Patagonian weather is legendary for delivering all four seasons within sixty minutes. The W-Trek winds through the heart of Torres del Paine National Park, taking hikers past French Valley’s hanging glaciers, the iceberg-strewn Lake Grey, and the iconic three granite spires.
Standing at the base of the towers as the first morning sun illuminates the vertical rock walls in fiery orange is an unforgettable reward for days of fighting 80 km/h winds across glacial moraines.
Surviving the Roaring Forties
In Patagonia, the winds sweeping off the Southern Patagonian Ice Field are a living presence. Hikers regularly find themselves leaning at thirty-degree angles into gusts that can blast pebble spray into your face. Quality hard-shell Gore-Tex outer layers and sturdy trekking poles are indispensable survival tools.
