My girlfriend, Sarah Hart, is joining me for some of this season in Chalten, and arrived on the same day that Jon took off. We had a week of bouldering in relatively stormy weather, and then yet another weather window descended upon Chalten - this time an extended one. Although Sarah's only two previous ascents … Continue reading Mate, Porro, y Todo con mi Dama
Tag: Patagonia
Festerville
For Jon's last window this season in Patagonia, we hiked back up to Niponino on the last day of 2012, both with lingering colds. On the first day of 2013 we left Niponino early and headed to the Standhardt Col to try "Festerville," the north ridge of Cerro Standhardt, first climbed by Timmy O'Neil and … Continue reading Festerville
Ragnivenas Attempt
Papa Noel brought a few days of calm but humid weather to the Chalten massif over Christmas, with poor conditions for rock climbing, but good conditions for crampon climbing. Jon and I hiked into the Torre Valley on the 23rd, and on the 24th we passed through the Standhardt Col into the Circo de las … Continue reading Ragnivenas Attempt
Tobogan
Last week some calm weather blew into the Chalten massif, but with cold and snowy conditions. Jon and I hiked into Niponino with some loose plans to scratch around on something while wearing crampons. After hemming and hawing for a while on the Torre Glacier at first light on the 16th, we finally decided to … Continue reading Tobogan
Guillaumet Laps
For the past couple weeks in El Chalten my climbing has been mostly limited to sport climbing at El Calamar, Chalten's best crag. However, I have gotten a couple day-trips in to climb Aguja Guillaumet. When the weather forecast is marginal, and a day of approaching and camping in storm isn't appealing, a long day … Continue reading Guillaumet Laps
Cerro Torre Attempts
My last two forays into the mountains of the Fitz Roy massif were to attempt a natural line on the Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre. Zack Smith and I made an attempt that was thwarted by iffy weather, and a week later I made another attempt with Rolando Garibotti and Doerte Pietron, to the exact … Continue reading Cerro Torre Attempts
David Lama and Cerro Torre – Good news
A couple days ago, on January 28th, David Lama posted on his blog that he will not rappel-bolt on Cerro Torre. It is written in German, but Doerte Pietron made a quick translation for me. The third paragraph, where he refers about his planned tactics, roughly reads: "Unfortunately I couldn't take a look at the … Continue reading David Lama and Cerro Torre – Good news
Clarifications about Cerro Torre, David Lama and Redbull
After making my earlier blog post, most all of the climbers in El Chalten headed into the mountains in pursuit of a forecasted weather window. The weather window turned out worse than was forecasted, which was a relief for me because I've got a bit of a cold and wouldn't have been able to climb … Continue reading Clarifications about Cerro Torre, David Lama and Redbull
Cerro Torre, David Lama and Redbull
In 1959, Cesare Maestri attempted to climb Cerro Torre via it's North Face. At some point during the climb, descent, or descent of the glacier below the face, Maestri's climbing partner, Toni Egger, perished. Maestri claimed that they had made the first ascent of Cerro Torre, and the third member of the expedition, Cesarino Fava, … Continue reading Cerro Torre, David Lama and Redbull
Fin de la Temporada – Care Bear Traverse and Mermoz Solo
The weather here in El Chalten remained poor for all of January and most of February, with only the occasional one-day mediocre window. Fortunately, unlike an expedition to Alaska or the Himalaya, the time spent waiting in Patagonia is quite enjoyable - you can live indoors, eat fresh fruit and vegetables, and stay in shape … Continue reading Fin de la Temporada – Care Bear Traverse and Mermoz Solo