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Hermann Hess Helfenstein (3 February 1916–14 October 2008) was a Swiss naturalist, explorer, climber and engineer. He was member of the "Schweizer Alpen Club" (SAC in Switzerland) and "Deutscher Anden Verein" (DAV in Chile). He was notable for first ascents and exploration in
Hermann Hess led and sponsored a 5-month expedition to the Northern Patagonian Ice Field from 1 November 1941 to 1 March 1942, starting this time from the west with E. Hoffmann, J. Alig, G. Mani and the porter I. Vargas finding severe climatical and geographical difficulties. In that decade he made also the successful first climb with R. Eggmann and J. Neumeyer to isolated 
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...
.
Career as naturalist, explorer and climber
He was born inEngelberg
, neighboring_municipalities = Attinghausen (UR), Gadmen (BE), Innertkirchen (BE), Isenthal (UR), Wassen (UR), Wolfenschiessen (NW)
, twintowns=
Engelberg (lit.: ''mountain of angel(s)'') is a village resort and a municipality in the canton ...
, a mountain village in Switzerland, where his`parents ran a hotel. He began climbing with his father who was also a mountain guide.
In 1937, he emigrated to South America and in the South Andes Mountain Range he first climbed the Volcano Puntiagudo with his partner R. Roth through the South Face.
Hermann Hess led three expeditions to Northern Patagonian Ice Field
The Northern Patagonian Ice Field, located in southern Chile, is the smaller of two remnant parts in which the Patagonian Ice Sheet in the Andes Mountains of southern South America can be divided. It is completely contained within the boundaries ...
. Two of them were for geological purposes, started from the east and was sponsored by the Swiss Geologist A. Heim. The expedition from 15 December 1939 to 16 January 1940 was integrated by H. Hess, A. Heim, W. Schmitt, H. Moser and H. Neumayer. and the expedition from 18 November to 31 December 1945 was integrated by H.Hess, A. Heim, H. Smoll, A. Valmitjana and J. Studer. There he gave unknown and nameless summits a denomination, such as Cerro Cristal and Cerro Tronco climbing them for the first time.
Hermann Hess led and sponsored a 5-month expedition to the Northern Patagonian Ice Field from 1 November 1941 to 1 March 1942, starting this time from the west with E. Hoffmann, J. Alig, G. Mani and the porter I. Vargas finding severe climatical and geographical difficulties. In that decade he made also the successful first climb with R. Eggmann and J. Neumeyer to isolated Cerro Maca
Cerro is Spanish for "hill" or "mountain".
Toponyms
;Bolivia:
* Cerro Rico, the "Rich Mountain" containing silver ore near Potosi, Bolivia
;Brazil:
* Cerro Branco, a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul
* Cerro Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, a munici ...
in 1944.Della, Carlos. ''Volcanes Australes''. Argentina: Tecpetrol, 2010. http://www.tecpetrol.com/patagonicos/cuaderno15/cuaderno15.html .Retrieved 2020-04-06.
Return to Switzerland
In 1950 he married Frida Schwabe in Puerto Varas. They had two children, German and Roland and in 1960 he returned to Switzerland. There he climbed theMont Blanc
Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...
, Weisshorn
The Weisshorn (German, lit. ''white peak/mountain'') is a major peak of Switzerland and the Alps, culminating at above sea level. It is part of the Pennine Alps and is located between the valleys of Anniviers and Zermatt in the canton of Valai ...
, Matterhorn
The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
, Eiger
The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends a ...
and Piz Palü
Piz Palü is a mountain in the Bernina Range of the Alps, located between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large glaciated massif composed of three main summits, on a ridge running from west to east. The main (and central) summit is 3,900 metres ...
.
He returned to Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
, Capital of Chile, in 1963 and undertook the higher summits of the North Andes Mountain Range with members of DAV W. Foerster, F. Oestemer, H. Janko and other climbers until his death in 2008.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helfenstein, Hermann Hess 1916 births 2008 deaths People from Obwalden Swiss naturalists Swiss explorers Swiss mountain climbers 20th-century naturalists Swiss emigrants to Chile