Hunting Fitz Roy

Julia stuck in weather while climbing a Patagonian couloir. Photo by Sean Eastonwww.rockies-ice.com

I could feel my belly fire returning as we started up the Guillot Couloir on Guillamet. The clear skies had long since departed, the heavy winds replaced the calm, and the snow no longer "fell." Now it attacked. I was thoroughly soaked between the sweaty 6,000-foot approach and the huge, wet snowflakes, but I was psyched to finally be climbing in the Fitz Roy region of Patagonia. Fitz Roy is one of the most infamous peaks in the world due to the impeccable granite, imposing form, and antarctic winds. I have been wanting to climb here for years. We began our day in good weather hoping that it would hold and allow us to approach our objective: the Supercanaleta of Fitz Roy. Upon reaching our gear cache 3,000 feet above camp, the skies already turned. Without at least a 2 day window, climbing Fitz Roy would not be possible. We turned towards Guillotmet, a smaller objective that we mistakenly thought would be protected from the wind. Climbing up the 65-degree ice, I could see nothing. Constant spindrift, heavy winds, and fogging glasses forced me to swing my tools blindly. As I approached the belay, we got a glimpse of the route above. A cornice overhung above creating both a hazard to us and a block to access the rest of the route. We rappelled as efficiently as possible. Alas, the weather in Patagonia cleared only after we left. This is the game, however. Despite the weather, the inspiring peaks and great climbing have me hooked. When I do finally get that weather window, the awe will be all the more poignant. I will be back. Read more about Julia ...

Recent Posts

comments Comments are closed.