A collaboration between BMW and Metzeler has taken four new R1300 GS motorcycles from sea level to the highest peak in Chile, Nevado Ojos del Salado, in less than 24 hours. While they did not quite reach the peak, they did achieve a maximum altitude of 6,027 meters, or just shy of 20,000 feet.

The team consisted of four riders: Christof Lischka, BMW Motorrad Development Manager; Salvatore Pennisi, Metzeler Test and Technical Director; Michele Pradelli, Italian Extreme Enduro Champion and tester for Italian magazine InMoto; and Karsten Schwers, tester and journalist for German magazine MOTORRAD. It’s impressive that the team accomplished this so soon after the new R1300 GS’s introduction. Even more impressive is that they did this on unmodified bikes, aside from substituting the optional Metzeler Karoo 4 tires for better off-road performance than the standard Metzeler Tourance Next 2 tires. The team set off from Bahia Inglesa, a town near the port of Caldera, at 3:00 pm on December 6. They ascended the “Rock Channel” on the north face of the mountain, reaching their maximum altitude in just 19 hours and 22 minutes.

Photo: BMW Motorrad

While the bikes completed the climb virtually without preparation, the same is not true of the riders. This short-duration effort required a great deal of preparation, particularly acclimatizing to high elevations, cold temperatures, and low oxygen levels. The team made a test run up Mount Etna in Sicily, the highest active volcano in Europe, to get acquainted with the conditions they were likely to encounter in Chile. Several base camps were also established along the route, providing the riders with support along the way.

“With this extreme ride up to more than 6,000 meters, the new BMW R1300 GS has shown what it can do and what it is made for,” said Christof Lischka, BMW Motorrad Development Manager, in a press release. “It masters off-road and adventure riding as well as a sporty pace on tarmac and long tours. Even in standard trim with off-road tires. It was important for us to emphasize these core competencies of the new GS once again with this expedition.”

I prefer to set a slower pace and enjoy the ride, but there’s no denying the impressive feat BMW has accomplished here. Few manufacturers could take a bike off the showroom floor, swap tires, and climb an active volcano to over 6,000 meters elevation. It may be a publicity stunt, but it is still a significant accomplishment no matter how you look at it.