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Windswept trees near Glaciar Los Perros (Walk 1)

Weather conditions in Torres del Paine are notoriously difficult to predict, the huge glaciers in the area giving rise to various microclimates, which make accurate long-term weather forecasts almost impossible.

One thing trekkers have to get used to in Torres del Paine is the wind, which fairly blasts off the South Patagonian Ice Field straight into the Paine massif, and when it gets really strong (gusts of well over 100km/h are not uncommon) it can make walking almost impossible. Huts carry (tentative) forecasts for at least two or three days ahead, so it’s worth checking these and timing certain sections of your route – such as the crossing of Paso John Gardner – accordingly. It is not always windy, and there are plenty of days when it’s perfectly calm – but if you get round the entire Circuit without getting at least one day of high winds, not to mention a good dousing of rain, you can count yourself fairly lucky.

The wind is at its worst during the peak visitor months of January and February – conditions tend to be rather more settled (but naturally much colder) during the winter. But to quote the excellent local magazine Black Sheep (which has now sadly folded): ‘Wind is as much a character [of] the landscape as the mountains, trees and pampas themselves…. Prepare yourself as best you can, arm yourself with a good attitude, and enjoy.’ Sound advice.