When you travel by car from Chile to Argentina or reverse, you have to climb up on the pass. There you will feel the strong winds that always blow from Chile (west) to Argentina (east). And be prepared. It is always very cold there on that altitude of 4000 m (13120 ft) above sea level. You may have 30°C (86°C) in Mendoza, but on the pass it can below 0°C (32°F). But the wow comes on the Pass, the mountains look so beautiful that is it worth the effort to spent a time to make pictures, videos and listen to Fernando, who works there from January to April in the little hostel.

If you are coming from Chile or coming from Argentina you have to pass the tunnel and you must turn right (from Argentine left) some 500 m before the tunnel on Chilean territory and you have to leave the National Road 7 to pass below the old destroyed railway bridge and go ahead on that dirt road to climb up to the mountain pass Cristo Redentor. The valley has an altitude of 3200 m (11500 ft).

The pass is opened from beginnings of January until midst of April. Later the snow and strong winds makes it impassable.

Arriving on the pass we felt the coldness, but we saw the small hostel where we entered and ask for a hot drink. Fernando and Jorge offered us a cup of tea. As we asked Fernando, if he can explain us the beautiful panorama view on the mountains, Fernando went out with us and explained all:

Fernando explains us:

“Hello. My name is Fernando and I am from here, from Cristo Redentor.

I work here.

Well, now explain you what we can see here.

What you see here is the mountain Tolosa, also kwon as man with the short leg. You can see the glacier that looks like a man with a long and a short leg (5432 m / 17822 ft).

Here were we are standing is the pass.

That there is the Mountain Sta. Elena. This is the way that General San Martin came in 1817.

What you see there is the mountain Juncal in Chile (5865 m / 19243 ft). It has a glacier and is the highest mountain of Chile.

Well this is the pass Cristo Redentor.

That statue there is from Buenos Aires. In the year 1902 it was transported by train until Uspallata. From there 100 men were bringing it to this place Cristo Redentor.

We are here since year 2008. Here has been until 1965 the meteorological service.

Now we are here with a hostel and coffeehouse.

Here you can come for horseback rides, alpinism and mountain biking. Well, you can do all here.

Thank you, have a good trip and we hope to see you here again.”

Later we talked with Jorge. He presented himself as the owner of this hostel and he told us that he is a snow board champion and teaches snowboarding in winter during July, August and September. He also is a mountain guide that can guide you on the Aconcagua. Due to bad experiences made with some mountaineers, especially from Europe that thought that they know it better than the mountain guide, he only guides very special friends on the Aconcagua. One of the most important reasons for the accidents at the Aconcagua is that many mountaineers underestimate it.

On my question "Is it possible for me, I am 51 years old, that you guide me on the Aconcagua?" He answered: "Of course. You must be able to run a marathon and have to obey to me! Nothing more! When you are accustomed to the altitude of 3000 m (9843 ft) we need three days to climb up on the Aconcagua 6952 m (22841 ft). So if you are fit, call me and we go!"

Jorge made me thinking on that and not I was hungry to see the Aconcagua, this highest mountain of the Americas, that you cannot see from the pass, because it is behind the mountain "Man with the short leg."

Jorge told me: "Go to the Park Aconcagua, there you can see it".

I thank Fernando and Jorge and hope to see them again soon.

Maybe climbing on the Aconcagua.