THE survivors of a fatal blizzard in Chile have spoken about how their once in a life-time trip quickly turned into a nightmare.
What began as a dream adventure for five British friends in Chilean Patagonia claimed the life of their friend and four other trekkers.
Hayley Newnham, Tom Player, Matt Smith, Christian Aldridge, and Victoria told CornwallLive about they had spent more than 30 hours travelling – using 13 different modes of transport – to reach the Torres del Paine National Park.
Patagonia, straddling Chile and Argentina, is famed for its beauty and its brutal weather.
The group set out with that in mind.
But on the third day, they were told to expect strong winds.
Forecasts suggested gusts of up to 62mph, conditions the camp staff insisted were typical for early spring in Torres del Paine.
“Everyone was checking the weather,” Hayley said.
“We all got told it would be okay but in retrospect they should have shut the trail down and given advance warning of a snow report in some official capacity.”
Christian echoed her concerns: “They reassured us that it would be okay. They kept saying that it was normal. If we had known it would snow we would have stayed in our tent for the day.”
Trusting the advice of local guides, the group continued.
“We’re not idiots. We were not going to ignore the advice of people who live and work in the area,” Tom said.
“We took their advice on board.”
But the warning signs came quickly.
Winds surged to 120mph, temperatures plunged to minus five, and rain hardened into snow and ice.
Visibility collapsed.
“With these high winds it was effectively a category 3 hurricane,” Tom said.
“We were in a blizzard. You couldn’t see anything.
“It was like being inside a white box three metres across and you could only see the person in front and the person behind.”
Realising the danger, they turned back toward the refuge they’d left that morning, trekking 6km through worsening conditions.
When they finally reached safety, they discovered Victoria was missing.
“We were hoping she’d be ahead of us with other people,” Christian said.
“We were all in shock. We were all exhausted. Everyone was traumatised.”
Determined to find her, Tom and another man headed back into the blizzard with only a tent and sleeping bag.
Tom soon came across another casualty.
“I found a man 100 metre away, face down in a stream. Unresponsive,” he said.
“I tried to do what I could for cases of hypothermia. But he was dead.
“I left him to go up the hill to try and find Victoria. I had no idea there were other casualties.”
As the conditions became impossible, he was forced to confront the reality of his own limits.
“I started to think that if I fell or twisted my ankle, no-one would ever find me and I’d die.
“I was on my own. I had no idea where she was on the trail. I had been running back up the hill. My legs were shaking.
“I had to think of my own safety. I turned around.”
Victoria’s body was later found at the highest point of the mountain.
Like the others – two German and two Mexican trekkers – she died of hypothermia and exhaustion.
In total, 27 of the 30 trekkers required medical attention, suffering injuries including frostbite, head wounds, and broken limbs.
All 25 survivors experienced minor hypothermia.
“It could have been so much worse,” Matt said.
“I can’t imagine what it would have been like if we’d pushed on beyond the refuge and gone down the other side of the mountain towards the next camp.
“Thank God we turned around when we did. We would have all died.”
Victoria, who previously worked for Girls Aloud star Cheryl, is being repatriated with the support of consular services.
For her friends, the full weight of the tragedy is still sinking in.
They now face the long process of recovering from both the physical injuries and the emotional trauma of the ordeal.
