Paine Towers, North Tower and Attempt on the Central Tower, 1984. In January and February, 1984, the Club Alpino Italiano, Chilean Section, climbed in the Paine Towers. On January 28 Ms. Claude Batres and Karl Huber climbed Paine Chico or Almirante Nieto in very bad weather. We tried the Bonington-Whillans route of 1963 on the central tower. Above the Valle Ascensio, we pitched Camp II in the same place as the English using the Whillans Box, which was in perfect condition after 20 years. We fixed rope to the Col Bich, which separates the north and central towers, but had to withdraw after climbing the major technical difficulties. On February 5 Dagoberto Delgado and Francisco Arias reached a point 350 feet from the summit just below a prominent shoulder, being driven back by high winds. In the 40 days we were there, only four were windless. On February 3 Claude Bastres and I and on February 4 Rodrigo Múica and Francisco Medina climbed the north tower. The expedition was led by Giogio Cattoni.

Gino Casassa, Chile