Patagonian Expedition Race 2012: stepping into a world of ice With 245 miles - more than two thirds of the overall journey - already clocked up, it would be easy to think that the remaining 106 miles would be considered the home straight. But when you're greeted by some of the most remote landscapes on the planet, that's simply not the case. Since Friday night, the leading team, which includes Briton Nick Gracie, has been setting a strong pace, despite the varied and difficult terrain. At the Paso de las Nieves, recent snowfall created some interesting trekking conditions, to go with cool temperatures at up to 2,000 metres, while El Turbal, a spectacular wild peat bog which glows bright orange, is equally challenging. Firm and well structured to the touch, it appears to be safe ground until you step on it - if the ground is wet, you'll find yourself sinking fast. American racer Chelsey Gribbon is so short she admitted concerns about drowning in El Turbal when she took on her first race two years ago. The limited rain this week kept El Turbal dry enough to allow for a relatively comfortable passage through to the final part of the trek, Paso Glaciar. Earlier today, a group of four teams reached this checkpoint in a close battle for second place, and they were in for a treat. Here, the blue sparkle of the Glacier Alemania creates a vista rarely seen by the human eye. All around the area, glaciers spread like fingers from the icefield and snake through a maze of vertical mountains. Steep granite walls tower above, and the 2,488m Monte Darwin rises in the distance. Stacked with ice the size of buildings, it's as spectacular as anything seen on BBC's Frozen Planet. For some, further back in the pack, this treat is still to come - and they still have time as the race's final cut-off isn't for another 48 hours. However, for a second team involving four British racers making their debut it's already over. Too late in to the Paso de Nieves checkpoint, they missed the cut-off time and had to turn back. Most visitors view the Darwin range from cruise boats that arrive from Punta Arenas, travelling into inlets on the irregular coastline where glaciers and mountains slope dramatically drop into the sea. And that's where the teams will head next for their final journey to the finish - providing they make it through the wintery wilderness of the Darwin Range.