Appropriate season

Between the end of November and the beginning of March. Both in winter and spring conditions are prettey extreme (a good place to prepare for an Himalayan expedition or to practice cross country ski). Nearing the end of spring the hard snow allows for a faster approach.

Access

From Las Vizcachas, it is approximately 50 kms. of paved road to San Gabriel, place where there is a police control post. One kilometer past the control there is a bifurcation. The road to the left goes into the Yeso valley, the road to the right goes into the Volcán Valley. Follow the latter until you reach Lo Valdés (18 kms. +/-). From Lo Valdés it is an extra 5 kms. of dirtroad until reaching "el Morro", a place frequented by goat herdsmen, and which is located just after crossing the bridge over the Colina river, half way between Lo Valdés and Baños Colina, just after the "Cuesta de los Afligidos" (a small hill). It is possible to leave the car next to a big boulder, in the care of the herdsmen.

Approach

From el Morro, follow a trail which winds along one if its sides in north direction until reaching the Engorda valley (1 hour). From this great valley, which serves as summer feeding ground, you can fully see Volcán San José. At that point follow the trail which leads north, following the Marmolejo stream. It is a long day hike until you reach the end of the Marmolejo valley (some 10 kms.), place where you set up your first camp. We suggest you make progress along the west side of the stream, and that you start as early as possible, thus making the crossing of the river at La Engorda, and the crossing of an afluent, a couple of kms. to the north, easier. These two river crossings occur within the first 2-3 hours of journey. Base camp (CB) is located at the end of the valley, on a wide and open plane (3600m).

The climb

CB-C1
From base camp, the trail continues until it runs into the barrier which separates the Marmolejo and Yeso valleys. Although not very clear, the trail goes up a scree slope, to the left of a notorious snowfield with an altitude gain of 300m, which, depending on the snow conditions, may be a good choice for reaching the pass between the two valleys. From the pass the trail turns to the east (See photo 4). Four hours or more are needed to get from base camp to a plateau (4100m) where the summit can be seen for the first time, toward the east, and where some stone parapets and flat spots suggest setting up camp See photo 2. This place will be called C1 (camp 1), and it is characterized for the ground having a reddish color and for being the first place where the summit comes into sight. There is snow for melting, and ocassionally it is crossed by some minor water courses.

C1-C2
From C1 to C2 it is another four hours. C2 is located at 4900 mts, just where the rocky ridge you´ve been climbing stumbles into the middle of the Marmolejo glacier. From here, the pass between Volcán San José and Cerro Marmolejo can be easily seen. An alternate C2 (C2’ - 5000m) may be set up on an earth covered patch in the middle of the glacier, some 20-30 minutes of glacier travelling away, when the glacier´s conditions are good.

From C2 it is between 1 and 2 hours until exiting the glacier (5300m). This will depend largely on the glacier´s and climber´s conditions. See photo 3. This section of the Marmolejo glacier is relatively "clean", with no big crevasses that might stop the climber. However, it being a glacier, is is always good to be cautious, and roping up may be a sound idea. The total altitude gain from C2 to the end of the glacier is approximately 400 meters, covered over 2 kilometers (average grade is 11º). See photo 3.

Final part
Upon exiting the glacier, you will enter the final section before reaching the summit. A long, volcanic scree slope first, and a short, rocky section later, must be overcome in order to attain the summit. Some people, in the last part, follow the rocky spine which is somewhat to the north; others prefer winding along boulders, protected from the north wind, just behind the mentioned spine. Those who chose the second way will encounter a less stable terrain, but will be more sheltered from the wind. This whole final part takes between 4 and 6 hours. The average grade from the end of the glacier to the summit is 32º aprox., the last part being clearly steeper, See photo 1.

The summit
The main summit of Marmolejo is very exposed to the wind and is pretty airy on its northern and eastern edges: a great vertical rock wall (Marmolejo´s North Face) is suspended above the chasm. It is only possible to see its ice base, way down below, in the enormous glacier which goes down into Argentina. From the summit one has a wide view of all the major mountains of the central zone, from Aconcagua to Volcán Maipo.

Recommendations

Gear

Schedule

Schedule 1

1. Santiago – CB
2. CB – C1
3. C1 – C2/C2’
4. C2/C2’ – summit– CB
5. CB – Santiago

Schedule 2

1. Santiago - CB
2. CB - C1
3. Rest
4. C1 - C2 or C2'
5. Rest
6. C2 - summit -CB
7. CB - Santiago