Patagonian Expedition Race 2012

Patagonian Expedition Race 2012: all alone in the Cordillera Darwin

The gruelling 375-mile Patagonian Expedition Race has reached the spectacular mountains of Tierra del Fuego. Will Gray reports.


As the front-runners enter the spectacularly deep valley that marks the gateway to the mighty Cordillera Darwin mountain range, they can be certain that the real racing has begun.


So far the lead team in this year's Patagonian Expedition Race, which includes Briton Nick Gracie, has tackled 234 miles of wild Patagonian terrain using nothing more than kayaks, bicycles and their own two feet.


But if the competiton has been tough so far, it’s nothing compared to what lies ahead.


The Cordillera Darwin is an icefield-topped collection of 2,000m peaks found at the very southern tip of the Andes, perhaps the ultimate definition of wilderness.





Patagonian Expedition Race 2012: stepping into a world of ice



The 375-mile Patagonian Expedition Race is reaching its conclusion. Will Gray reports.

By Will Gray
6:03PM GMT 20 Feb 2012

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.


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.

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).

The Telegraph