Silvio in America del Sud

Cerro San Lorenzo, 7th-21st January 2007
El Calafate, 22th January 2007
I am just back from the Cerro San Lorenzo, a mountain located in southern Patagonia after two awful weeks. 2007 starts in the worst of the way. I was expecting to live two weeks of high level climbing but I lived a different time. I found myself in an expedition organised by people totally incompetent and with no idea of the skills necessary even only to think to climb such a mountain. Indeed, everything was organised so roughly, from the logistics to the climbing strategy that it is now even difficoult describe the whole situation. Honestly, I am briefly speaking of this just as a duty towards the readers of this blog. I feel sore even only thinking to what happened. During the whole duration of the climb I was there pushing, leading and carrying heavier loads; my two companions lack of climbing technique and ability to face the void. After ten days it is clear the whole expedition will end in a disastrous withdraw, I find myself with a liver blown as a watermelon and frustated in the vain trial to give a sense to what we do. My companions, indeed, consider my behaviour towards climbing too serious. I found tough to listen such words because I am firmly convinced mountains are exciting but dangerous place and it is good practice to organise things with rigour and discipline. Perhaps it is this attidude of mine that in the years helped me to avoid so many accidents despite so many solo ascents. There’s more. Returning back to the base camp – left three days befote – I find the area totally devastated by an avalanche of ice and rock. My tent with the half of my equipment is lost under tonnes of ice and rock. Two awful weeks, really. But I need to be optimist. The important thing is that I am fine and that I was not in the tent at the time of the avalanche. Now I am hardly trying to reorganise everything but it is so hard in South America to find good climbing equipment. During the last days I have been thinking so often to give up evrything and return back home but for some reasons I consider the current situation as a kind of trial, towards whom I need to show all my motivation. To the future to show if my motivation and stubburdness will be rewarded.

Three weeks in El Chalten area, 30th January - 19th February
El Chalten, 30th January 2007
After the three difficult weeks spent trying to climb the Cerro San Lorenzo I decided to stop for three weeks in El Chalten, the place that more than any other in Argentina can claim to be the main center for technical mountaineering. El Chalten is a small village populated by less than one thousand people; it was founded by the Argentine government with the clear intention to make vain the potential Chilean territorial claims in the area. Now, twenty years later what was a small army guarnison has become a tourist place in strong development. I would, personally, qualify such development as too strong and not arguably incontrolled. Buildings mushrooom a little bit everywhere and the alpinists (yes, the good guys) are only a small fraction of the flow of people that - armed of theirs Lonely Planet guides - arrive in this place with the only scope to take a picture of the most wonderful granite summit of Argentine Patagonia: Cerro Torre, Fitz-Roy and many others.
By the way if you want to see those wonders of nature, please check at: www.flickr.com/photos/silviosparano73/sets.
The area of El Chalten is very close to the Hielo Patagonico Sur, the third ice mass of our planet after the Antarctica and Greenland. This huge ice field extends for more than 300 miles at impressive glacial tongues devolop at its extremities, ad the world-known Glaciar Perito Moreno.
I will stay here for about three weeks trying to climb three or four mountain, some of the easiers within the endless number of buttresses and towers that make this place. The weather, it is almost useless to precise, is sharply cold with frequent precipitations (mainly snow). The main issue I have to deal with is I haven't yet found a replacement for most of the equipment I lost in the avalanche of Cerro San Lorenzo. I am waiting for a delivery from Italy and one from Buenos Aires. For the time being I will have to content myself renting equipment of average quality. Another reason to be carreful, very likely in my climbing adventure here I will be alone. Tomorrow I will move from the village towards a camp called "De Agostini" (from the name of an Italian climber) with the objective to climb a mountain called Cerro Solo, an easy climb when compared to the others climbs in the area but still an ascent that require some care.

Camp "De Agostini" (El Chalten), 2nd February 2007
The first two days in El Chalten were not as expected. To the frustration of not being able to fix the damaged equipment nor buy the items now missing I have to add the bad weather that stopped me from climbing Cerro Solo. I am at Camp "De Agostini", a place frequented by the strongest alpinists of all over the world; this is the base camp for Cerro Torre, one of the most difficoult mountain on Earth, so difficoult that was climbed the first time only in 1974. It is very boring to wait the right conditions to climb but I am not the only one in this situation.
To be here waiting the good weather to climb Cerro Solo is almost ridicoulous when compared with the plans of the people that are camping only a few yards from me. Two tents from me there is Alexander Huber - may be the S-T-R-O-N-G-E-S-T alpinist those days - and many others international expeditions are around. This is not a surprise, here there are some of the most difficoult and beautiful mountains on Earth and only in January and February the conditions might (please note the use of the verb) be mild enough to climb them. So no suprise the best are here.

Camp "De Agostini" (El Chalten), 3th February 2007
What a stupid way to use my time! It doesn't stop to rain and snow and I am here witing. Yes, "Waiting for Godot". Untill now Patagonia was a real disaster: equipment, time and money lost for nothing. I would have never come here and tried instead to climb in other places of the country. I cannot leave, however, as I am waiting for climbing gear from Italy and Buenos Aires. The only thing I want at this stage is to climb succesfully Cerro Solo and then go fare from here.

El Chalten, 5th February 2007
Finally! Yesterday, after more than fourty days I tasted again the pleasure to get to the top of mountin. At the end the good weather arrived even if for only eighteen hours. But this small window was large enough to leave the camp, get to the summit of Cerro Solo and get back. But what effort, and how scared I got! The climb wasn't that easy. I had to climb over ice at 55 degrees and with only one ice-axe it was difficoult (I did not believe the climb required two ice tools). The descent was also not easy: many times I had to go over pitchs of III and IV grade and in free-solo as I had underestimated the climb and had not carried the rope. The kind of mistake not to repeat, but it is exactly in such situations that skill and attitude to the the danger improve. Of course to the condition to get out of the mess alive.
Now, after yesterday's good weather, the metereological conditions are again desastrous. The main issue is the tent; the small trap I bought here to manage the emergency is absolutely useless, expecially when it rains.
However I think in a couple of days I will move to a different location, a camp called "Piedra del Fraile" with the target to climb the Cerro Electrico, a mountain of sedimentary rock which is a good view-point for the grands granite tower of El Chalten. The mountain is rarely climbed and the informations about it are quite scarce. The rock's quality seems poor to average and the climb around the IV grade. This time I will definitely carry a rope with me, albeit its use climbing alone is limited.

Camp "Piedra del Fraile", 7th February 2007
The weather seems to improve. May be tomorrow it will be a nice day; nice at least enough to get on top of Cerro Electrico without too much pain. I will decide afterwards if climb more in the area or leave. Here in "Piedra del Fraile" I meet the "Spiders of Lecco". This name might be unknown to the most. Just to give an idea, let's say the are the stongest Italia team of climber and therefore within the strongest in the world. It is incredibly but I can manage to speak with them; some of them are a bit arrogant but with the most it is possible to have a relaxed chat.
During the last week I met - even just for a few minutes - the best of the European alpinism. No doubt here the high level of the climbers is a result of the extreme difficulty of the climbs. Yes, I realise I much do I have to learn to be entitled to be called "a alpinist". Nevertheless, I will very likely never get to that point.
After the Cerro Electrico I'd like to cross part of the Hielo Patagonico Sur, a 300 miles long icefield located a few miles from here and perhaps climb the Gorra Blanca, a mountain high almost three thousands metres which dominate this enorme mass of ice. Something that I could solo but with risks perhaps too big.

El Chalten, 12th February 2007
For reasons that I cannot find this place retains me. And I do not mean that I like it and I don't know why but simply that things arrange always in a way to stop me going away. After the succesful climb of Cerro Electrico I returned back to the village of El Chalten and find in my e-mail box a message from two german climber that I met a month ago; they are interested in climbing Gorra Blanca and trek afterwards a few days across the Hielo Patagonico Sur. Trekking over the Hielo Patagonico Sur interests me only partially but I really want to climb the Gorra Blanca so I accepted theirs offer. Tomorrow morning we set-up the last details of this small expedition and in the afternoonn we will leave.

Hielo Patagonico Sur (Refugio Garcia Soto), 14th February 2007
During the last two days the weather has been, again, against us. After two days of trek from El Chalten we have finally arrived to the edge of the Hielo Patagonico Sur and find shelter in a basic hut, the "Refugio Garcia Soto", a metal and wood small construction that should be used for scientific purposes but which is those days more or less abandoned. Alpinists, however, use it quite often; we have met here a couple of Frenchs. If tomorrow the weather is good we will try to climb the mountain all together.

Incredible day yesterday. The weather was average at the start of the climb, absolutely crap towards the end of the morning with snow and strong wind but wonderful in the afternoon. A few istants after arriving on the summit the Sun started to shine and the Hielo Patagonico shows itself in its extraordinary beauty made of snow peaks and endless view of ice. The climb itself was fairly easy aside the route finding wich was made difficoult as visibility was under ten metres. In a couple of hours we leave the hut for a fourty kms ice trek; when out of the glacier we will to hike about two days before getting to El Chalten. Tonight we will camp on the icefield, the weather outside is good.

In the bus leaving El Chalten, 19th February 2007
My time in El Chalten is over. The balance is positive, though my expectactions were higher. The harsh weather and the initial difficoulties in finding climbing partners made the job very hard. I leave the Southern Patagonia with three summits climbed (Cerro Solo, Cerro Electrico and Gorra Blanca), with the achieved experience of five days on the Hielo Patagonico Sur and after have known may climbers. May be with some of those guys I will share some of the future adventures.


Monte Tronador, 20th-24th February 2007
20th February 2007 - San Carlos de Bariloche
Here we are in San Carlos de Bariloche, another city of Patagonia in full tourist expansion. As in the rest of Patagonia the development seems not to have any border line. As in El Chalten the scenery is the same: building mushrooming every where, increasing pollution and of course the feeling to be in a tourist trap as soon you get out of the bus.
The area is neverthess very, very beautiful. San Carlos de Bariloche, or simply Bariloche, is the main center of the "Lake district", the only place in Argentina where I could find truly alpine conditions as we are used to see in Europe. Conifers forests, lakes of glacial origin, alpine glaciers are a bit everywhere. Useless to say, this place with El Chalten place share the title of main center of climbing and alpinism. In reality the mountains here infinitely easier than in El Chalten. On the other hand there is a wider variety of climbing and - this is very important - the weather is much milder. This time I have an objective fully at the level of my skills, climbing te Monte Tronador, a mountain high about 3300 metres heavily glaciated. The normal route to the summit is classified within PD and AD, id est between "little difficoult" and "fairly difficoult". The route starts at about 2000m from a hut and gets to the summit in about six hours, of course under good conditions. The only objective risks are crevasses and seracs, the climbing difficulties - if any - are concentrated in the last one hundred metres and are a few rock II grade moves and a short ice vertical pitch. The idea is to solo the climb but I will not refuse the company of other climber if anyone willing to join.

21th February 2007 - Refugio "Otto Meiling"
"Refugio Otto Meiling", this hut is managed by the "Club Andino di Bariloche" a local climbing association. The place is incredibly similar to the European alpine huts. And "similar" means the structure is very confortable but the staying is very expensive. Unfortunately, during the last years this is the "evolution" of our alpine huts. About a century ago they were mountain shelter and those days they have become high altitude hotels. But this is another subject, let's come to us. The idea was to leave the hut tomorrow at 4am and try to climb the Monte Tronador but the weather - again, fucking hell - will not consent. It is currently snowing and there is nil visibility. Tomorrow I will, however, wake-up to verify the conditions but no doubt the climb is to be at least reschedule for the day after tomorrow.

22th February 2007 - Rifugio "Otto Meiling"
As expected the weather this morning was not adequate. During the last twenty-four hours about two foot of snow ad fallen. I waked-up anyway to check if the conditions where there to climb but I pretty immediately realised it was better to desist, expecially for a solo climb. Late in the morning weather has improved and around 11am I decided to leave the hut and three hours
later at about 2900m, in objectively good weather conditions, I decided to withdraw from the intention to go to the summit and mainly for two reasons. The first simplistically it was too late; it was 2pm and 2 hours were necessary to get to the top. The second is I met this morning in the hut three Argentines that are willing to climb with me the mountain tomorrow. Solo the climb the mountain today to gain an half day would have not been a demonstration of good sense also because the last one hundred metres are a bit technical and require some belaying.

23th February 2007 - San Carlos del Bariloche
Another mountain was climbed. Things went as by the book. This morning 5am we left the hut and about six hours later we were standing on the summit of Monte Tronador. As expected, we had to manage some small difficulties only on the terminal section of the climb; at least this made the climb interesting. Up to 3100m it was just a matter of trekking over a glacier, crossing crevasses and avoiding the risk of a seracs' fall.
The way bak, by converse, was quite hard job. For some reasons we did not take the same route of the way-up and we found ourselves in half meter of fresh powder snow. For about two hours we had to walk in deep snow and when, finally, we got on compact ground a thick fog forced us to the continue use of the compass and the GPS to navigate out of the glacier. A strong cold wind from West contributed to make things even more interesting...
What I did not calculate was the toll of the fatigue. As soon I arrived to the hut I took my things and left for the valley. Three hours later (it was about 7pm) I got to the bus stop but it was a bit tool late. Luckely I could find a 4x4 that accepted, for free, to bring me in San Carlos de Bariloche. Tired and already cold I spent about two hours in the rear's box of the vehicle before getting in Bariloche. Additional cold and fatigue added to the existing tiredness. As soon I arrived in the hotel I took a hot shower in the vain attempt to get warm. The water was hot to the point to burn me but this was not enough. The cold and the fatigue were too deep inside me. Even after thirty minutes of hot shower I was still feeling the cold inside me.

24th February 2007 - San Carlos de Bariloche
Today I spent the day as a tourist. Wake up at 10am, breakfast that was in reality a lunch and day spent walking in the city stopping every thirty minutes to eat or drink something. I paid myself lunch and dinner in a decent place.
Tomorrow I am leaving Bariloche to get to the Chilean city of Pucon and stay there for a couple of days to climb the easy nearby Villarrica vulcano. Then I will move again in the direction of Argentina, and exactly to the city of San Juan. There I will meet David, a climber from California met in El Chalten during my time in Southern Patagonia.Together we will try to climb the ridge that connect four mounatain six thousands metres high.
Get a rest after a climb is a great pleasure, perhaps because it is the preludium to new adventures.