Cerro Torre

Cerro Torre is a steep granite spire in the Southern Patagonian Andes, famous for its sheer rock faces and the ice formations that crown its summit. The peak is renowned among alpinists for difficult technical routes and highly changeable weather.

The mountain’s profile includes an often-photographed summit ice cap and very steep, polished granite walls rising several hundred metres above the base. Climbs are technical and exposed, and the mountain has been the subject of notable ascents and a long-running history of controversial first-ascent claims.

A first ascent claim was made in 1959 and the mountain’s climbing history since then has included disputed routes and later verification by technical teams establishing new lines. The combination of hard rock, alpine weather and remote glacial approaches keeps Cerro Torre within the most challenging objectives in Patagonia.

Cerro Torre sits on the edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field near the border region between Chile and Argentina and is commonly accessed from base points used by climbers on both sides of the range. The nearest well-known base town for approaches on the Argentine side is El Chaltén.

• Elevation: Elevation is commonly given as about 3,128 metres, making it one of the prominent granite spires of the Southern Patagonian Andes.

What to See #

• Summit and ice mushroom: The summit and its surrounding steep granite walls and ice formations, noted for a distinctive summit ice cap often called the "ice mushroom".
• Climbing routes and faces: Popular alpine routes and technical faces used by experienced climbers; routes vary from long, serious alpine climbs to mixed rock and ice technical lines.