Cerro Solo and Cerro Torre

I have once again escaped to the Austral summer in Argentine Patagonia, returning as usual to the town of El Chalten. The nature of Patagonian alpinism continues to evolve at a rapid pace. The availability of reliable weather forecasts and route information (in particular, the publication of the massif's first guidebook, by Rolando Garibotti), combined with a large number of very good climbers always on hand, has turned once-legendary routes into commonplace routes. The Ragni Route on the west face of Cerro Torre, for instance, is quickly becoming Patagonia's version of Le Ginat or Colton-MacIntyre. With much longer approaches, and steeper, larger peaks, the Chalten massif will never be quite like the Alps, but it is certainly evolving in that direction.

The most notable change this season in particular, is in the ice conditions. The very hot, dry Austral summer of 2011-2012, combined with a relatively dry winter, has left the peaks in very dry conditions. Fitz Roy's Supercanaleta was already melted-out by early November, and the Ragni Route on Cerro Torre currently involves almost zero rime climbing. The glaciers, and the Torre Glacier in particular, continue to ablate at a rate much faster than I've personally seen anywhere else in the world.

As for me, I've been here almost three weeks now, but because of the various variables in alpine climbing, I've done a lot more hiking with heavy backpacks than I have alpine climbing. For the past couple weeks I've been partnered with the suave Italian metrosexual hipster, poet, culinary artist and alpinist, Andrea Di Donato.

On a day with decent weather, but not a long enough period for climbing a more serious route, Andrea and I climbed Cerro Solo's southwest face, by Insomnia, a route established last year by local climbers Juan Manuel Raselli and Ignacio Teerink. Insomnia is an example of a trend which I'm sure will continue, of first ascents of moderate classical alpine terrain. There are many mountains in the Chalten massif which have been largely ignored for decades, overshadowed by the Torres and Fitz Roy, but are equivalent to the coolest, most spectacular peaks in The Cascades.

Finally, last Wednesday, I got to do some of the climbing that I come here for, when Andrea and I made an ascent of Cerro Torre's Ragni Route. It is a climb that I had done before, but I honestly believe it is the most spectacular ice climb in the world, so certainly a route worthy of repeating! We chose to do the climb as a day-trip from the Niponino bivouac in the Torre Valley, approaching via the Standhardt Col, and descending via the Southeast Ridge.

We left Niponino at 3:00am on the 28th, and with very good conditions on the approach, managed to arrive at what I would call the base of the route (150m below the Col of Hope) at 8:00am. We took a nice relaxing rest stop to melt snow, and finally starting climbing at 10:00am. Andrea took us to the top of The Helmet, and then I led from there to the summit. There were three parties ahead of us on the route (I told you it's turning into the Colton-Mac!), but it wasn't a problem.

The final, crux pitch of the route did not require any rime digging or tunneling in the current conditions, but because it was a hot day, and because we arrived at the last pitch late in the afternoon, it was melting in the full sun. If it were frozen I could say that it is in much easier condition than normal, but in it's slushy state I felt it was just as serious as the other times I've led the pitch. I was told that the ice screws I placed were pulled out by hand - yikes!

At 7:50pm Andrea and I arrived on the summit, almost 17 hours after leaving Niponino, and after a quick reorganization we started the long, and perhaps foolhardy nighttime descent of the Southeast Ridge. Patagonia is a master's class in alpine rappelling, and I feel I might have earned my degree by now, as leading endless rappels all night by headlamp is starting to feel pretty standard! We were back on the glacier shortly after first light, and stumbled back into Niponino 29.5 hours after leaving.

Andrea climbing the lower couloirs on Cerro Solo's Insomnia:

Colin switching from 60-degree-snow-mode to 4th-class-rock mode, halfway up Insomnia. Cerro Huemul in the background. Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

Andrea climbing classic, chossy 4th-class rock on Cerro Solo:

Andrea nearing the ridgecrest on Insomnia, where the line joins the standard route:

Andrea joining the standard route on Cerro Solo (where the deep snow wallowing began), with Fitz Roy in the background:

Andrea nearing the summit of Cerro Solo, with Lago Viedma in the background:

Myself and Andrea on the summit of Cerro Solo, with the business card of Chalten's best hostel. Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

The line of Insomnia on Cerro Solo:

Colin rappelling down the west side of the Standhardt Col. Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

Brew stop below the Col of Hope. Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

Andrea starting up the Ragni Route, just below the Col of Hope:

Andrea climbing above the Col of Hope:

Andrea climbing a short ways below The Helmet:

Andrea below The Helmet:

Andrea leading The Helmet:

Colin on The Helmet:

Colin starting the mixed pitches. Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

Andrea in the mixed pitches:

Colin leading in the mixed pitches. Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

Colin starting up the headwall. Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

Colin leading above the headwall. Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

Colin starting up the last, crux pitch. Photo by Eduardo Gonzalez:

We were joined at the last pitch by a Spanish team. Self-portrait by Eduardo Gonzalez as Colin leads the last pitch:

Andrea arriving at the summit of Cerro Torre:

A moment of celebration before the all-night rappelling! Photo by Andrea Di Donato:

A Week in the Rockies

My girlfriend, Sarah Hart, and I just spent a week climbing out in the Rockies, enjoying perfect late-summer weather. Mostly we climbed at the Back of the Lake, which is I think one of the highest-quality crags I've ever climbed at (right up there with the Lower Town Wall at Index, and the Motherlode at the Red River Gorge). I did spend two days up in the mountains though - one climbing the Greenwood-Jones on Mt. Temple with Rockies badass Jon Walsh, and one climbing the "Cardiac Arete" on the Grand Sentinel with Sarah. The Greenwood-Jones was a perfect intro for me to alpine rock climbing in the Rockies, and although there were sections of choss, the upper pitches were on very high quality limestone. The Cardiac Arete, a four pitch alpine sport climb, is very fun climbing on very high quality rock - highly recommended!

Jon at Lake Annette, below the north face of Mt. Temple:

Colin simul-soloing low on the Greenwood-Jones. Photo by Jon Walsh:

Jon following our second roped pitch:

Jon heading up our third roped pitch:

Colin back on simul-soloing terrain. Photo by Jon Walsh:

Colin simul-soloing higher on the Greenwood-Jones. Photo by Jon Walsh:

With the rope on again, Jon heading up a funky little roof:

Jon coming up the last chossy pitch:

Colin following the second-to-last pitch, an excellent corner system on good limestone. Photo by Jon Walsh:

Nice views from the north face of Mt. Temple:

Jon finishing the last 5th-class pitch of the Greenwood-Jones:

Colin on the upper East Ridge of Mt. Temple - a nice snow arete, which makes for a classy finish to the route. Photo by Jon Walsh:

Simul summit photo-taking:

A raven joined us on the summit. Deltaform Peak behind:

A view of the Grand Sentinel (the quartzite rock tower) from Sentinel Pass:

Sarah nearing the base of the Grand Sentinel:

Steep, juggy climbing on the Cardiac Arete:

Sarah following the second pitch of the Cardiac Arete:

Nice exposure on the last pitch of the Cardiac Arete:

Pretty damn nice scenery - Larch Valley, and the Valley of the Ten Peaks behind:

Larch trees with fine, fall colors:

Forbidden Peak and Mt. Dione

In the past couple weeks I've been mostly just rock climbing, but made a couple quick trips into local mountains. First, my dad, brother and I made a reunion climb of the West Ridge of Forbidden Peak - a climb that we did all together fifteen years ago, and was an experience that really sparked my passion for climbing mountains.

Afterwards, I went into the Tantalus Range, just outside of Squamish, with my girlfriend, Sarah Hart, along with Bruce Kay and Chris Christie. In two rope-teams of two we climbed the south face of Dione, by an alpine sport-route established last year.

My dad, Jeff, my brother, Booth, and myself at our camp in Boston Basin, with the awesome north face of Mt. Johannesberg in the background. We adhered to a family tradition of carrying a pie to the bivy:

Jeff and Booth on the small glacier below the south face of Forbidden, with morning alpenglow on Jo-berg and other Cascade Pass peaks:

Booth below the West Ridge Couloir, which was quite broken up. This late in the season it is certainly easier to just climb the rock to the left of the couloir, but climbing the couloir itself maintains the mixed alpine nature of the classic route!

Jeff coming up the glacier, with Jo-berg behind:

Booth and Jeff climbing in the moat of the West Ridge Couloir:

Jeff on the West Ridge, with Mt. Torment and Eldorado Peak in the background:

Booth on the West Ridge, with Eldorado Peak and Moraine Lake behind, and Mt. Shuksan in the distance:

Dad and bro taking a break on the West Ridge, trying to re-create a photo from our ascent fifteen years earlier:

My dad is now 63 years old, but he can high-step better than I can! Down-climbing a gendarme just before the summit:

Hombres Haley on the summit of Forbidden:

One of the short rappels on the northeast ledges descent route:

My dad and brother were both using pretty old boots, and it would be the last climb for both pairs:

Haley bros on the descent, trying to re-create an old photo:

OK, these boots are really done for now!

Bruce Kay on the first pitch of the south face of Dione:

Sarah leading on the south face of Dione. The lower half of the route was mediocre, but the upper pitches make it worthwhile. Photo by Chris Christie:

Colin leading on the south face of Dione. Photo by Chris Christie:

Sarah leading near the top of the route. Photo by Chris Christie:

Colin leading the last 5th-class pitch - a fun pitch, steep and juggy. Photo by Chris Christie:

Bruce Kay on the descent of the SE Ridge of Dione:

Sarah descending the SE Ridge:

Chris Christie hiking back to our camp at the Red Tit Col, with the south side of Dione in the background. Photo by Sarah Hart:

Colin above Lake Lovely Water on the hike out to Squamish. Photo by Sarah Hart: