Cerro Torre, one of the many ragged mountains in the southern Patagonian Andes, is an impressive granite spire with an altitude of 3.128m. Its distinct shape not only makes it stand out among the surrounding landscape, but also qualifies it as one of the most beautiful peaks on earth. Cerro Torre’s beauty and its vertical walls have been attracting adventurers and climbers ever since its discovery. While for a long time getting close to the mountain meant going on an expedition, nowadays the nearby town of El Chaltén serves as a comfortable hub for trekkers and explorers.

The first written description of Cerro Torre was made in the year 1782, by spanish explorer Antonio de Viedma, who only saw the mountain from far away. De Viedma was not the first human to get to see Cerro Torre though. Southern Patagonia and the vast plains east of Cerro Torre had been inhabitat by the native nomad tribes of the Aonikenk (or Tehuelche) for centuries. The mountains of the southern patagonian Andes were sacred to them and they had many legends about their gods and the mighty peaks. Near the end of the 19th century Francisco “Perito” Moreno, the famous explorer and geographer, gave the peak its name during one of his surveys in southern Patagonia.

Located in Parque Nacional los Glaciares in Patagonia, Cerro Torre stands on the eastern edge of the Southern Patagonian Icefield, on the disputed border between Argentina and Chile and is the highest of a chain of four mountains: Cerro Torre, Torre Egger, Punta Heron and Cerro Standhart. Its icy west face slopes down towards the Circo de los Altares and the glaciers of the Southern Patagonian Icefield. Its impressive east face drops almost vertically into the Torre Valley, where it is opposed by Fitz Roy‘s west face. The top of the peak is crowned by a mushroom of rime ice formed by strong winds, constantly blowing humid air all the way from the Pacific in the west. Westerly winds are generally the main influence for the weather in the area, which is known to be changeable and sometimes unforgiving.