Latin American Ultimate Adventure Through Chile
The Twisted Andes Adventure 2013 is the first gathering of South American 4x4 enthusiasts from the website TwistedAndes.com. Formed ten years ago, it is the premier site for Latin American wheelers and has a huge following around the world. Sebastian Varas is one of the founding partners of the site and was invited to the Ultimate Adventure 2012 with his LSX powered Willys. He liked the UA so much he instituted the Twisted Andes Adventure, and this first year has 22 built 4x4s ready to romp 1,500 miles of Chilean countryside. Patterned after the US, the trip requires a team to live out of their rig for a week of camping, wheeling, and weather from blistering sand to freezing snow. Sebastian built another Willys for the trip since he parted with the first one, and it will be our ride as we cover the adventure.
There's no question that the Chilean scenery is awe-inspiring and catching a glimpse of it while covering 1500 miles in eight days in some of the toughest built rigs on the planet is a dream come true for any wheeler worth his weight in salt. Stay tuned as we bring you more coverage of the Twisted Andes Adventure 2013!
Original Article & Photos;
http://www.fourwheeler.com/events/1309-twisted-andes-adventure-kicks-off/
Pushing On Through the Atacama Desert
The second day of the Twisted Andes Adventure took us out of the depths of the dunes in the Atacama Desert. Of course that entailed 20 miles of sand which resulted in Gonzalo Bravo rolling his Suzuki in a bowl. Fortunately no damage was done to skin or steel. Once out of the mountains we made our way to the beach and headed south. Between rocks to climb and sandy beaches to skim, it was a long day. Even longer was the evening which was cold and windy for those in open vehicles, so we stopped near midnight for rest and recuperation.
We opted for some cheesy hotel rooms for the group as the temperature had dropped near freezing and it was after midnight before we reached out destination. Day three should be even better!
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/vtsH_JgpKIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/vtsH_JgpKIU</a>]]>Original Article & Photos;
http://www.fourwheeler.com/events/1309-twisted-andes-adventure-2013-day-2/
Our third day on the Twisted Andes Adventure is called a road day, but only about 50 miles was on pavement. After packing up and leaving our beachfront hotel, yeah you heard that right, we wound down the coastline on dirt roads and two-tracks to sandy beaches and craggy rocks to climb on.
The only fisherman in 50 miles from anywhere had a '79 Jeep CJ-6 with a CJ-7 rear tailgate grafted on. He earned a 4WOR license plate!
As usual the wheeling took its toll on some of the vehicles and resulted in a broken hub, tweaked Trac bar, and even some overheating issues. A few hills were conquered though, as was a full day of dust, dirt and sand. But as always, we kept driving until way past dark-thirty so we could set up tents in the dark and cook in the cold- another incredible day. There’s just something special about completing a long hard day of wheeling in some of the most challenging terrain on the planet only to follow it up with a nice warm meal in cold weather while hunkering down near the campfire.
This Twisted Andes Adventure is quite test for both man and machine and so far, we’re loving every minute of it.
Check out these videos of some of the rigs in our group attempting to climb a small hill made up of loose dirt, rocks and sand!
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/rnrtJ0J0Vow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/rnrtJ0J0Vow</a>]]><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lx-RZfU1C1g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Lx-RZfU1C1g</a>]]>Original Article & Photos;
http://www.fourwheeler.com/events/1309-twisted-andes-adventure-2013-day-3/
Treacherous Trails through Fields of Boulders
Our Twisted Andes Adventure continues down South in Chile, but not before a great road day. Our contingent of 23 rigs has lost a few as the tranny went out in the Tacoma of Isaias Diaz. Stuck in fifth gear, he found a used one and swapped it out in a parking lot while the rest of us motored on.
Our goal was a rock trail founded by Sebastian Varas and scouted for this trip. While only a few miles long, it starts on cobbles and finishes on boulders the size of pickups. It's a rock crawlers paradise with multiple lines and degrees of difficulty.
The La Cevada trail is in a wash right off the main highway. It starts easy and quickly morphs into a giant killer. The damage count included an axle shaft U-joint, front axle, rear axle, clutch, oil pan, gas tank, steering arm, and more.
We scratched, skidded, crawled, and broke as we finished the trail and made our way to the next campsite by midnight, complete with a fire during the Chilean Holiday. What better way to end a long day of epic wheeling and freezing temperatures than with a nice warm campfire basking under the seemingly endless stars.
Original Article & Photos;
http://www.fourwheeler.com/events/1309-twisted-andes-adventure-2013-day-4/Long Road Ahead
Our day 5 journey on the Twisted Andes Adventure continues in Chile as a road day from the north to the southern regions. After a killer rock trail at night and an awesome camp and BBQ at midnight, we woke to repairs being made. Sebastian's jeep received custom doors and hardware for the trip as the good weather would turn to cold and rain, much like driving from Alabama to Michigan. In the Southern Hemisphere the seasons as well as the toilets are backwards, and it gets colder as you head South.
Every fuel stop on our 450 mile trek revealed more and more damage and parts in need of repair. Road days can be the worst for 4x4s as the weak links become apparent. We found spun bearing caps, leaky covers, broken stealing studs, and even some Mustangs at our fuel and rest stops. Even double-swapping rigs on the support trailers was needed to get us all the way to camp.
At Fagundo's farm, where we camped, the shop was filled with half of the rigs for a long night of repairs, and a bit of lamb as well! The next day was a road/trail day so all of the rigs needed to be in tip top shape for the long trek ahead.
Original Article & Photos;
http://www.fourwheeler.com/events/1309-twisted-andes-adventure-2013-day-5/
Breaking Parts in the Pouring Rain
The Twisted Andes Adventure continues in the south of Chile for the 6th day. We hit the road south early so we could take in two trails that lay 200 miles away in Linares. The local wheelers met us and guided our caravan into the foothills of the Andes Mountains. This is where the twisted part comes from; the deep ravines switch back and forth, causing the axles to flex in opposite directions. Smooth and steady is the technique here while punching it only when necessary.
The Las Cruz trail wound around the mountains in slippery style, especial since it had started to rain. The decomposed granite formations made the twisties more fun with both looseness and grip. Rolls and breakage marked the end of the first trail, as we hit the second trail just as the rain began to pour. Trail two consists of a deep slot in the hillside barely wide enough for a full size 4x4. Even smaller rigs bounce side to side like pinballs while grasping for traction in the soupy mud, steeply climbing into the hills at night with the ground level over the cab roof is as challenging as it gets. The lack of visibility and slippery slopes caused another roll, one that took hours to recover.
On the seventh day of the twisted Andes Adventure, we rested – sort of. The plan was to regroup and rebuild after drying out from the night before. The night run had taken its toll on vehicles and participants alike. Broken windows, crushed cabs, busted axles, and even a bent Hi-Lift jack were counted as casualties.
The group departed on separate schedules as a restful day, so they could find spare parts and fix the carnage in-route. Along the way we stopped at Salto Del Laja, a beautiful waterfall and resort in the Andean foothills. But as always the weather conspired with the night to slow us down. Heavy rains and a jeep with no wipers caused a slow trip to the town of Cunco, nested near the Andes amid lakes, trails and snow.
Original Article & Photos;
http://www.fourwheeler.com/events/1310-twisted-andes-adventure-2013-days-6-and-7/
Night of a Thousand Winchings
Our final two days of wheeling on the Twisted Andes Adventure would prove to be the most challenging. Starting in the summer tourist Mecca in Cunco, Chile, we headed out on the Colico – Caburdua into the Andean foothills. With temperatures near freezing and two feet of fresh snow on the ground, the twenty mile route connecting two lakes seemed ambitious in a day.
With a full contingent of 23 wheelers and three local guides we set off.
The first hill showed us how the rest of the trail would be- steep and slick with mud and slop, with minimal traction regardless of tires. On the first climb alone no less than half the group had to resort to winching. Three miles later the hills and holes had conspired with the melting snow to turn the trip into a chocolate sundae sort of look, with sun sparkles keeping us warm as the fresh snow slowly turned to a brown soup. By the time our group crossed the river it was hitting dusk, and with more winch action than trail tracking we turned the group around to fight another day.
The problem was that after 25 some vehicles had churned the earth into a quagmire we had to return through the same mess we had made. By now the trail was impassable without winching, and even that equipment was breaking down. One battery terminal melted from the stress, two cables were rendered useless, and a front driveshaft had failed. All before midnight, some 12 hours after we started. Hence the final day of the Twisted Andes adventure began with 4 rigs hooked together by winch lines in a hill assaulting relay system of anchors and winching. Now known as the Night of a Thousand Winchings, we pulled cable and strapped 4x4s until 7 in the morning, bringing to an end a 1500 mile off road adventured unrivaled in the annals of South American history...
Original Article & Photos;
http://www.fourwheeler.com/events/1310-twisted-andes-adventure-2013-day-8-and-9/
