So I decided, be damned the cost and the possible high intensity, I'm going to climb a great big damned active volcano, straight over a glacier to the top. The mountain is in a National Park, and the hike isn't trivial (involving glacier travel and local knowledge), so newbies like me really require a guide. After consulting one of our hostel-mates, I settled on a French-run outfit (Aguaventura) - they cost slightly more than some other companies, but seemed very professional and came highly recommended. They truly met all my expectations, and I'd certainly recommend them.
Actually, people do this climb all the time, so I should not have expected a high degree of difficulty like I did. It was only a little over $100 for an all-day trek with all transportation and equipment (pack, boots, jacket, snow pants, crampons, ice axe, emergency respirator mask, sliding/sledding gear) provided. And our group (about 20 people, and only one of several groups that day) was composed of all experience levels. It's no Kilimanjaro, but it's still a 1650m climb to a 2850m (9350 foot) summit.
Vulcan Villarica is one of the most-hiked active volcanoes in the world. It is one of only about 5 with an exposed lava lake in the crater, but the opening has recently widened, reducing pressure and making it difficult/rare to see any lava ejections from the rim. Still, it constantly spews a bit of noxious steam, and we had to carry gas masks in case the gases intensified and/or the wind changed. Pretty cool.
The volcano has erupted a couple of times in the modern era, killing a few people and ruining parts of nearby towns (1964, 1971 and 1984).
 |
| Off we go! Up the loose volcanic ash & pumice lining the ski hill that was our starting point |
 |
| At the start, looking back - Pucon is to the right of the lake |
 |
| Low view of a dual volcano to the north |
 |
| I wasn't exactly doing this solo |
It was a bit tough to take photos while on the march, but I managed to snap a few while in motion.
 |
| It didn't take long to get into snow. Hard and dense in the morning, but not solid ice |
 |
| Looking north to Lake Cabugura |
 |
| Helmets on, ice axes out. Though not very steep yet. Was glad I wore the hard mountaineering boots provided - grip and warmth on ice was much better than my hiking boots |
 |
| Abandoned chairlift station high up the mountain. Looks like it might have fallen victim to an eruption |
The guides set a surprisingly slow and reasonable pace, being careful and not leaving anyone behind. It made for a nearly effortless ascent, which was a nice change from my usual "pumping up a trail at top speed." It also allowed more mental space to enjoy the climb. Also, since so many people make the climb, there were already many well-established footholds/routes up the hill for at least 2/3 of the climb, which made things easier.
 |
| Love the new gear! |
 |
| Things got a little steeper, so we added extra grip to our boots |
 |
| Crampons are the cat's ass. I don't know why a cat's ass is a good thing, but it is, and they are |
You can haul skis or a snowboard up with you if you want to ski down. But this is more trouble than it's worth for most people. Still, the descent is aided by a kind of canvas "diaper" butt protector and a personal-sized plastic butt sled, for sledding to the bottom. I was really looking forward to that. Why walk when you can slide at breakneck speed?
 |
| Heading up to one of the many ridges and false summits. The tracks on the right are from previous hikers sliding down on their butts and/or plastic sliding trays |
 |
| Snack time |
 |
| Man, do I love this stuff |
It wasn't that cold, but there was enough wind to make an unzipped windproof shell necessary for most of the hike. Still, it was nice to have a strong, chilly breeze to cool off my usually-sweaty self.
 |
| Another break as we get higher |
 |
| Interesting couloir capping one of the more recent lava flows. We stayed away from below it in case snow broke off in the heightening sun and rolled toward us |
 |
| Traversing was the necessary to get up the steep slope comfortably |
After a few hours of relatively easy climbing with crampons, ice axe and gore-tex, we drove into some faster winds and then arrived at the top.
 |
| At the top! |
 |
| Peter, a Dutch guy I met on the way up, had the foresight to bring up some victory beer. So he gave me a Grolsch and we had a brew on the rim of the crater. Thanks Peter! |
 |
| High view of the prominent dual volcano to the north |
 |
| The broad, cold, windy rim of the crater |
Yes Star Wars fans, if the
Sarlaac Pit was located on the ice planet
Hoth, it would look exactly like this crater.
 |
| The crater. Those are volcanic gasses, not clouds. |
 |
| Which beer is best on a mountain top? The one in your hand |
 |
| To the east are the volcanoes Questrupillan (left) and Lanin (right). Lanin is on the Chile-Argentina border, and is nearly 1000m higher than Villarica. However, it's apparently not too technical to climb, just a bit exposed. Shaun, are you in? |
 |
| The crater is decently big, and drops steeply. You definitely don't want to venture very far past the rim, or it's a sudden, icy drop into a hidden lava lake |
 |
| Some of the rock on the rim is porous, and hot gases escape through the fissures, heating the earth and melting the snow. In this area, the gases had formed a snow cave |
 |
| A gas vent |
 |
| Ice cave formed from warm gases. You could crawl through and pop up through a hole in the snow about 100 feet away |
 |
| Rim rocks |
 |
| Crater view |
We then suited up to go down, with packcloth "diapers" for the steep sections, and a plastic butt sled for the slower ones. You controlled your speed by pressing the tip of your ice axe into the snow beside you. Unfortunately I had to put away the camera at this point for the high speed/high impact activity, so I didn't get any action shots. But here's how the equipment looked:
 |
| Nylon diapers and butt sleds. The Chileans know how to party! |
Not to blow my own horn, but this old guy was clearly the fastest (non-guide) butt sledder of the group. Not even the young Montrealers were a match. I hadn't been sledding for ages, but it was just as fun this time as when I was a kid.
 |
| Near the bottom, recovering from sliding |
 |
| Last snowy hump heading down |
After the sliding, it was just a quick walk back down the sandy section to the trailhead.
 |
| Plants in volcanic ash |
We were back in town by mid-afternoon, and I wasn't even sore, let alone tired. A nice slow pace, good equipment, a smart route and cooperative weather were responsible. But I still managed a nice sense of accomplishment from the ascent.
If you are anywhere near Pucon, you owe it to yourself to do this hike. It's possible to do it in various seasons, but I think I hit the best time of year to go since we could basically march right up the glacier. Later on in the summer the surface snow melts and the glacier is full of crevasses, necessitating a different and more difficult dirt-path ascent and very careful navigation on any glacier/snow routes. But even a modest hiker can do it, and the views and volcanism make it extremely worthwhile.
