Fitz Roy
Approaching Fitz Roy’s west side |
“Is that you Clay?” Sam piped up, poking fun in the full moon from our tightly packed perch.
The final push to begin the route. |
Jens silently stirred snuggled next to Chad in their dual sleeping sack.
Stoked to be on Fitz Roy!!! |
100m of simul-climbing came to a halt! |
Clay and I had started the approach and climbing with them Wednesday, February 12.
Leading away from the snowy mess. Glory ridge climbing once again |
Myself and Sam leading up the stella rib to our first Bivy |
Bivy ledge on night 1–cushy and amazing! |
Wishing them safe travels as they figured out how to rappel off this crazy mountain, the 6 of us pushed further up the 5000 foot feature.
Eventually the 3 teams breached the headwall, belly flopping onto a flat sunny ledge. The route continued around the south side of a western rib…more shade and ice.
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Chatter filled the crisp air as we took a moment of pause. All 3 parties able to mingle. Gazing west at the vast icecap, conversations of previous weeks adventures and empanada parties. We all smeared more zinc sunscreen on our faces. Clay and Chad both accentuated their white face paint with a tan zinc lip goo.
yup! |
I continued the leading, but was super happy to have another team clearing the path today. I could mindlessly wan….ops foot slipped on some black ice. Mindless wandering wasn’t going to happen.
Phew, we were exhausted and ready to get settled in.
Oh the Breakfast Pitch and the gang! |
Sam and I looked at each other at one point, “Where are we???”
Jens gazed left. A hand traverse led directly left around the prow back onto the north face of Fitz Roy and presumably the easier terrain we were looking for.
Jens scoping out the sick hand traverse! |
Chad Heading up for the hand traverse |
The terrain was not too difficult, but as we climbed up higher the snow was more prominent as was the rime covering the rocks.
The blue sky became a more prominent visual, as 5000 feet of granite was almost entirely under our feet. A final snow field blanketed the path to the summit ridge.
so close…so close |
Three exhausting days of work, two cold nights of sleeping on rocks, all to summit one amazing mountain.
Cumbre dancin’ on Fitz Roy! |
“Hey Quinn, you might want to give Clay a belay on that section.” Chad hollered to me. I nodded and followed suit.
Andrew Barnes atop Fitz Roy. Cerro Torre in the background! |
The four of us completed our rappels and separated ways, as Clay and I had gear to retrieve at another camp. Upon arriving haggard back to El Chalten on Saturday morning, our glee was quickly overthrown with news of only five successfully descending the mountain that day.
Fitz Roy was Chad Kellogg’s 5th Patagonian summit (or so he mentioned on the top). Sadly, it was his last.
A legend in the climbing community, it was an amazing treat to summit this prized mountain with such a pleasant and skilled alpinist. Thank you Chad. My heart extends to your family and close friends and to Jens for loosing his partner en route.
Cerro Torre and others. Looking west. |