Page 16 - 2017 AMA Summer

CEx TIGER ANDES
limbers from across the Army Air Corps felt the South American heat as they deployed to Chile in January
2017 to tackle rock and trekking terrain.
At a distance of 6,500 miles, and with news headlines detailing major earthquake activity in the fortnight prior to deployment, the deployment had all the hallmarks of an adventure.
The country certainly offers all the necessary ingredients. The landscape varies hugely from desert to alpine to jungle to arctic. The people are welcoming and happy to help, if a little laissez-faire. And the moun- taineering opportunities are fantastic, but they do reserve the biggest rewards for those who are willing to work hard.
The exped began with team training sessions in Snowdonia, allowing the group to gain rock climbing foundation quals and scrambling experience. By the time we RVd at Heathrow Terminal 5, those who began as ‘novices’ were now armed with a range of shiny equipment and new techniques, and the group of individuals were a formed team.
On arrival in Santiago, the team found a sprawling, vibrant, smog-covered city of 8 million people - over half of the country’s population. Climbers fired into action on single-pitch sport crags around the area
and slowly began to adapt to the searing heat. The Chilean capital’s local crags offered good sport although hot, dry and dusty.
The second phase of the exped switched focus to mountaineering terrain, and Volcan Puyehue was the objective. Steaming fumaroles and hot springs reminded visitors of the ever-present tectonic activity and the last major eruption in 2011 has changed the landscape significantly, ensuring that maps were well out of date. The team took
on a tough ascent of 1900m from base to summit in one push, emerging from jungle onto lava fields for the final third of the trek. Brilliant visibility showcased fantastic views from the peak, including the ice-filled crater of Puyehue itself, several surrounding volcanoes and alpine peaks, and across the nearby border into Argentina. The team descended back to the treeline - at 1390m, higher than the summit of Ben Nevis - and a basic bivi hut for the night.
14 ARMY MOUNTAINEER