In July 2024 the Chilean authorities announced that the Las Guardas Bridge, a key crossing point along the O Circuit trail in Torres del Paine National Park, had been seriously damaged by winter avalanches. The O Circuit is the most popular trek in the national park after the W Trek and a challenging undertaking.
Today, Swoop is proud to join hands with ConservationVIP, the builders of the original bridge, to support a crowdfunding campaign to rebuild this celebrated crossing on the O Circuit and reopen it to trekkers once again.
Building Las Guardas Bridge
The bridge at Las Guardas (Puente Guardas) has become one of the most iconic viewpoints of Glacier Grey on the O Circuit. A narrow suspension bridge 52m long, it was strung across a 45m deep canyon with the enormous frozen crags of Glacier Grey as its backdrop. One of three bridges between John Gardner Pass and Refugio Grey, hikers crossed it on day four of the O Circuit.
The bridge was built in 2015 by the non-profit ConservationVIP in collaboration with CONAF (Chilean National Park Rangers), and with the help of a volunteer structural engineer and trail crew from Yosemite National Park’s, Torres del Paine’s sister national park in the USA. Until its construction, hikers had to descend the canyon via a series of ladders, a route that was becoming increasingly difficult due to erosion in the gorge.
‘Using the ladders was dangerous for hikers,’ Chris Braunlich of ConservationVIP explained. ‘If a hiker was injured on the Circuit between the second quebrada (canyon) and John Gardner Pass, they had to be evacuated over the pass, which wasn’t good. The local community also wanted the bridge; as we were building it, the local guides who led hikers on the Circuit often stopped to thank us.’
Its remote location made building the bridge a logistically complicated exercise, even before the depth and breadth of the canyon could be taken into account. As well the technical climbing, rock drilling and cable laying skills required, even mixing the concrete needed to set the supporting posts demanded water be hauled up from the canyon by hand. After more than a month of hard labour however, Las Guardas Bridge was finally opened. Over the following years, thousands of trekkers were able to enjoy its spectacular views – and safely cross the canyon.
Destruction by avalanche
Until this winter, Torres del Paine had not experienced a serious avalanche since 2008, but in recent years the park has seen a series of particularly severe winters. It was an avalanche from one of these winter storms that damaged Las Guardas bridge.
Although the bridge was reported as being seriously damaged by CONAF in July 2024, the extent of the damage to the bridge is currently unknown. The anchorages, portals, cables and decking have all been damaged, closing the bridge until repair work can be carried out when the winter weather has subsided. In the middle of August, a ConservationVIP volunteer who led construction of the Rio Frances Bridge on the W Trek will be visiting the site to carry out a detailed assessement.
The following steps are expected to be complex, Chris said. ‘Assuming the bridge can be rebuilt, we’ll need to figure out which components can be salvaged, and which need to be replaced, arrange their procurement and transport the materials to the site – possibly by helicopter.’ CONAF will again provide logistical support with a base camp, but like the original construction of the bridge, the repairs will require outside technical expertise.
With this in mind, ConservationVIP have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise US$30,000 to repair and reopen the bridge. The cost of an entirely new bridge could be closer to US$200,000.
Time is of the essence, said Chris. ‘It only took a couple of months to build the original bridge, but prior to that there were many months of design and planning, procuring materials and getting them to the remote site, lining up qualified people to build the bridge and establishing a base camp.’
ConservationVIP is hopeful that with funds in place, Las Guardas Bridge could be reopened in six months, but until the full extent of the damage is understood, it’s possible that this section of the route could be closed for up to two seasons.
Keeping the O Circuit open
Since the bridge was damaged, CONAF have confirmed that the O Circuit will remain fully open to trekkers. An alternative route on this day of the Circuit will bypass the bridge completely between John Gardner Pass and Refugio Grey so that hikers follow a trail that descends more slowly into the canyon and before climbing out on the other side. There shouldn’t be a return to the precarious ladders of earlier years, but the practicalities of the new route means that hikers will have to be ready to face a slightly longer and harder day on this section of the O Circuit. Anyone hiking the route this season should be capable of walking between 10–14 miles (17–22 km) per day on the trail.
Harriet Pike, Swoop’s General Manager for Patagonia, remembers climbing the ladders, and explained why we’re helping ConservationVIP with its fundraising efforts for the bridge.
‘The O Circuit is one of the ultimate treks in Patagonia and it’s the reason why Swoop exists in the first place: our founder set up Swoop after having done the O Circuit. It’s literally in our DNA.’
The campaign fits perfectly with Swoop’s aspiration to be stewards of Patagonia, she said. ‘It’s really important that we’re supporting infrastructure in Patagonia and making sure the trails are in good condition, so that we’re not having a negative impact on the park. This bridge was absolutely iconic with Glacier Grey as its backdrop, and we want trekkers to have that amazing experience of crossing it again as soon as possible.’
To this end, we have donated US$1000 to ConservationVIP’s fundraising campaign, and will donate a further US$100 for every new booking we receive for the O Circuit this season. But just as important, we want to spread the word to all lovers of this great Patagonian wilderness, so that the Las Guardas Bridge can receive the support it needs to rebuild after its terrible avalanche.
Chris Braunlich concludes: ‘Some of the most spectacular public lands around the world simply do not have sufficient staff or financial resources to perform needed repairs and maintenance to protect their natural and cultural heritage resources. Donations such as yours help us to provide invaluable volunteer services to these special destinations.’
Can you help us raise $30,000 to fix the bridge?
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