Introduction

Volcán San José is one of the true "classics" of the Central Andes. First visible from the village of San Gabriel, it surprises the spectator from the end of the valley with its grandious white and rocky mass, prefigurating as back scenery and natural barrier in the final kilometers of the road, dominating with it´s name and figure the valley of the Volcán River. This in spite of having an even higher neighboor - Cerro Marmolejo - fact that gives evidence of its impressive aspect.

The first ascent of San José´s North Summit dates from 1920, when John Gwinner climbed the 5.740 mts of this secondary summit of the volcano. Not until 1931 was the main summit (South Summit) climbed by Otto Pfenninger and Sebastián Krückel, being marveled by the size of the crater and the glaciers that hang towards its interior.

One of the most noteworthy and famous features of this volcano is the Refugio Plantat. This shelter (3110 masl), which by the way, makes for a great day hike, was built by don Enrique Plantat in 1937, using the plans of an already built mountain hut in the Alps. He did this beacuse of his fondness for guanaco hunting in the area. This is not strange if we think that even today it is heard of guanacos in other areas of the Central Andes, like in the Piuquenes landmark. At first, Refugio Plantat was equipped with tap water, a stove and other advantages, but the pass of time has been ruthless. It now has eight litters, which are an excellent sleeping option when not in peak season.