The Chilean Institute of Ice Fields (ICIF) is a Chilean non-profit private corporation that conducts and disseminates scientific research, exploration, special interest tourism, mountain sports, and the construction of enabling infrastructure to promote the extensive region of the

Southern Patagonian Ice Field The Southern Patagonian Ice Field (), located at the Southern Patagonic Andes between Chile and Argentina, is the world's second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field. It is the bigger of two remnant parts of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, which c ...

in its Chilean section, located in the

Aysén Region The Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region (, , '), often shortened to Aysén Region or Aisén,Examples of name usage1, official regional government site refers to the region as "Región de Aysén"., Chile's official meteorological ...

and

Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region () or Magallanes and the Chilean Antarctica Region in English, is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and sec ...

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

. For its activities, the institute has an ongoing framework agreement with

CONAF The National Forest Corporation or CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal) is a Chilean State-owned private non-profit organization, through which the Chilean state contributes to the development and sustainable management of the country's forest ...

, the administrator of the National Parks system. The institute also supports the training of professionals in various disciplines related to earth sciences, biological sciences, and tourism, maintaining agreements with several national universities.

History

The ICIF was created by Supreme Decree N° 431 of the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

on April 30, 1998.

Shelters

Built Shelters

* Eduardo García Soto: Installed in 2004, it is located on the east face of

Mount Fitz Roy Monte Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén, Cerro Fitz Roy, or simply Mount Fitz Roy) is a mountain in Patagonia, on the border between Argentina and Chile.nunatak A nunatak (from Inuit language, Inuit ) is the summit or ridge of a mountain that protrudes from an ice field or glacier that otherwise covers most of the mountain or ridge. They often form natural pyramidal peaks. Isolated nunataks are also cal ...

Cerro Gorra Blanca The Cerro Gorra Blanca is a glaciated mountain in the Andes of Patagonia, located southwest of Laguna del Desierto on the eastern edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, on the border between Chile and Argentina. On the Chilean side, it is part ...

, near

Marconi Pass The Marconi Pass is a mountain pass and a border crossing between the Republic of Argentina and the Republic of Chile. It is located in the northeast of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. The pass connects the commune of O'Higgins in the Aysén ...

Planned Shelters

* Exmauth: Planned for construction on the Comandante Plateau, Trinidad Glacier, accessible from Exmouth Fjord near

Puerto Edén Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...

. * Montt Glacier: Planned for construction near Jorge Montt Glacier.

Program

Southern Cone Core Program: Carried out in the northern third of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, it involves the creation of a series of institutional headquarters, forward camps, and ice shelters in the designated area, facilitating access to this region. As part of the program, three institutional headquarters have been built in Caleta Tortel, two forward camps near Jorge Montt Glacier, and one shelter near

References

External links

Official website of the Chilean Institute of Ice Fields

In the Southern Ice Field: Cordón Escondido

Chilean Institute of Ice Fields conducted a fruitful Montt-Lucía Glacier expedition
{{Authority control Non-profit organisations based in Chile