Chile / Cajón del Maipo Region
Descent from Cerro Yeguas Muertas 4,912 m a.s.l.
Descent from Cerro Cuerno Blanco 5,038 m a.s.l.<
Descent from Cerro Bello 5,230 m a.s.l.
Descent from a couloir on an unnamed peak at an altitude of 4,400 m a.s.l.
Argentina / El Chaltén Region
„Mini-Whillans” in the Fitz Roy area
1,400 m descent on the ramp of Cerro Domo Blanco, below the Cerro Piergiorgio wall
Descent from Los Colmillos
Descent from Cerro Marconi
September–October 2024
On September 3, 2024, Andrzej Bargiel embarked on his first expedition to South America as part of his original project, HIC SUNT LEONES. The goal of the ANDES & PATAGONIA SKI EXPEDITION was to explore ski routes in the Cajón del Maipo region (Central Andes) and Cerro Castillo (Northern Patagonia) in Chile, as well as in the vicinity of El Chaltén in Argentina (Patagonian Andes).
Due to the necessity of returning to Poland for a few days for family reasons, the expedition plan was modified, ultimately covering only the Cajón del Maipo and El Chaltén regions.
Upon arrival in Santiago, the team spent the first few days skiing at the local resort La Parva, acclimatizing with a ski touring trip in the Portillo area, and exploring the surroundings of Cerro Arenas. The team then set off for Cajón del Maipo, where they stayed in the Valle del Cerro Bello region. There, Andrzej Bargiel, together with Jędrek Baranowski, summited and established ski descents from peaks including Yeguas Muertas (4,912 m), Cuerno Blanco (5,038 m), Bello (5,230 m), and a couloir on an unnamed peak at 4,400 m.
After completing this stage of the mountain expedition, Andrzej Bargiel and Bartek Bargiel returned to Poland, while the rest of the team headed south to Patagonia.
The second part of the mountain expedition began in El Chaltén, where the team planned to explore ski routes in the Fitz Roy region. Together with Jędrek Baranowski, Andrzej Bargiel repeated the line established by Vivian Bruchez, Aurel Lardy, and Jules Socie, which they named „Mini-Whillans”—an interesting ski line in the Fitz Roy area. They successfully descended it by traversing an upper shelf before entering the main ski ramp. The team spent the night near Paso Superior, with the ascent route leading through a glacier that provided direct access to the ski ramp.
„Mini-Whillans” is a distinctive line featuring an extremely exposed wall dropping several hundred meters, with an impressive view of Aguja Poincenot and Fitz Roy in the background. The first part of the descent involved a steep, exposed traverse, leading to a break where the more skiable section of the descent began.
Next, the team headed to the Marconi Glacier region, where they spent several days. They managed to ski down a 1,400 m ramp from Cerro Domo Blanco, situated beneath the massive wall of Cerro Piergiorgio, as well as from Los Colmillos and Cerro Marconi.
After returning from the Marconi Glacier, the team ventured once again to the Piedras Blancas Glacier (Fitz Roy region) to attempt a descent via the Whillans-Cochrane ramp on Aguja Poincenot. However, after completing the first pitch on the steep wall, they found that the snow conditions were too poor to safely complete the descent along this route.
Team members: Jędrek Baranowski (freerider, climber, ski instructor, IVBV/IFMGA/UIAGM certified international mountain guide), Bartek Bargiel (Andrzej’s younger brother, drone operator), Maciej Sulima (cinematographer), Bartek Pawlikowski (photographer).
