13 November 2025 - Another Postcard from Chile (4) - Summit Day and beyond

First light on summit day

Summit day was a couple of days ago, and they are now on their way home. Here are a few pictures via WhatsApp and Facebook - not in order.

The captions are from Sue, and her heading is as follows:

Yesterday three of us summited Licancabur, reaching 5924m at 9am, having started at 4600m 2am. At dawn, it went from cold to absolutely freezing, with a wind, perhaps minus 15 to 20C with windchill. It was worth it, with amazing views of the Andes and Lagunas Verde and Blanca.

This ascent is dedicated to my father, who died in February. Being breathless for 10 hours is nothing compared to the years he spent living with the breathlessness caused by heart failure, with stoicism and few complaints.

Looking north during one of our few rests

Laguna Verde contains copper and arsenic

Enjoying the warmth on our last break before the summit. L to R is Cristobal (Cris), our local guide, Nati (from El Calafate in Argentina, our high altitude guide), Nicky and Dan.

The crater and its lake from our high point

Start of the descent, past patches of penitentes, high altitude snow formations I hadn’t seen before

View into Bolivia (we were the wrong side of the crater to see down to San Pedro)

On the summit holding the Bolivian flag (we had to stay just over the border from Chile)

The Wiphala flag that represents the native people of the Andes

Just three, out of the 14 clients, made it to the summit.

OS Locate confirmation of our altitude, the highest I’ve been

The steep descent was fabulous - loose scree and small rocks made it very fast!

Pychnophyllum molle, tiny flowers on a low mat, around 4600m

A welcome sight after a 10-hour circuit

Even more welcome (once we’d escaped Bolivia) was a swim in the hotel pool in San Pedro

Jenny and Richard at 4800 meters, the highest they have ever been

Winding down, Santiago, and a few snaps before going

 home...

Well done, everyone. It sounds like a great trip.