Patagonia report 1. Camilo López. 7-11-2008 Namaste,After a very long travel from the us out to PatagoniaI stopped by the city of Bariloche in Argentina to dosome sport climbing at the Valle Encantado crag, located just a few miles outside of the city. I met with my climbing partner, Roberto AlejandroTreu, and we spent New Years climbing in this incredible place. After a couple of days all mytraining paid off, when I red pointed one of thehardest routes of the place called Hercules, rated 8b-5.13c. After that accomplishment, I took a flight to ElCalafate, the sister city of El Chalten, were the FitzRoy and Cerro Torre are located.

After an uneventful 4hour drive I finally got to my destination, ElChalten, where I was welcome by the always-constantstorm that never seems to go away here in this area ofthe Patagonia. Immediately after my arrival I headedto the Madsen camp ground were I was a going to meetwith my other climbing mate, Santiago Scavolini. I organized my equipment and the voice came around of acoming weather window in the next couple of days... if this forecast is accurate, Santi and I will head upthe north east face of Aguja la S where we are goingto attempt a new line. In the mean time we areorganizing our gear and getting fed steak to maintainour energy for our first climb of this season. Wish us luck. Cheers! Camilo López Patagonia report 2. Camilo López . 14-01-2008. Namaste After a long climb, we bailed out of Agula La S. On our approach to the peak we encountered several feet of snow on the glacier. I post holed for 5 hours. Realizing we were not going to have enough good weather and we were running short on time, the decision was easy... We returned to El Chalten, beat up and helpless about the conditions of the route. We have decided to move all our gear to Paso Superior, where we are going to attempt the Fitz Roy again once the next weather window appears. The forecast predicts some days of good weather starting on the 14th, but we will see because, really, the weather here is unpredictable! We returned to El Chalten, beat up and helpless about the conditions of the route. We have decided to move all our gear to Paso Superior, where we are going to attempt the Fitz Roy again once the next weather window appears. The forecast predicts some days of good weather starting on the 14th, but we will see because, really, the weather here is unpredictable! I will keep you guys updated before we head up to try again. Cheers!!! Camilo López Patagonia report 3. Camilo López . 15-01-2008. Namaste The weather window is here and we are headed up to attempt the great Fitz Roy. Today the forecast predicts for perfect weather is the 15th. Our strategy is to climb to Rio Blanco camp on the 13th and spend the night. This way we can give ourselves enough time for the wall, and hopefully to get rid of all the snow that has accumulate in the las few days. We will climb to Paso Superior and break the trail on the glacier Jan. 14th, and attempt the summit on the 15th . For me, it is the third time attempting to climb this great mountain and I have the good feeling that the third time is the the one! Wish us luck, this time we are really going to need it! Cheers!!! Camilo López Patagonia report 4. Camilo López . 18-01-2008. Namaste Today I’m writing this report with great satisfaction. Yesterday the 15th of January 2008 at 9pm, I reached the summit of the great Fitz Roy!!!! The climb started on the 13th as planed... when ten minutes after we started the way up, the rainstorm came in and soaked us our motivation and dream of a summit bid. We returned to camp and decided that we were going to start on the 14th in one straight shot and that is when the adventure started. In the morning, we had breakfast, packed our sleeping bags and got motivated for the long hours of climbing ahead of us. At 11am we started our way to Paso Superior. We knew it was going to be a long way, but we were so focused on the mountain we didn’t even care. At 9 pm we finally reached our destination we knew we only had a couple of hours left before we needed to start climbing we melted some snow and refilled our bottles. We rested for about an hour and the time had arrived. Midnight. It was the first hour of the 15th we put our bivi sacks away, put our crampons on and got ready for the long haul on the glacier. There was no trail or foot prints and there was about a meter of new snow accumulated, so we knew it was going to be exhausting to cover the mile and a half to the base of the wall. Breaking trail waist deep in snow, we switched places back and forth with the French team. It was definitely a very hard work for the 4 of us, but we finally made it. The beginning of the climb is 6 pitches of mix climbing M4 and water ice 6…scary.... And at night! I started leading the way and my motivation and focus took a hold of me and I started climbing fast and confident, fearless of any danger and knowing my ability to the maximum. We simu-climbed the 6 pitches, only passing quick draws on the few cordellets that were there from previous expeditions. At 5 am, I finally reached the col, half way up the wall. It was cold and windy and I was soaking wet from all the snow falling on top of me through out the climb. We rested there for a few minutes because we knew we had 14 pitches of steep rock climbing left and the 300-meter couloir before the top. We traversed the rock ridge simu-climbing and finally got on the most exposed part of the wall. The first pitch the crux... 11c, but the crack was full of ice... we looked at each other and realized that it was now or never. So I took my ice axes out and said balls to the walls, and started mix climbing what I can say today was the most difficult pitch I have ever climb in my life. Struggling on every move, I finally reached the place were I could belay. My partner jumared up. We had to start saving time and we still had a long ways to go. After the second pitch, the crack system that follows some dihedrals were clean and we knew at that point that the route was ours and we were going to make it. We climbed like machines non-stop, my partner and I were totally in tune. We simu-climbed pitches until 10d. We were flying up this wall, we had a dream and trained so hard for this mountain, it was pure adrenaline making every move. We didn’t even talk to each other, we were in Nirvana! At 7 pm the wall was over and our happiness was incredible! Tears came to my eyes looking at the last couloir before the summit. I climbed the first part, and belayed my partner up. We put our boots and crampons back on and I started leading the way to the summit. Every step I could only think of the people that support me and believe in me an in my climbing. Nico, Natalie, Steve, Allyn, Chuck, Jesus, Mark and all the effort they had put on their end just for me to be there so close to my biggest dream and finally at 9:02 pm I screamed the name of my son Nico from the summit of the great Fitz. I leaned down on my knees and cried like a baby. I couldn’t believe that finally the great dream had come true. I was there, for me, the top of the world. I hugged with my mate and screamed with glory and pride. Unfortunately at that point the wind was picking up really fast and it was time to hide from it and start our way down. We got under a little roof that sticks out from the summit and took our pictures of happiness glory and success!!!! But we knew the summit is only half way, and we had to get down fast and safe... now our nirvana was over and the suffer fest started. Rappel after rappel, the time only started moving slower and slower. Now the fatigue had kicked in hard core, and staying focused was hard. We had been climbing for long, long hours and it definitely showed, but me and my mate, we stayed focused with each other and we knew that was the only way to complete our successes. At 11am, we finally reached the end of the vertical difficulties. At that point, we had been going for 24 hours non-stop. But our energy rose knowing we were only an hour and a half back to Paso Superior where our sleeping bivi sacks were. Finally we dragged our asses back, and reach the spot where we were so tired we could not even manage to take the jet boil out to melt some snow to rehydrate. I fell asleep sitting down on the rock ledge, and woke up a couple of hours later when I heard the French guys arrive. My mate and I looked at each other and realize that we had to go all the way down to El Chalten. If not, we were going to get caught in the storm that was getting closer by the minute. So we packed all our gear while the snow melted for some drinks, and we started down only thinking on the big fat stake and cold bear waiting for us at midnight. We finally got off the glacier, we were exhausted to the maximum, but we new it was better than the storm. We walked around Laguna de Los Tres, rested for like an hour, and continued to Rio Blanco camp where we thought if we were too tired we could sleep for a few hours when we got there. It was 5 in the morning of the 16th, and the sun was coming out by the time we reached that spot. I sat down on a log and woke up at 9 am ready to finish the distance, my only motivation the steak and beer at the bottom of the hill. At 11am, I finally got into town beat up, but happy like a monkey. I got into my tent and packed my towel and tooth brush and headed out for the shower while the adrenaline was going. I knew if I stopped to think, I would fall asleep. On the way, I called my wife Natalie to communicate our success and our safe return to Chalten. Now, I resume my climb realizing the accomplishment and feeling only that feeling that you get when dreams come true. I want to thank everybody; it took all of you in my heart and thoughts to the summit. I hope every body felt it, because I felt I sent a lighting of energy into the sky for all of you. Now I’m going to get some rest and head up again. I still have 2 months and a half left, and lots of climbing and spires to do. Cheers to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Camilo Lopez Patagonia report 6 SUMMIT on aguja Saint Exuperi. Camilo López . 28-01-2008. Namaste On the 23rd of January, I started my way up the Torre Glacier. It was a beautiful day, the weather window was perfect, no wind and very warm on my arrival. I organized my gear with the idea of climbing the Saint Exuperi, a 1500meter spire beside the Poinsenot. At 3am, we stared our way to the base of the wall, very motivated and at a good rhythm. At about 6am, we started climbing the beautiful west face of the Aguja. Pitch after pitch only happiness flowed through my veins. After eleven pitches we finally stood on the coll between the Poinsenot and Saint Exuperi. At that point we knew the climb was close to being over, but we still had to climb the two crux pitches, rated 6bplus and 6b. They were beautiful finger cracks on a chimney and a diagonal fist crack we could see the summit so close at that point we thought we only had about four pitches left, but pitch after pitch the summit was still far away. After six pitches, we finally stood under the summit pyramid, only one pitch more and the tower was ours. I started leading the way on a 5plus crack that took us directly to the summit!! I belayed my partners and we celebrated another Patagonian summit with pride and joy. The time was 6:30 pm and the light was still out. We were able to take some great pictures from the summit and because the weather was perfect, we hung out for about half an hour before we started our way down. The weather has been perfect for about 10 days!! The park rangers say this is the first time in 10 years this has happened and I am enjoying it to the maximum. I will try to send out some pictures. Sorry for the pictures from Fitz, not all the pictures I sent out were able to go through. The Internet here in Chalten is really bad and slow, but I will try again to send out more pictures from both climbs shortly. Cheers!!! Camilo Lopez Patagonia report 7 SUMMIT on aguja Saint Exuperi. Camilo López . 01-02-2008. Namaste Yesterday, the 29th of January, I summitted my third aguja!! I started my way up to Piedra del Fraile, located 20 miles out of El Chalten, on a straight push to aguja gillomet. We reached our bivi site at about 7 pm where we rested with the plan of a summit assault at about 3 am. At 3.30 I woke up, realizing the alarm clock never sounded, and we were half an hour late for our strategy. We organized our gear really fast made some coffee, and started our way up to try the peak. At 6 am we reached the col, at the start of the route. We started climbing fast and motivated, pitch after pitch, with only happiness and fun for our feelings. At 1pm we reached the summit!!! I celebrated my third aguja back to back in less than 15 days! The weather has been really good this season and I have been taking full advantage of it going for hours on end and running up these peaks as if they were there just for me. Now I’m pretty beat up. I feel like I have run the eco challenge for 13 days, non-stop. Now I’m just ready for the weather to turn bad so I can get some rest and get ready for the next one in order to accomplish my goal of climbing 5 spires in one season. I hope all of you received the rest of the pictures and the summit pics and are enjoying them, and sending me the good energy to accomplish this ambitious goal. Cheers!! Camilo Lopez Patagonia Report 9 4th summit!! Aguja Mermoz. Camilo López . 13-02-2008. Namaste, The 7th of February, I reached my fourth summit !!!! I started my way up from El Chalten on a straight push to Aguja Mermoz, one of the most difficult climbs in the area. We arrived at the Piedra Negra bivi only 4 hours after we started walking. It was a sunny but windy day, and our plan was to get all the way to the huge slabs that we had to cross to get to the base of the route. We spent the night right by the slabs. We knew there was another party coming and we wanted to be the first on route. At 5:30 we started crossing the infamous slab, running water and slippery conditions made it very difficult and exposed. Finally at 8am we arrive at the base. We boiled some water for some coffee, organized the ropes and up we went. We simuclimbed the first 5 pitches then my partner started leading the difficult off widths of the next few pitches. By noon we were more than a 1000 meters from the ground and half way up the wall. I continued leading until the point where the route turned really confusing and our topo wasn´t very detailed about where we should go. My partner and I sat down to eat something and think about where we were going to go. We knew we were close to the top and tuning back was not an option. Finally I found a way I could climb a very exposed run out face. I led the first 30 meters and the found a small pillar where I climbed on the left to reach some cordellete anchors. I belayed my partner and at that point we could see the summit so close we thought it was only one or two pitches to finish it off. At that point we had climbed for 21 pitches and we were starting to feel how tired we were. I went for what we thought the last pitch, a very exposed hand traverse on a wide crack, not very difficult, but so high and so exposed you feel something´s different. I got to the last anchor we saw a green sling on one piton, I belayed my partner and started the traverse to the summit. Not realizing it, it took us two more pitches of exposed scrambling to reach the true summit!! It was awesome, my fourth summit in one season, amazing!!! But the party was not over yet. It was 8:30pm by the time we reached the top, and the decent was going to be long and tiring, we both knew we had to get really sharp to not get the rope stuck and come back down to safety. Our main concern was to cross the slabs at night. Finally at 1:00 in the morning, we reached the base of the wall. Again we organized our stuff and started our way down to the slabs. We knew our bivi was just on the other side and then we could have some rest before our decent. Well, we couldn´t find the pitons we put in for our anchors to start climbing. We went up and down the snow patch to realize there was no way we were going to be able to do it. We sat down and made the decision to do an open bivi until the light would come out so we could see better.... ohhhh if it was cold and at about 4 in the morning the storm and wind kicked in, the rain felt like needles on my skin even with my gear on. We shivered out of control for hours. Finally the light came out and we found our way back to the bivi spot to realize the rain got in and got our bags wet. We were so tired we didn´t care very much. We got into them and rested for a few hours... we were spent at that point. Later in the morning we finished our decent, out of food and very tired, we finally reached the point were we could hitch hike back to El Chalten. I am attaching pictures of this climb and my previews climb on Aguja Gillomet The weather has turned and the storm is finally here, it seems I will wait for the next weather window and finish my project of 5 summits in one season. Cheers to all!!!!! Camilo Lopez

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