ATACAMA

The Atacama desert and its high mountains comprise one of the most inhospitable landscapes on the planet. Juan reached a maximum altitude of 5,200 m above sea level at which point the lack of oxygen had a marked impact on his progress. During the expedition the temperatures fell as low as 15 degrees below zero at night and went up as high as 42 degrees during the day. The wind had its share of the limelight too, with gusts of over 65 kilometres per hour.