Patagonia climber to dig caves in ice to sleep (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Patagonia climber to dig caves in ice to sleep

2:47pm Thursday 5th January 2012 in Looking Back By Gill Johnson, Features writer

IT was September 1960 when East Lancashire mountaineer Don Whillans accepted another challenge on an unclimbed mountain.

For he was travelling to the other side of the world to conquer two huge granite towers in Patagonia’s Blue Mountains.

As he packed his rucksack at his home, in Crawshawbooth, Don said: “The climbing will be comparable with the hardest routes in the Alps, but in a truly remote corner of the world, which is notorious for the savagery of its weather.

“These fantastic granite towers stand nearly 10,000 feet, and the final 2,000 feet are smooth and vertical.”

Don was no stranger to the rigours of the Chilean Patagonian territory, having been part of an Irish expedition to the top of the Aiguille Poincenot, north of the Magellan Straits.

Said Don: “The wind can be so vicious that it can be impossible to stand up and we won’t attempt to put up tents. We will have to dig caves in the ice to live and sleep.”

Among the six man team was Chris Bonington.

Don revealed that stamp collectors around East Lancashire had asked him to send back postcards bearing Chilean stamps, and added: “We have got postcards with spectacular views of the towers, which will be signed by all the members of the expedition and sent from base camp.”

These would then be taken south to be posted from Punta Arenas, the most southerly city in the world. “We plan to charge collectors 7s 6d, with some of the money going to expedition funds.”