Terrain and Climat

The terrain is mainly composed of three elements which more than often mix and cross over: water, dense vegetation and glaciers with moraine. About the climat, Hielo Continental suffers from the most violent and unpredictable weather there is on the planet.

Water with the sea, lakes and rivers.
Water is of course the first element we shall seek to make our progress.

West of Hielo Continental we will kayak through the fjords that chisel the mountains and create a giangantic labyrinth of canals that of yet has not been fully explored. Main obstacles to a smooth progression will be currents that reach up to 4 knots, strong tides with high waves and strong gusts pushing us inland. We shall have to find shelter in case of tempest which is an added difficulty given the vertical rock formations and the winds that violently rise in a matter of minutes.

We will also have to fight against winds on lakes and rivers to the East but except when travelling up river waves and currents should be low

.

Vegetation.
Vegetation is particularly dense and twisted. We shall meet it on the lower parts at the East of Hielo Continental. It is a mix of forest and steppe.

Forest :
It's a primeval forest with strong roots, solid branches. The forest creates an almost unbreakable barrier all around the glacier zones and grows right up to an altitude of 600m.

The steppe :
Is mostly constituted by the "turba", a carpet with thorns and thick grass and of spongy peat into which we can sink down to our knees.

This vegetation, forest or tourba is going to be a severe obstacle and we will need to be inventive to overcome it.

Glaciers with moraines, slashed by water and tempests.
Still young, the moraines are unstable and unsuited to tread on. Glaciers are gigantic and deeply lacerated by numerous crevasses and seracs. The glaciers are amongst the most rapid in the world and their incessant movement changes the surface very quickly. It is impossible to foresee which type of glacier we might encounter but we can be certain that progression, while avoiding the labyrinth of crevasses, will be more like a test of patience than a quiet stroll in the mountain. Furthermore, these glaciers suffer terribly from the current warming up which makes them even more unstable. Whether while we pull our kayaks across or while we explore in view of discovery, this territory which is so little known will constitute our main exploratory zone. There is no doubt that we will discover totally unknown areas.

Climat