South America, Argentine–Chilean Patagonia, Cerro Cubo and Cerro Sonntag, Southern Continental Icecap

Publication Year: 1986.

Cerro Cubo and Cerro Sonntag, Southern Continental Icecap. An expedition to the Continental Icecap was headed by Luciano Pera and made up of Argentines Mario González, my son Toncek Arko, Juan Pablo Nicola, Pedro Tolon, Alejandro Alvarez and Australians John Marshall and Desmond Davis. They had comparatively little time, a disadvantage when the weather is so uncertain. They left Río Gallegos on November 15, crossed by boat the south arm of Lago Argentino and Lago Frías and established Base Camp near the river which drains the glacier. They placed a high camp on the edge of the ice in an ice cave. Five days of storm drove them back to Base. When the weather cleared Mario González and Toncek Arko went back to the high camp on November 25. On the 26th they climbed both Cerro Cubo and Cerro Sonntag, which lie in the Adriana chain at the edge of the icecap. They photographed the Paine group to the south and Fiordo Peel to the west. Cerro Cubo is north of Cerro Stokes, which New Zealanders climbed on November 6 and 7, 1976. Cerro Cubo had been climbed by Japanese in 1978. Toncek reported that the climb was not difficult.

Vojslav Arko, Club Andino Bariloche