Mendoza-Santiago pass, PA Hwy in Autumn/Winter
 

Hello from Curitiba, Brazil,

I had a look for similar threads on this but came up empty-handed.

Executive summary: I'm halfway through a RTW attempt, I was slowed down by a 1-month customs delay in Brazil, and also the long wait for a broken arm to heal, and now I'm about to enter Uruguay with a mind to heading down to BA and across to Chile.

The thing is, it's the end of April. I'd be attempting the pass between Mendoza and Santiago in *mid-May.* This is the start of winter down here.

So, here's my question: is getting across that pass even possible on two wheels in mid-May, provided I hit the road at 9am and presumably finish the ride around 3pm? With my cold-weather gear, I'm good down to about 2 degrees, plus brief periods where it's not much lower than that. The truly high-altitude portion between Uspallata and Los Andes appears to be 160km long, according to Google Maps.

My fear of freezing my n*ts off doesn't stop there... I then intend to ride all the way up to Colombia, using the Pan-American highway and any more exciting or pleasant offshoots along the way. My understanding is that that highway can reach tremendous altitudes at times, and that in portions I'm looking at daytime temperatures just barely above freezing, and nighttime temperatures many, many degrees below that. Am I foolish to even consider giving this a try? And if I *am* foolish but this is nonetheless feasible, does anybody have any tips about my route?

And finally, should I write off a side trip up to the salt flats in Bolivia? I'm told you're looking at roads running along at 4000m altitude, carburetor problems, and of course freezing cold temperatures in May.

Thanks for any and all advice.

Cheers,
JVM

It shouldn't be a problem is the weather conditions look normal for May. Anyway keep checking the Chilean weather for any pass at the Andes.
If there are continuous storms most probably the pass could be closed due to considerable amount of snow. The libertadores pass is the most used one for cargo and general transiting between Argentina and Chile, obviously is the most good taken care road. Rarely is closed but it is for a period of days when blizzards are heavy. Most probably deep in the winter, July, August.

The link to check the conditions and status is:

[url=http://www.meteochile.cl/pronostico.html]Direcci

Hi there JimVanMorrissey, how did this overpass from Chile to Argentina has worked out for you? I am attempting the very same thing bu the other way around.

Hope to hear from you

we're staying with some locals for a month now in Mendoza, and crossed into Chile a week ago via this pass; short trip. (we've been in Chile a month a go to check it out ;-)).
It is cold up there, reaches 2700 meters orso.
Day later it was closed as a result of snow, but only for a few hours.
The family here says it may close sometimes for a few days max, but when it reopens I don't think it is very drivable with a bike.
Arg to Chile is the tricky one, long drive at altitude. On the Chilean side you go down fast, amazing road by the way.

Bolivia: most of it is above 3500 meters!