Volcan Lonquimay

  • Volcan Lonquimay
  • 2865 m
  • Primary factor 1524 m
  • Chile
  • Location: South 38.37978, West 071.58584 (GPS on the summit)
  • Difficulty: YDS class 2
  • Climbed January 20. 2015.

Information:


How to get there:
The nearest big city is Temuco (easy flight from Santiago). Locate and drive to the smaller town Curacautin (north-east), a good place to stay is Hotel Cordilleras del Sur. (email is: hotelcordillerasdelsur@yahoo.es)
From Curacautin, continue towards (signs) Lonquimay a bit more than 30 kilometer. Just after crossing a small bridge, observe a sign pointing left that says "Volcan 6 km". Take this road up to the ski center, then fork right (gravel road) and continue to the saddle at location S38.38145, E071.54842, elevation about 1830 meter. Park on the side of the road.
This is a quick summary and reference to climbs made on this trip.
Route description:
Descend a few meter, then traverse (follow footsteps in the loose sand) yje left side of the nearby hill, aiming for the service roads of the ski area. Once on the service road, follow it to the highest point of the skilift. This is location S38.38340, E071.57619, elevation about 2380 meter. Follow the road to its last left bend, leave uphill here on a clearly used path, still very loose. Next, follow this reasonably clear path along the top ridge, it will lead directly to the summit.
Comments:
Pål Jørgen and I arrived directly from Sydney, picked up a good Toyota pickup at the airport and drove to Curacautin, arriving there around 1800 on January 19. We found a very nice hotel, quite old and original, with a very friendly staff. The next morning, we left early and could start our hike at 0730. On the ridge, we experienced gale force wind - a bit of a nuisance. Fortunately, the wind was not as strong on the upper part and we arrived at the summit at 0945, so 2:15 up. We had good views and took a 30 minute break at the summit. We descended in 1:15, so back at the car shortly before 1130.

Resources: