On the 29th of September 2009, Tarka Katie-Jane completed the longest crossing of the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap by a British team.  In addition, Katie-Jane’s extra-ordinary efforts across one of the most hostile environments on the planet has resulted in the longest ’ever’ crossing by a woman!

They originally set out by boat from Caleta Tortel, Chile, in a bid to become the first to complete a full crossing of the world’s third largest ice cap in Southern Patagonia unsupported and without the aid of kites.

From the Jorge Montt glacier (the Ice Cap’s most Northerly point) the expedition made exceptional progress across the Ice Cap for 25 days. Starting with backpacks of 50kg each, the pair skied, walked and climbed onto the Plateaux constantly dealing with the notorious weather: regular whiteouts; blizzards and ferocious winds. On the Plateaux, the team were able to make faster progress towing their packs with micro sledges that had been attached to the backpacks. The pair successfully traversed one of the planet’s harshest environments, en-route dealing with acute carbon monoxide poising, foot infections, hypothermia, falling through multiple crevasses and walking 99% of the time in zero visibility.

Two-thirds of the way across, the team were tent-bound for 5 days on half food rations, waiting for a suitable weather window to attempt the infamous Fella Reichart and Bastion, a jumbled ice fall followed by a 400m vertical ice abseil. They knew this technically demanding section could not be attempted without good visibility. At this point, in winds of up to 135km/hr and intensive snow fall, the tent suffered a critical failure, leaving the team to erect a survival shelter as quickly as possible from what remained of the tent.

Quickly assessing their multiple exit strategies off the Ice Cap, none were in range of the team without a fully functioning tent. So despite being aware of the difficulty of descending the Spegazzini Glacier, the pair calculated that it offered them the best chance of survival due to its close proximity (and subsequent meetings with local mountain guides affirmed that given their predicament the Spegazzini Glacier was the best exit).

In total, Tarka and Katie-Jane spent 5 nights in makeshift shelters as they negotiated the descent from the Ice Cap via the glacier in storm conditions. The pair had hoped to leave as they had arrived, by boat, however the unstable nature of the glacier mouth made it unsafe for a boat to collect them. Subsequently, the El Calafate 42 division of the Argentinean Gendarmerie were called to provide a safe pick-up by helicopter. The team spent one night in hospital as a precautionary measure and were discharged with mild frostbite to the toes and snow blindness.

Tarka and Katie-Jane firmly believe their fast and light approach is an effective way to complete a full unsupported crossing to the Balmaceda Glacier (the Ice Cap’s most Southerly point) and will return next year fitter, fatter and faster with every intention of achieving this goal.