Cristian Donoso - 2006 Associate Laureate

In 2007-2008, Cristian Donoso will lead an ambitious, five-month expedition to western Patagonia. His transpatagonia Expedition will cover 2,039km in a pristine and difficult environment. Donoso and his team will travel mainly by sea kayak, a shallow, easy-to-manoeuvre craft. The expedition will demand rigorous physical, technical and mental preparations. Chilean lawyer Cristian Donoso, an avid explorer of western Patagonia, has ventured into the region more than 30 times over the past 14 years. Western Patagonia is bordered to the east by the peaks of the Andes. Donoso’s expedition will cross glaciers and ascend four summits that have never been explored. Donoso hopes his expedition will gather new knowledge of western Patagonia that could contribute to its preservation and to the development of ecotourism in villages such as Tortel that border the region. Travelling by sea kayak allows Donoso to enter the narrowest fjords and explore little-known areas that cannot be reached by any other craft. Donoso will explore diverse and largely uncharted territory that has snow-covered peaks, rocky islands covered by dense vegetation, narrow channels of frigid water and icy fjords. Donoso plans to study western Patagonia’s largely unknown environment and geology, and will collect fossils, soil and rock samples to be analysed by scientists. Much of the time, western Patagonia is drenched by heavy rainfall and swept by hurricane-force winds. Donoso will face these harsh conditions for the five months.
In 2007-2008, Cristian Donoso will lead an ambitious, five-month expedition to western Patagonia. His transpatagonia Expedition will cover 2,039km in a pristine and difficult environment.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Canal Baker, Chile, 2006
In 2007-2008, Cristian Donoso will lead an ambitious, five-month expedition to western Patagonia. His transpatagonia Expedition will cover 2,039km in a pristine and difficult environment.

Donoso and his team will travel mainly by sea kayak, a shallow, easy-to-manoeuvre craft. The expedition will demand rigorous physical, technical and mental preparations.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Canal Baker, Chile, 2006
Donoso and his team will travel mainly by sea kayak, a shallow, easy-to-manoeuvre craft. The expedition will demand rigorous physical, technical and mental preparations.

Chilean lawyer Cristian Donoso, an avid explorer of western Patagonia, has ventured into the region more than 30 times over the past 14 years.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Canal Baker, Chile, 2006
Chilean lawyer Cristian Donoso, an avid explorer of western Patagonia, has ventured into the region more than 30 times over the past 14 years.

Western Patagonia is bordered to the east by the peaks of the Andes. Donoso’s expedition will cross glaciers and ascend four summits that have never been explored.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Lake General Carrera, Chile, 2006
Western Patagonia is bordered to the east by the peaks of the Andes. Donoso’s expedition will cross glaciers and ascend four summits that have never been explored.

Donoso hopes his expedition will gather new knowledge of western Patagonia that could contribute to its preservation and to the development of ecotourism in villages such as Tortel that border the region.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Tortel, Chile, 2006
Donoso hopes his expedition will gather new knowledge of western Patagonia that could contribute to its preservation and to the development of ecotourism in villages such as Tortel that border the region.

Travelling by sea kayak allows Donoso to enter the narrowest fjords and explore little-known areas that cannot be reached by any other craft.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Canal Baker, Chile, 2006
Travelling by sea kayak allows Donoso to enter the narrowest fjords and explore little-known areas that cannot be reached by any other craft.

Donoso will explore diverse and largely uncharted territory that has snow-covered peaks, rocky islands covered by dense vegetation, narrow channels of frigid water and icy fjords.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Canal Baker, Chile, 2006
Donoso will explore diverse and largely uncharted territory that has snow-covered peaks, rocky islands covered by dense vegetation, narrow channels of frigid water and icy fjords.

Donoso plans to study western Patagonia’s largely unknown environment and geology, and will collect fossils, soil and rock samples to be analysed by scientists.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Canal Baker, Chile, 2006
Donoso plans to study western Patagonia’s largely unknown environment and geology, and will collect fossils, soil and rock samples to be analysed by scientists.

Much of the time, western Patagonia is drenched by heavy rainfall and swept by hurricane-force winds. Donoso will face these harsh conditions for the five months.

©Rolex Awards/Stefan Walter

Canal Baker, Chile, 2006
Much of the time, western Patagonia is drenched by heavy rainfall and swept by hurricane-force winds. Donoso will face these harsh conditions for the five months.