In July 2012 my friend Dylan Johnson and I made an 11-day road-trip through interior BC, and although we climbed several fun things, the highlight for me was the Northwest Arête of Mt. Sir Donald. Although I had driven through Rogers Pass many times, I had never climbed there previously, and I knew so little … Continue reading Mt. Sir Donald
Author: Colin Haley
Springtime in Cham (and a bit elsewhere)!
A couple weeks ago I returned to North America after spending almost all of the spring in Chamonix. I had missed the two previous spring seasons in Cham, so it was exciting to be back in the ultimate alpine playground. People often ask me what my "goals" are when I go to Cham, and to … Continue reading Springtime in Cham (and a bit elsewhere)!
Cerro Pier Giorgio, First Complete Ascent
Last week the weather forecast showed one of the most promising windows of the 2013-2014 Chalten climbing season (which doesn't say much this year), and Rolo and I hiked into Niponino on the 22nd with ambitious plans. When we went to sleep it was snowing heavily, but we felt confident it would stop soon. When … Continue reading Cerro Pier Giorgio, First Complete Ascent
Cerro Madsen, Aguja de l’S and Cerro Domo Blanco
The 2013-2014 season in El Chalten continues to be a cold and stormy one. Since my arrival in mid November there hasn't been a single weather window that I would call "a good one," and the gnarliest summits, Cerro Torre and Torre Egger, have both yet to see a single ascent this season. However, at … Continue reading Cerro Madsen, Aguja de l’S and Cerro Domo Blanco
Cerro Marconi Central – La SuperWhillans
Another semi-good weather window arrived in the Chalten Massif this past week. The forecast showed decent weather for the 18th and 19th, so Rolo and I hiked into the mountains on the 17th. This season continues so far to be the "Old Patagonia," with plenty of wind, plenty of precip, and not-so-warm temperatures (which, in … Continue reading Cerro Marconi Central – La SuperWhillans
Techado Negro and Aguja Volonqui
The last couple weeks in El Chalten the weather has been neither particularly good nor bad. There hasn't been a lot of truly burly storms, but there haven't been any periods of weather forecast good enough to feel confident about trying big, hard routes. There have been a handful of decent days, however, and Sarah … Continue reading Techado Negro and Aguja Volonqui
Farewell Magnus
Shortly before leaving Seattle for Patagonia, it happened again - a phone call during the middle of the night brought news of another friend who had died in the mountains. While ski mountaineering with Andreas Fransson on New Zealand's Mt. Cook, Swedish evil-genius/warm-hearted-mad-man, Magnus Kastengren had fallen from a high ridge to his death. I … Continue reading Farewell Magnus
Guillaumet x2
Sarah and I have been in El Chalten for a week now, and just got back to town from our second foray into the mountains. On the 20th, during a nice but very brief break in the weather, we tried to make a day-trip to Aguja Val Biois via Paso Superior. We started from El … Continue reading Guillaumet x2
Winter, followed by Fall, followed by Spring…
Here's a somewhat late blog post, of the remainder of my time in Patagonian winter, and the journey back to the Salish Sea. While it was very cool to finally explore the Chalten Massif in wintertime, it wasn't a highly successful trip for me in terms of climbing accomplishments. I made two attempts on technical, … Continue reading Winter, followed by Fall, followed by Spring…
Domo Blanco and Cerro Electrico
I had a bit of climate shock a couple weeks ago, traveling from the Squamish summer of shirtless sport climbing, down to a snowy, icy El Chalten in mid-winter. I arrived in El Chalten on August 23, and supposedly proper winter had arrived only a few days beforehand. People around town talked of a "pequeno … Continue reading Domo Blanco and Cerro Electrico