Falsa La Parva, so I only stayed on top long enough to drink some water and take a summit photo.

Image for On Top of Cerro La Parva

The rest of the descent was mostly uneventful. The scree field below Falsa La Parva was as “fun” as usual and the descent through the La Parva ski resort would have been more fun on a mountain bike than on foot. All told, we were out for eight hours, car-to-car. After a quick rest at the parking lot, we climbed back into the cars for the drive back to Santiago.