San Lorenzo climbing information, history Patagonia Argentina, Infinito Sur Expeditions

""Cuadernos Patagonicos"
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San Lorenzo
The Patagonia is in the interior of the mountain region that surrounds the San Lorenzo. Those mountains occupy a different position than that of the other mountain groups in the southern Patagonia. They are the only ones that are so remote from the major part of the Andes and are the only ones that are limited towards the Pacific by the Continental Ice on the North and South.
Here the Andes chain, contrary to what is commonly thought does not mark a separation, but culturally creates a complex region. More than other sites in the Patagonia, there is a complex history of mountaineers, explorers, geographers, miners, ranchers, soldiers, environmentalists, runaways and smugglers who were involved in the area. These mountains don't offer the spectacular red, grey and yellow granite walls of the Patagonian group like those of the Fitz Roy and the Paine. Here different colors are manifested in a large variety of volcanic rock, besides the general rule is that where there are flowers the rock is more fractured and porous and that results in an extraordinary environment.
The Places
In the strict sense of geography they are aligned north to south from the Andes and form the limit of the San Lorenzo group between Lake Puyredon and Cochrane to the north, and the Balsa step to the south. But in our environmental, historical and mountaineering considerations we extend the north more from the Roballos pass to the general route of Lake Buenos Aires and to the south we will prolong it from the grand depression of the crest, situated to the west of Mount Tetris for which the Mayer River was created, the passage until lake San martin - O`Higgins through Chile's territory. The same summit of the San Lorenzo at 3706 meters is the 3rd highest mountain in the Patagonian south, with only the San Valentin and the neighboring horn of Silver higher that flies over the Northern Ice and is the highest of all. The first mountaineer to see the mountain with his own eyes was the naturalist Clemente Onelli (1864-1924) in 1899. His journey to the San Lorenzo region was to support the geographers of the Limits Commission that in that part of the range, divided by uncertain waters and should mark the limits between Chile and Argentina.
The Conquest of the First Summit
It is possible to understand why the Father Alberto Maria De Agostini (1883 - 1960) should have been the first to look on the summit of San Lorenzo, threw down the gauntlet of the mountaineering challenge while traveling the national route
40 to Tamel Aike in 1937 saw it for the first time.

Here are his impressions ¨The formidable walls that circle the San Lorenzo on all sides, with peaks of over 1000 meters. They look like a giant fortress that would defend its white and ice encrusted summit from all attacks of the mountaineers.. however I did not have the sense of the grandness and impenetrability until I reached the highest of the black cords that is channeled by the Lake Belgrano in the south. Suddenly presented me its white teeth, high and dominating of the surrounding mountains. In 1940 Father De Agostini was sent to explore the other slope of the mountain. However also in this site of the Northeast side presented complicated and difficult challenges. He decided to go directly to Chile and explore the deep valley parallel to the frontier from the flow of the Tranquil River. Like this he returned in 1943 for a decisive climb. In Europe the war was flaming up and it was not possible for the Italian climbing guides to come. He was directed to the famous club in Bariloche(CAB Club Andino de Bariloche and there he found the Swiss Alpine Guide Alejandro Hommi and the experimental climber Heriberto Schmoll who was born in Austria but resided in Bariloche. Neither knew of the mountain because in Bariloche the forces of Andinismo were focused on the conquest of San Valentin and they were more than a little amazed the first time they saw the San Lorenzo. December 17 they arrived before the north Summit of 3567 meters. But where was the primary summit? They continued on and at 5:30 they were happy to reach the summit of San Lorenzo at 3706 meters. Father De Agostini was 60 years old and this sealed his reputation and life devoted to the Patagonian Andes gloriously. Today after 50 years the technical data of the acension are: Base camp at the Tranquil river in respect to the summit was at 3000 meters. Some of the obstacles that faced them and the development of the itinerary included: some 15 kilometers, the difficultiy on ice; the Accion Domocritica, the danger of falling seracs from the upper part of the west and an itinerary of the classic type.
The East Edge
There was strong doubt about climbing the steep east crest that extended the main summit of the San Lorenzo towards the Lacteo river. It is the most elegant route of this mountain and the most beautiful in Patagonia. Between the bottom of the valley and the summit presented some 2700 meters, from the base the level is 2000 meters and above those it presented around 3000 meters.

The South summit
The principal chain of the San Lorenzo extends from North to South some 15 kilometers. Is it possible that no other route existed? For then we also would have seen other sides but the south had no weakness according to the ¨sacred¨ book of Father De Agostini. It is possible to keep marching towards the west to the largest edge of Lake Belgrano, where the tracks of horses surrounded the small massif of the Penitentes to the south, climbed the course of the San Lorenzo river and set back towards the valley that went to the ¨Balsa passage¨. They went through the pass that took them to the Salto river and to Cochrane which contained a mob of fugitives and criminals. The route of the itinerary soon presented more problems, that of a frozen wall with large and difficult blocks.
The Smaller hills and the rapids to the San Lorenzo
This group of secondary summits were numerous, but in truth minor with respect to the principal chain of the main summit and couldn't compete with the grandness and elegance of its elevations. None of them surpassed 3000 meters, the highest is Mounte Penitentes at 2943 meters, that form a small isolated massif that were above the left bank of the Lacteo river. Its rocky crests presented a difficult profile, but later would show many opportunities and lines of snow or ice that would allow them to reach the summit which has only been reached 2 times since: 1980 by Paul Fatti, Geoff Pallisher, and Richard Smithers from South Africa from the North and by the same route in 1985. In the descent we crossed the span of the crest, also the 3 summits that were closed by the North and the valley of the Penitentes river which we would have climbed. But it is in the headwaters of the Lacteo that the two most beautiful mountains were found. One was called Mount Beautiful for its harmony of form. The other was called ¨Two Peaks.¨ Mount Beautiful can only be seen from the south because the other viewpoint is exposed to the sun and is covered with debris. But the lookout to the Lacteo river offers beautiful lines of snow and some routes of rock to use to achieve the summit. The deep valley of Lake Belgrano at 800 meters offers many natural attractions for mountaineers and in 1937 the Perito Moreno National Park was established. It is 115000 hectares with 30500 of reserve where it is possible to take advantage of the plains and where 4 ranches subsists. The zone had been increasingly abandoned in the 1960s. The tiny hotel is destroyed and there are only 3 gravesites in the location. Entering from Chile the Cochrane chain is soon found. This secondary chain is limited on the east by the Callugues glacier and has many snowy summits with elegant lines of approach along with some exquisite towers of quartz and black rock. The Cochrane chain separates the San Lorenzo in the Cornisa breach and at first glance appears to also continue to the north. In reality the crest that after the chain continues north and separates the glacier crosses the De Agostino itinerary to the San Lorenzo that soon after launched the climbs to the east.