Category: snow and ice

Posted on

5 Deaths Hiking Paine National Park, Chile

Cristina Calvillo Tovar, 37, and Julian Garcia Pimentel, 36 — Nadine Lichey, 45, and Andreas von Pein, 52 — and Victoria Bond, 40.

Could these deaths have been avoided?

… On November 16, the weather was mild, and the usual number of hikers, 40 or 50, crossed the pass without incident. By that evening, those who would suffer the worst of the storm had converged at Los Perros campsite, the last sheltered refuge before the exposed John Garner Pass. …

On November 17 between 5 to 7 am, about 30 hikers left Los Perros for John Garner Pass.

Conditions started drizzly, but deteriorated rapidly after 10 am. Winds reached 193kph, and visibility dropped to less than three meters. The temperature fell to −5 °C, but the wind chill was far below -20°C. …

Those who turned back barely made it down safely. …

A distress post appeared on the Torres del Paine Facebook group around 2 to 3 pm. Initial response by CONAF was slow, and bad weather grounded the helicopters. …

Twenty-seven hikers required medical attention, according to the final tally released by the Regional Government of Magallanes on November 20. …

The Torres del Paine Tragedy: What Really Happened

Image via Global Trend Today – likely not from the actual helicopter rescue

Learn more ➙ Paine Circuit

Posted on

BestHike loves Chamonix, France

I spent a couple of weeks hiking out of the mountain town in 2009, astonished at how down to earth and welcoming it is for outdoor sportsmen from around the world.

It’s one of our Top 10 Hiking Towns in the World.


photo – ptpotts

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix … was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics. The commune’s population … around 9800 …

… Mont Blanc, at a height of 4810 metres, is the third most visited natural site in the world …

… well known and loved by skiers and by mountain enthusiasts of all types. …

Chamonix is located 80 km southeast of Geneva, Switzerland …

Chamonix Place Balmat

More interesting photos tagged Chamonix.

You can hike out of town in any direction. And be blown away by wonderful mountain vistas. Here I am just above town on a trail run.

fit hiker in the Alps

The most famous “best hikes” in the region are:

• Chamonix to Zermatt – Walkers’ Haute Route <my trip report> (top 10)
• Tour of Mont Blanc

More best hikes in the Alps.

Best time to hike is late June to early October.

Posted on

South America’s BEST Trek?

We’d argue for the Ausangate Circuit in Peru — BUT it has gotten a lot more popular in recent years.

Many would name the Paine treks in Chile.

The newest of the best hikes in South America is the Huemul Route out of ut of  El Chaltén, Argentina.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Especially if you want something even more adventurous.

Check out Huemul information page.

Posted on

#8 Hiking Towns – El Calafate / El Chaltén, Patagonia

All hikers plan, one day, to travel to southern Patagonia. Towers of Paine photos entice.

And anyone who hikes Paine, should also hike Fitz Roy, Argentina.

Hikers have a choice to base themselves out of Puerto Natales, Chile or El Calafate, Argentina. Though you may find yourself stopping in both, El Calafate is the better choice.

El Calafate is a small town in Patagonia, Argentina. …

… an important tourist destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier (one of the most visited in the world) and the Cerro Chaltén and Cerro Torre.

… In the last census 6,143 permanent residents were counted

You could argue that El Chaltén, Argentina’s “national trekking capital“, about 220km from El Calafate, is an even better base town.

On the other hand, there are large grocery stores like Diarco in El Calafate. The shops in Chaltén in 2019 were still very limited. We couldn’t get instant mashed potatoes in Chaltén, for example. Pick up your provisions in Calafate.

And Calafate is about half way between Paine and Fitz Roy.

More interesting photos tagged El Calafate, Argentina.

More information on Wikitravel – El Calafate.

Our favourite hike hikes out of El Calafate:

• Paine Circuit (Torres del Paine), Chile

• Huemul Route, Fitz Roy, Argentina

• Around Monte Fitz Roy (Los Glaciares), Argentina

These are the most famous, but there are many more “best hikes” in the Patagonian Andes. Ground transportation is the biggest challenge in this part of the world.

Best months are December to March.

Posted on

BEST Hikes in the World

According to one AllTrails list.

It includes both challenging multi-day and short single-day adventures.

Our favourites from this list are in bold.

These lists are far from definitive. They are more conversation starters to get you thinking where you might want to go next.

For example, the Tonquin Trail is a 4.0-km out-and-back trail near Tofino on Vancouver Island. I’m on the island right now and can name easily a dozen better hikes close by. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Posted on

Laugavegur Trail, Iceland

Solo Tenting Late Season

One of our BEST VIDEOS.

Laugevagur Trail is the BEST HIKE in Iceland.

I hiked it twice September 2023 — but edited THIS video to show Þórsmörk (Thórsmörk) ➙ Landmannalaugar.

Trip report.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Posted on

Winter Hiking Along the River

I grew up in Calgary, Canada, very close to Glenmore Park and the Weaselhead Flats Natural Environment Park. Lucky me.

We had record snow fall for the end of November. And a cold snap which froze the Elbow River.

I loaded up the backpack and headed out to enjoy the snow.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Posted on

Visit British Columbia

For a hiker, B.C. is an ideal holiday destination.

  • Whistler
  • Garibaldi Provincial Park
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Vancouver
  • Okanagan Valley
  • Yoho National Park
  • Kootenay National Park
  • Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park
  • Vancouver Island
  • Gulf Islands
  • Squamish
  • Wells Gray Provincial Park
  • Mount Robson Provincial Park
  • Mt. Revelstoke National Park

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Posted on

Scotland – Cape Wrath Trail in 13 Minutes

Since Cam “Swami” Honan named the Cape Wrath one of his favourite hikes worldwide, it’s been high on my personal life list.

Cicerone guidebook.

The biggest concern stopping me is midges. I HATE highland midges.

Elizabeth Gadd hiked April-May, early enough in the season not to be much bothered by biting insects. And had a wonderful adventure.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.