Paso Nacional de los Libertadores – a monster climb in South America

Anyone who thinks that you can only find insanely beautiful climbs in Europe has not yet taken a look at our site. We love destinations ‘off the beaten track’ and with places like Taiwan, In Patagonia or the USA, there are already beautiful alternatives. One of the highlights abroad is the Paso Nacional de los Libertadores. Many Instagram accounts share photos of this monster climb in South America. Not only because of the beauty of the hairpin bends, which are arranged almost like a work of art against the mountain. Also the starting altitude of the climb (2,800 meters) and the sometimes bizarre weather conditions give the climb a mythical status. Had we already mentioned the heavy traffic?

The beautiful side

Highway 60 from Chile To Argentina. The connection between Santiago de Chile and the city of Mendoza in Argentina. You can talk about a beautiful side and a less beautiful side here. Because the bizarre amount of hairpin bends, divided over several sections, are located on the Chilean side of this climb. Just before the hamlet of Rio Blanco the road starts to climb. Please note: you are already at an altitude of 1200 meters here and you will eventually cover almost 2900 (!) meters of elevation gain in this climb.

20 kilometers of rowing

Note: The first 20 kilometers of this climb are almost a straight line up. It’s not very steep here, as you cover a total of 850 meters of elevation gain over this section, but then you only start the real climb. Then the first hairpin bends appear and the percentages quickly climb into double digits! In the first 20 kilometers, there is actually one really steep section, between kilometers six and eight. You briefly get into double digits there (11 to 12%).

Strike a cross

At the intersection near the Refugio Regimiento Yungay and the road to the hamlet of La Yesera, you finally see them lying there: the famous hairpin bends. You will want to take a breath here and even take a photo. Because you have just covered 20 kilometers, but now you have to climb another 24.5 kilometers. The hairpin bends start at an altitude of about 2250 meters. The air here is thin and you really need to find the right rhythm to avoid getting completely exhausted here. Again: the steepness of the climb is not the problem. The combination of the high altitude, the length, and the traffic. That’s the trick. Hence: just take another cross in Catholic Chile. A little help from above is not an unnecessary luxury.

Equal steep

You don’t expect it, but the first kilometer is a steep climb. You really have to go up at 11-12% km/h and you really need the right resistance and the right legs to handle this. After about a kilometer, it flattens out a bit, but the climb is very irregular. After 28 kilometers, you reach a second section of hairpin bends. You’re now at 2600 meters altitude. This section with seven curves is also irregular. Sometimes 4% and sometimes 14 (!). You don’t have much time to get into a rhythm.

The real climb

At 37 kilometers from the start, with nine kilometers to go, you reach the second part of the hairpin bends. This is the familiar image that you see on the internet and actually the real beginning of the climb. But hey, you don't get there by dropping yourself off with a helicopter, so the other part is a must.

Here you have winding curves with trucks that close in on you tight. Snowy peaks in the winter. That work. The hairpin bends follow one after another here at a rapid pace, and on steep slopes you also have to take double figures into account. This section is really high; you climb from 3100 to 3800 meters, and it averages around 8%. European peaks are really nothing here, because that’s where the fun stops at about 2800 meters. Don’t forget to look around every now and then?

Salvation

Once you reach the top, you still have to go through a tunnel, that of Christ the Redeemer. It will also be real and salvation when you get there. When you get to the top, you will also see a large Christ statue and here you have ended up at the border with Argentina. Here you will have to sit down for a moment. And not just to recover from the immense feat you have accomplished. The descent is one to do later. In the direction of Argentina, it is a very long, almost straight stretch. Back to the starting point, you really need to be sharp. Those hairpin bends up are cool, but down, with all the traffic….

The weather

We’ve been calling it that for a while, but the weather on this high mountain pass is treacherous. It can be brilliantly sunny, but you really have to factor in the elements of snow, wind, cold, and a combination of everything. That’s why people have sometimes been stuck because of the bad weather conditions. So make sure you have enough food, drink, clothing, gloves, and the whole shebang with you. Better to be prepared than to be unprepared.