Adventures in Patagonia
“Hey buddy! Look at there… can you see the Fitz?”
“Wow… it’s cool! And think that 48 hours ago we were at the top… how cold…”
“Yes it was and think that the day with less clouds since we arrived, almost a month ago, is today and damn we are sitting here on the plane and we are returning home…”
“Ahahaha bad luck… what a bad place! Never a really beautiful day in almost a month… I don’t know if I’ll be back”
“You say?”
“Well I’m more for blue skies, warm, zero wind, short sleeves …”
“What a prince you are !!!”
“Ahahaha you can say it, well… a Sunday mountaineer… ahahaha but now it’s over I admit that it was cool! A month back in time, as it once was, where the unknowns were many and the top was the one that mattered… what a bad place… almost, not next year, I want to be clear, but I would almost go back … also because look at there… ”
“Where?” “Behind the Fitz” “aah yes … that would be a dream”
“A couple of years that goes away this cold from my bones and this wind in my ears and let’s go back to the Cerro Torre”
“I’m in”
With this dialogue at the limit of the incoherence that we exchanged as soon as we were mounted on the plane at El Calafate, I will tell you about this Patagonian adventur e with the legendary Fabri (Fabrizio Della Rossa).
Incoherence… Yes, because Patagonia is like this, one day you hate it from the depths of your soul the next day you would like to go back.
One day you are there to pull your friend on the cracks with crampons on their feet that scratch on the rock covered by inconsistent verglass, wind at 100km / h, cold, wet soaking, ropes for the doubles that instead of going downwards go up vertically towards the sky, as if the force of gravity had reversed … and the next day in the heat of the blankets of the El Chaltén hostels, the first thing you do when you wake up is to look at the weather to go back to the mountains … because Patagonia the end bewitches you … that being out of this world, far from everything, where the elements of nature truly reign supreme, zero benefits and respect for the mountains becomes immense, you feel truly powerless.
It is the mountain that decides, you must be good at listening to it … like a drug it kidnaps you, you fall in love and you come back …
A continuous inconsistency that has haunted us for all 24 days of stay in El Chaltel (13 of them in the mountains …), since the first adventure on the Aguja dell’S, which began with the rain all along the approach and ended late at night the next day with pain in my legs and feet … on the way back I was already thinking about where to escape …
On the Aguja de l’S we climbed the via Austrica (4/5 January) with the super company of Mirco and Brad. Tattered cracks and wind did not stop us and a “simple lane” turned into a beautiful engagement …
sea, sun, mojito …
incoherence … again her… After watching the flights to go to a warm and dry place, we started for the second Patagonic adventure (7/8 January) with the idea of climbing the Aguja Poincenot…
The weather spoke of light spells and little wind from morning until early afternoon of the next day so we started under an incessant rain in the direction of the Passo Superior and after “n” endless hours of walking between rain, snow, sun (little) and wind we finally placed our curtain on the snow of the pass.
When we woke up in the morning with 30cm of snow (almost half a meter of accumulation on the tent), fog with visibility by meter and wind, here the dreams of climbing the Poincenot shatter and turn into Greece, sun, Leonidio with Sara, fish and beers on the beach … And instead under a storm of the real Patagonian ones (luckily it must have been nice since the morning) we went down and returned after another n endless hours of walking in the rain, snow and wind, in our warm and welcoming hostel in El Cialten .. Again it goes through our head to drop everything and go to the warm Brazilian sun … aah the inconsistency … ah by the way the good weather has arrived yes, but with 6 hours late …
After the horrible weather that we took on the Passo Superior, the mood was not the best, especially looking at the weather that continued to be bad and windy but (still incoherence) the desire for the mountains continued to prevail and so to take advantage of a few hours without wind we climbed the Aguja Guillaumet.
As usual, the plan included walking in the rain to base camp (this time Piedra Negra) and taking advantage of the few windless hours of the next day to climb.
This time everything went smoothly according to plan, we started along the Rio Elettrico in a British rain and after a super break at the mythical and wonderful refuge of the Piedra del Fraile (stop and take an apple crumble, you will remember it forever, a wonder) we came to pitch a tent in Piedra Negra. After a windy night and a wonderful sunrise with 5 minutes of sunshine (the only ones of the day) we left for via Pippo Frasson on Guillaumet, a beautiful mixed route by Mr. Buscaini on the east face of Aguja Guillaumet. (11/12 January)
As on the Aguja de l’S the conditions were not the best, with inconsistent ice and rotten snow that made the “easy” difficult, but we were starting to get used to it and I must say that we were not sorry to hire this a little time.
The return from real Patagonian hitchhikers (shared with the legendary Leo and Luca) on the body of a pickup truck made the ending even more magical
This time the damp ascent of the Guillaumet did not knock us down but rather gave us the charge to try again the Poincenot. (15/16 January)
As usual we start in the rain which then turns into snow that accompanies us throughout the approach to the Laguna de Los Tres.
After the bad weather blow of the last time at the Superior Pass and since the weather was exactly the same as we decided to sleep at the Lagoon at that time (wise choice) and to leave at 1 am hoping for the weather forecast (they cleared up from 5 in the morning until evening)
Waking up at midnight is always a crazy thing and doing it under a snowfall … well I don’t recommend it …
The desire to climb was great and despite the snow, the wind fortunately did not blow (as forecast). So remembering the road well from the other time under a heavy snowfall we arrive in a couple of hours at the Superior Pass.
With almost nothing visibility we decide to continue on the glacier aided by GPS and beating track with snow up to our knees finally at the first light of dawn we arrive under the wall. As if by magic, the clouds thin out and finally the first rays of sun begin to warm the bones (little, very little).
The wall, as you can imagine, was covered with snow and the initial ramp that “yes, yes, you go on untied” already becomes mange …
We go up the Whillians-Cochrane route, we climb slowly due to the snow up to the “key” mixed pitch which takes us a lot, from “easy” M4 turns into an epic pitch that Fabri surpasses at the best (better not go into details) … ahahaha)
Once we reach the rocky part, we finally accelerate and go off quickly up to 100 meters from the top where I manage to make the wrong itinerary and with a pendulum first and then another ravanata, Fabri takes us back to the straight path and we are finally at the top.
The descent goes smoothly along Patagonicos Desperdos route and at 10 in the evening at the last lights of the day we are back to the Laguna de Los Tres.
Tiredness was a lot but just enough time to refresh ourselves a bit, to recover tent and material left at the bivouac and we set off again towards the hostel
After the first two hours of walking tiredness begins to be felt and between hallucinations, naps and a taxi at 3 in the night at Pilar finally at 4 after 27 hours non stop we are in the hostel … what an adventure!
The fatigue after the great ride on the Poincenot makes itself felt and thanks to the weather that does not want to give us respite we decide to rest properly and make tourists. We take a bus towards El Calafate and enjoy a few days of relaxation with a visit to the famous Perito Moreno. Worth a visit
Life as a tourist was not bad and tiredness was slowly going away and with her again the desire for the mountains made itself felt.
The weather, however, continued to be not at all inviting… 15 hours of variable weather but with wind at 100 per hour, 12 hours of clear stable without wind and then storm… we do two math and we begin to evaluate the various options
In any case, it would have been the last “window” available for climbing given the imminent flight to return to the Dolomites
We decide to aim high and it would be time to try the legendary via delle vie, the Super Canaleta on the Fitz Roy. A dream just to name it.
For such a route with so few hours of stable time, logistics is everything!
Without excellent logistics (organization, timing and management) any route in Patagonia becomes mange, let alone with a few hours of good weather…
(20/21/22/23 January)
We left with the usual British drizzle and after the fixed stop for an apple crumble at the Piedra del Fraile and other “n” hours of walking we camped in Piedra Negra
The plan was to attack “late”, go up as much as possible to bivouac somewhere and take advantage of the hours of stable time (from 9 in the evening to 9 in the morning) to reach the summit and go down…
The storm was scheduled for 2:15 pm on January 22nd
With this super plan we start on the 21 from Piedra Negra at 5 in the morning arriving at the first light of dawn at the Quadrado pass and at 8 at the start of Supercanaleta
The first unknown occurs when starting, a thick fog covers the upper half of the route and the first part seems very dry.
A discouragement mixed with terror rises inside me and looking at Fabri I confide that perhaps our time had not come for the Fitz…
He looks at me a little annoyed and tells me that so much you can easily go back and that he had not done all that way to get to the attack and not even try…
Mythical Fabri !!!
His optimism gives me back the charge and at 8.30 we attack Supercanaleta.
I admit that without Fabri maybe I would never have attacked the route (I will never stop thanking him) but a good team (and in Patagonia it is essential if you want to combine something) is just this, the one that spurs each other in difficult moments (and in Patagonia there are many).
The first 1000 meters of route are a couloir of snow and ice up to 60 ° which despite being actually beautiful “dry” are spun away smooth as oil and at 12 we were already at Bloque Empotrado on mixed shooting
So far the (strangely) excellent conditions of the route had given us hope even if fog and wind continue to alternate and to hide the few rays of sun that touched the wall.
Fog + wind = verglas we will learn it soon…
At 14 we are at the end of the traverse to the right (we were very fast) ready to put away the spades and pull out the shoes to face the 8 pitches of rock up to the fork that marks the end of the route (200m below the top, from here you joins with the via Argentina)
We look at the clock we stop for a bar and a little water and we begin to see the top… 8 IV pitches with some V, plus 200m easy mixed make us hope well, we do two math and we imagine ourselves in top for 18 long before expectations…
…poor deluded…
Fog + wind = verglas…
Here the trouble begins… the shoes remained in the backpack and the 8 pitches of IV went out between blasphemies and braying in just over 8 hours…
Between violent artificial on cracks covered with ice, clamped on spades, pendulums, wind that on the crest did not leave you standing, broken noses (Fabri with a wrong pick) and epic ravines finally at 11 pm we are out of trouble in the sleeping bag (1 in 2) 150m from the top…
I think I will always remember the bivouac…
To be as light as possible we had brought a sleeping bag for two, a two-person bivouac bag (of the silver ones that you put inside), two half mattresses (1m x 50cm), the jetboil with two bags for dinner, a tea bag and a few bars.
It is said that you learn from mistakes … ok… a sleeping bag in two a – 10° C is not much and the silver bivouac bag breaks at the first gust of wind… Fortunately the duvets we had were beautiful hot and that Fabri and I get along very well, the fact is that we hugged all night chattering…
Despite the cold I have to say that the night passed quickly enough and at least an hour we slept both because also as forecast by 9 in the evening the wind had stopped blowing
At dawn I will remember the first ray of sunshine forever …
From the bivouac to the top it took us just under an hour and at 7 am on January 22, without a breeze, we were on top of the Fitz Roy!
What a feeling! A show! An unforgettable moment!
On top of the Fitz, paradise, without a drizzle of wind, we were there for almost half an hour before starting the descent.
Due the time and conditions we decide that the descent for Franco-Argentina was the best of ideas (in retrospect we will confirm the right choice)
The choice was dictated by the weather, in fact from 9 in the morning the weather spoke of an exponential increase in the wind from the West with gusts up to 100 per hour and from 15 onwards: hell (Patagonian storm)
(if you go down for Supercanaletta (the way of ascent) we are talking about 1600 meters of doubles in the West, for Franco-Argentina 600 + 300 meters in the East)
The doubles are spun off as smooth as oil despite the fog that arrived at 11 (a couple of doubles with very strong wind). At 14 we put our feet on the glacier and out of trouble (at least so we thought…)
Up to here the logistics had been truly impeccable, everything perfect: timing, material, organization, food… we were happy as children!
From when you set foot on the glacier under the East face of the Fitz in more or less an hour’s walk on the glacier you arrive at the Guillumet Pass, from there in a couple of hours of descent between debris you return to Piedra Negra (to our tent) and from there in another 5 hours of easy path, passing through Piedra del Fraile, you arrive at the bridge over the electric river and then by hitchhiking (20km) to El Chalten.
Even if at the “hour” level there was still a lot to go, with our mind we were already sitting at the counter of the “Bar Fresco” drinking beers… what could have gone wrong, we thought, now that we just had to go down on easy ground…
The dream of beers vanishes in a second… since we set foot on the glacier the “real” adventure began…
As per the weather program at 2 pm the storm arrived … luckily being in the East the wind (from west to more than 100km per hour) did not interest us much but the snow, which soon would have turned into rain, added to the fog made the “simple walk of an hour on a glacier” an infinite march, beating track on snow, up to the knees with gps in the hand that gave us the direction …
Luck has it that after an hour and a half of agony we found an old track that made things easier for us and so after 2h and a half, drenched in water, we arrived at the Guillaumet Pass.
Arrived at the pass, we looked west into the valley in the direction of our tent (Piedra Negra) and almost the wind did not sweep us on the ground…
Drenched wet with wind at 100 per hour we froze in 15 seconds… wrung out gloves and down jacket we threw down towards the ten
When we arrived at the tent (6 pm) the only things we had dry were the sleeping bags (Fabri’s had remained in the tent, mine was in a waterproof bag), a shirt, a tunic and a pair of short shorts (used for the approach of the first day). Enough, everything else was drenched. we launched ourselves naked into the sleeping bags and finally after a while we reactivated the circulation of hands and feet. We turned on the jet boil and ate, better to say pulverized, the two envelopes for dinner and two empanadas left in the tent on the first day to celebrate the summit…
We were in a tent, dry with the universal flood out, safe, with a full stomach and we had just climbed the Fitz Roy… what a feeling !!!
Peace of mind!
Having laid our heads in a nanosecond we fell asleep… I begin to dream… I dream of having light feet, which fly upwards… a strange sensation, I push them down and they “fly” up … I continue the gesture, I push them down and the new feet “fly” up… the dream continues and in the dream I continue this movement… At a certain point I hear a voice … it is Fabri who asks me if from me (we slept head to feet) was wet… I say no and he as if nothing had happened, he turned and went back with my head on my side… here I wake up with a start, I don’t understand much but I actually see Fabri sleeping on my side and… water coming in from the hinges of the tent… we were literally floating on the mattresses… my dream of light feet was real… I pushed down the mattress and the water sent it back to me… panic, true panic! It was 9.30pm and we were drowning… 20cm of water inside the tent…
We look at each other bewildered and for more than a minute we have been motionless, sitting on a span of water (soaked hairbag of course) without knowing what to do…
We had nothing, but really nothing dry, boots and clothes floated… one of the worst feelings I’ve ever felt…
We wring the socks, we wring the duvets and we empty the boots from the water …
A little luck came here and the moment we “dressed” and left the tent, it stopped raining, only a very light drizzle … in a hurry we emptied the tent out of the water, made the backpacks (I leave you to imagine the weight with everything wet) and we started to go down as quickly as possible. The more we moved, the less cold we had. It was 10pm when we ran away from Piedra Negra.
Finally at midnight and a half we arrived in Piedra del Fraile, the only refuge within 30 km. It seemed like a mirage! After waking up the manager, asking for charity clothes for two nice trekkers and recovering two sleeping bags for two unknown poor (they didn’t arrive until the following day) we crashed in the dormitory (just for us) and we didn’t get up earlier 11 am the following day (23 January)
Finally after another dreamed slice of the best apple crumble in the universe, still in the rain (but at least with dry clothes), we walked home
With a luxury hitchhiking with a car for one at 3 pm on 23 we were back in El Cialten under a hot shower… no… without a shower… the adventure was not over yet… ahahaha it seemed like a movie… practically the storm had diverted the flow of water from where the aqueduct of the city drew… all without water, it seemed like a joke…
The water and the dreamed hot shower arrived the next morning and 48 hours later we started the long journey home
What a place !!! What adventures !!!
I have not yet decided whether I want to go back or not…
On the one hand, a small voice tells me: never again !! enough ugly, enough cold, enough wind, go to the sea in the heat, to Ceuse in Kalymnos, stay in the Dolomites, what the heck are you going to do on the other side of the world to suffer and that’s it…
On the other hand, however, another little voice tells me that the adventures you feel in those places you will not be able to have anywhere else, that the Cerro Torre is waiting for me…
Incoherence… damned incoherence…
Thanks Fabri for this super Patagonian adventure!
For the video of the adventure click here