Wallstein Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Trip: Patagonia - FA. The Washington Route - Fitzroy Date: 2/8/2011 Trip Report: This last season down in Patagonia was my 5th season of toiling and suffering down there. Finally after all of those years I feel like I've actually gotten to climb some stuff. But it wasn't until the last week of my trip this year that I made it up the Fitz. Its was a long time coming.... During the first week of February the weather forecast started to show a possible 4 day weather window. The only problem for us was we were suppose to catch a plane back the states right in the middle of the goods. As the predicted weather approach it became apparent that we’d have to change our tickets for an attempt at the Fitz. A few frustrating hours on the phone and 1k and spent we were good to go. I kept telling myself it better be worth it…. I've been burnt before changing tickets down there. On Monday the 7th we packed our bags and made our way through Piedre Fraile and onto the bivi at Piedra Negra. As luck would have it, the weather Monday night wasn’t so great. Just past midnight it started to sprinkle. To save weight on the approach we opted for no tent, so we sat there in a light rain deciding what to do. After much contemplation we decided we should just get up and start. It was 12:45am. To our dismay the glacier hadn’t yet frozen as we made our way from Paso Guillaumet to the base of La Brecha. We had figured the it would only take us 3 hours from camp to the base but it ended up taking nearly 5. Which wasn’t that much of a problem but it meant we would then be climbing the Brecha in the full effect of the sun. Not fun nor that safe. Onwards and upward we went climbing right threw the waterfall that was starting run down the Brecha. Due to the running water we were forced to stop on top of the Brecha in the sun for a couple hours to dry our clothes. At this point we were starting to run way behind. Little did we know were about to fall way behind schedule as we traversed to base of the south face. A few years ago we had covered this same terrain and has cruised right across it. This time we found boiler plate hard blue ice. Our old worn out aluminum crampons were drastically inadequate as well as our single light weight ice tool. Late in the evening it became glaringly apparent that we were going to need to bivi before we even got on the “route.” We were both a little frustrated and morale was going down. With out any obvious bivi sites available we had to keep traversing farther to the base of the California route, even though this was taking us out of the way. Thankfully we reached the base of a large ice slope where we could excavate a decent platform for the two of us. We had a great view of our proposed new route up the south face which did give us hope as it didn’t look to intimidating. On Wednesday the 9th we started up the real business of the route, which first involved making a short traversing pitch across the ice slope and then a 60m rappel down to the base of the system (a place where we had nearly been before but had to continue past to find the bivi.) I had lead a good majority of the climbing the day before as it was more of the alpine variety which I’m slightly more efficient at then Kate, so now it was Kate’s turn to take the lead and get the rope up. The first couple pitches were on good rock but unfortunately they were choked full of ice. She slowly chopped the ice out of the cracks resorting to a mix of aid and free. The rope moved up at a steady pace though. It wasn’t until a couple pitches up that the ice had disappeared allowing Kate to move and an even more rapid pace. I followed behind doing whatever it took to get up the pitch, this often involved “poor man’s jumaring,” which is just yarding up the rope in between pieces and then Kate would take the rope as tight as she could. ( I can’t even remember how many times in my guiding days did I tell clients to never do that….) Kate lead on through a variety of cracks but most were in the hands to fist to off-width size. After getting set slowed down by poor conditions yesterday it felt nice to be moving efficiently on good rock in good conditions. Pitch after pitch fell below as we continued up sustained cracks. After 12 pitches or so we veered right at our first opportunity, hoping for easier terrain. Kate turned over the lead to me at the first ledge we came to as she had been leading for over 8 hours and was properly cooked. The steepness eased up and after a few more pitches we reached a point where we started simul-climbing up the 4th class terrain that lead to the final snow slope. Both of us had really hoped to top out in the light but that just wasn’t in the cards for us. We stumbled up the last easy 100m and reached the summit just before 11pm to tired and hungry to be that excited. A short discussion ensued about rappelling through the night but we choose the much more conservative and colder option of spending the night on the summit. For some unknown reason Kate and I had opted to NOT bring a sleeping bag up Fitz. This was undeniably a very very poor choice. Our teeth literally chattered all night long. No amount of spooning was going to keep us warm. We put chemical warmers into our boots and hot water bottles in our jackets, this barely helped. But each and every chatter of the teeth were quickly forgotten as the sun rose and illuminated our location on top of Fitzroy. The excitement finally hit. Somehow we had managed to climb a new route on Fitz. This one won’t soon be forgotten. Quote
sweatinoutliquor Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Whoa! Well done! You shot some great pics too! Quote
ivan Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 yeah, i could see a fella remembering those coupla days for a good long while Quote
eldiente Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 This should win the TR of the month contest, hands-down. Thank you for sharing on CC.com, it is really nice to see some good content and pictures. Nicely done! Quote
JasonG Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Great TR, beautiful photos, and a FA . .. certainly a cc.com gem! I gotta wonder if those peaks to the west of Cerro Torre ever have a clear day. I think in most of the photos I have seen, they are always shrouded in cloud, even on "climbing" days. I remember when I was hiking around down there a few years ago, I spent several nights hunkered down with the mice and climbers in Campamento Poincenot. I heard a strange low roar/hum one especially blustery evening and asked a Slovenian, drinking coffee with frost nipped fingers, what it was. "That is the wind on Fitzroy" he quietly replied while looking past me with a thousand-yard stare. Correct or not, it left an impression. . . .. Strong work! Quote
Wallstein Posted March 30, 2011 Author Posted March 30, 2011 Heinrich - Did you meet that slovenian in january or february of 2007? It kinda sounds like a friend of mine. I think "The wind of the Devil" is actually more fitting. Quote
stevetimetravlr Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Wow, jaw dropping! No sleeping bag and spending the night on top of Fitzroy, what a memory. What a send! Quote
Friedrich Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Shaabang! TR of the month for sure! Awesome Quote
JasonG Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Hey Mikey- No, it was March of 2000 now that I think back. I can't believe it has been that long! The Slovenian and his partner had gotten trapped up on Fitzroy in a storm and just barely escaped. His black finger tips belied the epic he endured, but he didn't say much. Didn't have to. I like the "Wind of the Devil" descriptor, very fitting. Quote
Wallstein Posted March 31, 2011 Author Posted March 31, 2011 Sounds just like my slovenian friends (but wrong year). They climbed a new route on the NW side of fitz in horrible weather. They made a standing "bivi" on the summit with a bivi sac over them so they could light the stove. On the way down they broke a pair of crampons and maybe even dropped a tool. One of them ended up getting some frostbite on his hands... knarly. Most people didn't even climb anything during the same weather window. Quote
zoroastr Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 (edited) Congratulations on an amazing climb! ..the sort of thing I'll only ever experience vicariously, but LOVE reading about. Thanks! ...and what a refreshingly dignified route name! Edited March 31, 2011 by zoroastr Quote
Layback Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Well done Mikey. Awesome pics. It was really great to meet you at Index last weekend too btw! Quote
Gaucho Argentino Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Amazing! And I still had not been able to climb in my own country :-( Are you aware of any routes on this flat face in your pics? Thanks for the TR! G.A. Quote
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