South America, Argentine Patagonia, Aguja Guillaumet, North-Northwest Ridge, Free Ascent and Other Activity

Publication Year: 2000.

Aguja Guillaumet, North-Northwest Ridge, Free Ascent and Other Activity. Bruce Miller and I arrived at Chalten at the end of November with the intentions of trying the Supercanaleta on Fitz Roy. After our first and only attempt on December 3, we decided against it, for it was in poor shape. During our seven-week “super-expensive camping trip,” we refined our camping techniques, bouldered much, got fat and managed to get some hand jams on the lesser summits of this proud range. We climbed the North-Northeast Ridge on Guillaumet for possibly the route’s first free ascent, for Bruce sent the A2 pitch at .10+ tight handies. The climbing was excellent, but the summit was not obtained; high winds forced us to retreat. We rapped the route.

We tried to climb the Franco-Argentine Route on Fitz Roy for several weeks with no great height gained because a four-week storm did not give us a window of opportunity. During our last days in, we managed to climb the Kearney Route on St. Exupery (IV 5.10), the Anglo-American Route with the Kearney Variation on Innominata (IV 5.11-), Medialuna (III 5.11), and Bruce and Bruno Sourzac linked up and climbed a new route (III WI4) on Cerro Solo.

Kent McClannan