Cerro Lliboutry, first ascent, winter ascent. On July 20 Abdo Fernández and I, both Chilean, flew to Punta Arenas and from there traveled overland to Chalten. We intended to accomplish the first ascent of Cerro Lliboutry (1,980m), located 10km northwest of Paso Marconi in the Cordon Gaea. We had attempted the mountain during the 2004 winter, with four other partners, but were driven back by bad rock and lack of adequate protection, a mere 60m from the summit. After carrying our gear to the vicinity of Paso Marconi, we moved into the Eduardo García Soto hut, located north of the pass, on the Chilean side of the border. Bad weather pinned us down for five days, with 5°F temperatures inside the hut. Finally the weather improved and, using sleds and skis, we crossed Glaciar Chico to reach the base of the mountain, where another storm pinned us down for a further five days. On our last available day before we had to start our journey back, the weather improved. We woke at 5 a.m. and started up, climbing the southwest face while it was still dark. Deep snow slowed our progress, and we did not reach the technical part of the climb until well past midday. The upper portion consisted of several pitches of ice and mixed terrain, with difficulties up to WI3 (70°) and M3. We reached the summit at 4 p.m. on August 6. Ours was the first ascent of the mountain and the first winter ascent.

Cristián Vásquez Ortiz, Club Andino Universitario, Santiago, Chile