In a continuous seven-day round trip from Chalten, a three-man Argentinian team made a remarkable traverse along the ridge north of Paso del Viento, including the ascent of a previously virgin summit, to finish on top Cerro Torre.

On their first day Max O'Dell, Agustin and Juan Raselli reached Laguna Toro, where they bivouacked.

The following day they climbed a 400m, 60° ramp to reach the crest of the ridge at a shoulder below the first summit, an ice-and-mushroom-encrusted tower west of Punta Luca.

A vertical ice pitch, followed by easier mushrooms, led to the final, difficult mushroom pitch. Cleaning the rime from this proved so time consuming that the team was forced to bivouac and finish it next morning.

This previously unclimbed tower was named Mini Torre and proved a good warm up for the crux pitches of the Ragni Route on Cerro Torre's west face.

The three continued their traverse north, below Punta Luca and Cerro Grande, then over Cerro Doblado and Cerro Nato, before stopping for the night on the col below Adela Sur.

Crossing Adelas Sur, Central and Norte, they made a difficult descent into the Col of Hope, rappelling very steep rock. The three then continued up the south west ridge of Cerro Torre to bivouac below the Helmet.

Next day they completed the Ragni Route to the summit and rappelled to their bivouac, where they spent a few hours before going down west into the Circo de los Altares.

Another bivouac was required as they headed south along the icecap, after which they crossed Paso del Viento and returned to Chalten.

Sections of this traverse had been done before, though not necessarily in the same direction.

In 1958, a few days after their attempt on Cerro Torre, Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri made the first ascent of Adela Central from the icecap and then traversed south over Sur (first ascent), Nato (second ascent), Doblado (second) and Grande (second), to finish on Punta Luca (first).

Cerros Doblado and Grande had been climbed a few days prior to Bonatti's ascent by Cesare Maestri.

In 1988 Eduardo Brenner (first ascent of the Franco-Argentinian Route on Fitz Roy) and Silvia Fitzpatrick climbed Adela Sur from the east and then tried to continue to Cerro Torre. In doing so they made the first ascent of Adela Norte.

However, this pair failed above the Col of Hope and retreated to the icecap, finally exiting to the north.



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