Ojos del Salado Expeditions
- Ojos del salado
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Ojos del Salado
Ojos del Salado is situated northeast of the city of Copiapo, near the Argentine border at the San Francisco Pass, surrounded by salt flats and beautiful high plateau lakes such as El Negro Francisco and Laguna Verde.
Flanked by Nevado Tres Cruces 18,222 ft (6,749 m) on one side and Cerro Incahuasi 24,498 ft (6,621 m) on the other, Ojos del Salado is the centerpiece of an immense east-west lying mountain range containing no fewer than 13 peaks above 6,000 m.
Ojos del Salado is a massive stratovolcano in the Andes and the highest volcano in the world at 6,891 metres (22,608 ft). It is also the second highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere and the highest in Chile. It is located about 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere at 6,962 m (22,841 ft).
Due to its location near the Atacama desert, the mountain has very dry conditions with snow only remaining on the peak during winter. Despite the generally dry conditions, there is a permanent crater lake on the eastern side of Ojos del Salado. This is most likely the highest lake of any kind in the world.
The ascent of Ojos del Salado is mostly a hike except for the final section to the summit which is a difficult scramble that may require ropes.
There are two summit peaks; one, which is slightly higher but by no more than a metre, is known as the "Chilean summit"; the other, which is more substantial, is known as the "Argentine summit". These are so named because they are usually climbed from the Chilean and Argentine sides respectively, although the international border passes over both peaks. There is a short distance but steep and dangerous drop between the two peaks, so it is unusual for climbers to reach them both.
Have a look to our three different programs :
The first ascent was made in 1937 by Jan Alfred Szczepański and Justyn Wojsznis, members of a Polish andinist expedition.
There is no doubt that Ojos del Salado is a recently active volcan : there is some evidence for a minor ash emission in 1993, and presence of fumaroles high on the mountain and recent-looking lava flows, albeit of uncertain age. It is the highest historically active volcano on earth.
