In the Footsteps of Shipton: Patagonia 2009

Eric Shipton the distinguished British mountaineer is more commonly known for his Himalayan exploits. His mountaineering feats span across the globe and it was his extraordinary expedition across the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap that has captured our imagination. 

The region of Patagonia spans the border between Argentina and Chile. The Patagonian Ice Cap is divided into two, the Northern and the Southern. The Southern Patagonian Ice Cap is the larger of the two, and has only been crossed in a north to south direction on seven occasions. 

The first was between December 1960 - January 1961 when Shipton and his three companions embarked on an expedition across the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap. The expedition started from Canal Baker in the north and ascended onto the ice cap by way of the Jorge Montt Glacier. Hauling massive sledges loaded with equipment they trekked over the ice for 48 days passing the famous Fitzroy mountain range. Shipton and his team then descended off the ice sheet via Upsala Glacier to finish at Estancia Cristina on Lago Argentino. The total distance of the journey was 210km.

In December 2009 our expedition ‘Footsteps of Shipton: Patagonia 2009’ will set out to retrace Shipton’s route. Though there have been four other north south crossings of the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap. However no one has yet repeated Shipton’s route, and to our knowledge no woman has ever attempted the north south crossing.

In addition to retracing Shiptons route, the expedition aims to collect information to support the monitoring of climate change. This includes making daily meteorological records, significant ice features and geographical points will be recorded using GPS technology. This data will contribute to answering the question of whether or not the ice cap is expanding or retreating. Previous research has shown conflicting evidence.