PATAGONIA by WATER - a traverse from one ocean to the next

The project to cross Patagonia by Marcello Cominetti and Lorenzo Nadali.

April 2000

	The project This long crossing is to be carried out without any means of communication and in complete autonomy, to rediscover the aims and sensations of last century's polar explorers, who had no modern-day technology to rely on.

	The traverse The start The adventure will begin on Wellington Island, situated off the Chilean coast in the Pacific Ocean, close to the 47Â° parallel. The mountaineers will use an inflatable canoe to circumnavigate the Exmouth peninsula and leave the Eyre Fjord, one of the most remote areas in the world. Its 2000km coastline, from Puerto Montt to Cape Horn, is practically uninhabited. Using crampons and ice axes they will proceed by first climbing onto the Pio XI glacier, the largest glacier in the southern hemisphere, and continue on foot to the Lautaro volcano, situated in the center of the Hielo Continental Sur, and then on past the Paso Moreno (1800m), down to the Viedma glacier. They will traverse this by heading to Paso Marconi and Cerro Torre: weather permitting they will attempt its west facing Via Ferrari. Cerro Torre The two mountaineers will continue from the base of Cerro Torre via the Marconi Pass and the homonymous glacier to Fitz Roy, one of the most incredible mountains on earth. At the glacier front they will once again use their canoes to descend Rio Electrico, Rio de Las Vueltas, cross Lago Viedma to Rio La Leona and Lago Argentino, to finally meet up with Rio Santa Cruz. This zigzags across the Patagonian steppes for almost 400km before entering the Atlantic Ocean.

	The distance The glacier crossing is about 100km long, while the rivers and lakes, which the two mountaineers estimate will take 20 days to navigate, account for about 700km.

	The difficulties Weather conditions, in particular strong winds, will prove to be the greatest hazard, especially at sea. Some of the harshest conditions on earth are to be found on the Hielo Continental Sur, where gusts of wind often reach 200km/h and heavy snowfalls can deposit 15m of snow in a couple of days.

	Technology The team will take only a camera and a small digital video camera for their photo documentary. This will be shown in the specialised press and will also be used for POLARTEC's advertising purposes.

	When Departure from Italy is scheduled for December 2000, while the team plans on returning at the end of January 2001.
	PATAGONIA by WATER team Lorenzo Nadali & Marcello Cominetti Mountain Guides Mnet's trekking in Patagonia

Sunrise over Fitz Roy
photo Nicholas Hobley

PATAGONIA BY WATER

Patagonia by Water is the name given to the project which aims to cross Patagonia from one ocean to the next by fair means. Thought up by Marcello Cominetti and Lorenzo Nadali, it is supported by POLARTEC.

The Team

Both Marcello Cominetti and Lorenzo Nadali, are Italian UIAGM Mountain Guides and have spent much time discovering Patagonia Australe. Their in-depth knowledge of the region stems from their numerous climbs, new routes and glacier traverses. This project is designed to deepen their understanding of one of the most fascinating regions on earth, the Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia.

SPONSOR

The team has qualified for support from POLARTEC (Malden Mills, USA). Its POLARTEC CHALLENGE fund supports original projects that respect the environment, are at the cutting edge of sporting or exploratory achievement and which often prove to be an ideal testing ground for their new products.

FURTHER INFORMATION

PATAGONIA by WATER team
Lorenzo Nadali & Marcello Cominetti
Mountain Guides

Marcello Cominetti 39033 Corvara in Badia, Italy tel/fax +39 471836594 e-mail agustina@altabadia.it

Lorenzo Nadali Via Casteltialto 2 40125 Bologna, Italy tel/fax +39 516360134 e-mail natolius@libero.it

Cerro Torre - photo Nicholas Hobley

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