Tim Neill Guiding

So, James (Caff) and I just got back from a (little over) month based down in the mountains of Argentine Patagonia. Post trip it’s nice to be home….

In short, we had a promising start and a great finish, but a deeply frustrating middle (it was a long middle)! Frustration is the big gamble with going here….more so than many mountaineering destinations….and as you get older you realise that time is like sand running through your fingers! Going with Caff was such a great opportunity and it’s a shame we didn’t get a chance to try our main goals…it would have been such a privilege to try.

Dream mountain….

Anyway, we got 3 fantastic routes done. 1 regional classic rock route called Chiara di Luna on Aguja St Exupery, a quick blast up a rock line called Rubio y Azul on Aguja de la Medialuna and finally making the 3rd ascent of a brand new ice and mixed classic called Super Domo on Cerro Domo Blanco. Super Domo had had its 1st ascent just a week earlier by 3 of our friends. They had raved about its quality and their photos had everyone keen to have a go. Prior to this the mountain had only been climbed 3 times and on the day of our ascent 4 teams in total topped out doubling the number!

Caff bombing up Chiara di Luna, 750m E3….finger numbing temps, occasional verglas, strong winds and snow flurries later in the day….good conditions for there!

Cumbre!

Our first little trip into the hills involved a change of plans as weirdly warm weather in the night put us on a plan B of rock instead of ice. Chiara di Luna was windy and cold, but totally classic and I don’t think we could’ve done much better. The higher we got the windier and colder it got with snow flurries occasionally adding to the doubt.

Next morning before the forecast was due to crap out we were on our 2nd plan B in 2 days….we eventually raced up a 12 pitch route called Rubio y Azul. On the final 3 pitches the wind got wild, the skies scudded over and after some frought abseiling the snow arrived. The climbing on this short E4 was totally stunning though. When we touched back down onto the glacier it was like one of those miserable Scottish days and the night at Niponino camp was endured. We stashed our kit hoping to return soon…

Wind picking up…rope arcing. Rubio Y Azul.

Wild windy jamming. Perfect rock near the top.

The weeks went by…the weather brought “viento, viento….mucho viento” and plenty of rain and snow in the mountains. Fortunately in El Chalten ( the bustling town where everyone stays ) sanity and fitness were maintained with a daily ritual of either bouldering or sport climbing ( or both for Caff ). Caff’s relentless standard of rock climbing rubbed off and I managed to equal any previous high points with my sport climbing!  Plenty of really great people to hang out with, a pile of good books and coffee, pizza or steak filled any other gaps. Depressingly we blew a short weather window at New Year as our  optimistic aim to climb on rock was blown out by ice plastered rock and freezing temps. Many teams were in the same boat and even some of the local wads didn’t achieve any real climbing…however to make it harder to reconcile, two teams did really well. A team of Kiwis went big and made it up the Super Canaletta on Fitzroy (with frost nip and big smiles) and some friends made a well timed first ascent on a rarely climbed mountain called Domo Blanco.

They started late in the day for an ice route and had a lot of local knowledge. Their photos looked great and everyone in town was talking about it after they got down (http://joelandneilsclimbingblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/super-domo_8.html). With the weather continuing in the cold and snowy theme, our final opportunity came a few days before our departure. The route choice was obvious.

2am…we’d gone to bed in windy, snowy weather and woke to enough stars to set off. The fear of avalanche or wading through powder were silenced by a serac which had jettisoned and purged the whole slope to the base of the route…so far so good. The views of the Fitzroy side of the range lifted the spirits even further.

The upside down snowline on the Fitzroy range….what happens when the wind blows down there. Oh and great memories of previous climbs.

Super Domo splits into 3 tiers then an easy ridge to the summit. As our picks thunked into the most perfect neve a weeks worth of perfect Ben Nevis climbing flew by on the 1st tier. The 2nd started on more stellar ice then some great icy mixed with a few spicy sections and plenty of exposure.

Great exposure and climbing near the end of the 2nd step.

The end of this bit involved a precarious traverse onto a slopey dyke, then bomber ice under a whopper chockstone to a col. The view of the last tier was incredible. Steep cascade ice in a huge chimney. We waited for the team ahead (locals Rolo Garibotti and Colin Haley…didn’t have to wait too long!) to top out then got stuck into some of the best ice I’ve ever done. This was good as it was fairly steep and sustained.

Stepping out to the last tier. Fitzroy behind.

Our friend Ben on the final section of ice of Super Domo.

Caff leading the way on the best ice ever.

The last pitch was really incredible and went on in a huge rope stretching pitch. We had a quick butty then raced the final few hundred metres to the summit as the weather was clearly closing in.

CAC calendar on top of Domo Blanco!

Cerro Torre….next time.

All the frustration of the last few weeks disappeared in the final steps. We had very rare views of the ice cap and some of the most elusive summits in the world. We hung out as long as we could then set off down as the wind whipped up, the spindrift started and the window closed.

The weather and conditions make these mountains epic, but at the same time any summit gained is well deserved. What a place….at some point I the future I’ll head back for sure.

I’d really like to thank Duncan at Mountain Equipment (http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/home.asp) for some awesome clothing and Glyn at Scarpa (http://www.scarpa.co.uk/mountain/rebel-ultra-gtx/) for some great footwear. As I’ve got a habit of breaking anything sub standard it was great to be able to rely on their bomber gear in such a remote place!

There are also a number of Caff’s photos here http://dmmclimbing.com/blog/patagonia/, and here ( with humourous captions too ) http://www.jamesmchaffie.com/1/post/2014/01/patagonia.html.

Finally thanks to James for asking me along.