At Fitz Roy Expediciones we take Leave No Trace ethics and practices very seriously. The mountains are our home and we are unwilling to sacrifice their preservation for human objectives. We believe that given the proper information most people will do all they can to help protect and maintain the environment.

Please read the seven LNT principles below and feel free to call the office if you have any questions about what you can do to plan ahead and prepare.

LEAVE NO TRACE SEVEN PRINCIPLES:

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you’ll visit.

Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.

Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.

Visit in small groups. Split larger parties into groups of 4-6.

Repackage food to minimize waste.

Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.

Protect riparian areas by camping at least 70 meters from lakes and streams.

Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.

In popular areas:

Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.

Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.

Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.

In pristine areas:

Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.

Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.

Dispose of Waste Properly

Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.

Deposit solid human waste in cat holes dug 15 to 20 centimeters deep at least 70 meters from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cat hole when finished.

Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.

To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 70 meters away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.

Leave What You Find

Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts.

Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.

Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.

Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

Minimize Campfire Impacts

Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.

Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.

Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.

Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.

Respect Wildlife

Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.

Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.

Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.

Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.

Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.

Be Considerate of Others

Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.

Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.

Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.

Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.

Let nature’s sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises

More details and information …

All kinds of graduation are somewhat subjective. It is difficult to pinpoint just how demanding activity can be. Factors such as the state of the trails, or unpredictable weather changes, make hiking days more or less demanding.

When classifying our activities, we take into account the following points:

• Number of hours and walking distance.

• Difficulty, condition, and absence of trails.

• Exposure to the climate (the routes are going higher than the vegetation line usually present more severe conditions).

• Distance from trafficked areas (isolation).

GRADUATION:

A – Easy:

It is not necessary to have previous experience in hiking or mountain trekking at this level. Good health and reasonable physical condition are required. Any person accustomed to walking daily, playing golf, tennis, biking, or doing sports with low physical load can carry them out without significant inconveniences.

These programs generally combine daily walks with accommodation in hotels and rest days between walks.

• Short walks from 3 to 8 hours, returning to hotels.

• Little unevenness on the ground (100 to 400 meters).

• Accommodation in hotels, cabins, and occasional camps.

• Low physical demand.

B – Moderate:

Anyone who goes for regular mountain walks or who regularly performs aerobic sports and is in good physical condition for their age can do this type of activity.

They can be short activities but with uneven terrain such as trekking with camping. There is no technical difficulty, but sleeping in a tent and walking every day adds wear to the participants.

The tour follows typically well-marked trails and easy to walk.

• Hikes from 5 to 10 hours.

• Moderate to large uneven terrain (400 to 600 meters).

• Accommodation in hotels and camps

• Moderate physical demand.

C – Demanding:

This type of trekking does require a regular sport or mountain activity from the participant; otherwise, training before trekking is essential.

On many occasions, the trails are not well marked, or you walk outside them or through morays, snow, glaciers, or closed forest. They are usually trekking, where cross passes between mountains where the climatic conditions are generally harsher than in the valleys. Suitable warm clothing is mandatory as such conditions may include snow or blizzard.

• Hikes from 6 to 10 hours.

• At certain stages of the program, the client must carry their equipment (additional porters can be hired).

• Moderate to large uneven terrain (400 to 1,000 meters).

• Accommodation in / hotels / camps / shelters / vivacs.

• Great physical demand.

• Physical training before the program highly recommended.