ARGENTINE PATAGONIA

Jakub Radziejowski

Posted on: June 1, 2004


We were three Polish teams of two climbing in the Fitz Roy area. We were very lucky to have a long spell of good weather in the first half of February. Conditions weren't perfect, but we were not demanding-it is good to climb anything in Patagonia, especially when you are there for the first time.

On February 5, Wawrzyniec Zakrzewski and Filip Zagorski repeated the South (Italian) Pillar on Aguja Saint Exupery (TD+: 5.11b A1 45 degrees, 850m, Buscaini-Condot-Metzeltin-Sinogoi, 1968).

On February 7, Maciej Ciesielski and I free climbed Ipermermoz (V 5.10+ A1, 600m, Giordani-Levitti, 1996) on the west face of Aguja Mermoz, adding a new four and a half pitch variation (V 5.11b A0 [tension traverse], 600m) to the start on the slabs between Ipermermoz and Cosas Patagonicas and freeing two aid pitches higher up.

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On February 13, Mariusz Nowak and Marcin Szczotka climbed a new route (V 5.10d, 550m) on the west face of Aguja Guillaumet that takes a crack and dihedral system left of Padrijo (IV 5.10 A2, 510m, Gatt-Gatt, 1992). While on the summit ridge, a big rockfall to the left of their route took out the gear they had left at the base (boots, crampons, digital camera, rucksack...). They rappelled the route.

— Jakub Radziejowski, Warsaw, Poland

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