South America, Chile, Northern Patagonia, Cochamó, El Escudo, Icaro y la Luna and Pulso; Milton Adams Wall, Martes 13

Publication Year: 2007.

El Escudo, Icaro y la Luna and Pulso; Milton Adams Wall, Martes 13. Icaro y la Luna and Pulso are on El Escudo (The Shield) in the Amphitheater area, beside Cerro Walwalun (a.k.a. Cerro Noemi), on the backside of El Monstruo [see map, AAJ 2006, p. 264, and www. cochamo.com/rock climbing]. Approach by a five-hour hike from the refugio along a difficult-to- follow trail and a streambed. At the streambed’s end sits a 10m boulder, where it’s possible to bivouac. From the boulder it’s five minutes to the routes. Icaro y la Luna (5.10c) climbs 11 pitches of finger cracks, hand cracks, chimneys, and faces, some of the best climbing in the valley. Martin Waldhoer and I opened it ground-up over January 28-29, 2007, using a rack of Friends, a #4 Camalot, and a set of stoppers and microstoppers, as well as hand-drilling a few bolts.

The free route Pulso (5.10c) made Cochamó history as the first 100% Chilean route in the valley. It climbs 12 pitches of crack, grooves, ramps, and chimneys, sharing its first three pitches with Icaro y la Luna. Icaro then goes right and Pulso left. Chileans Paulina Trujillo, Luis Pavez, and I opened the route ground-up on February 8, 2007, using bolts and the same rack as Pulso.

Martes 13 (5.10b) is the first route on a previously unexplored wall that we named Milton Adams. The wall is close to, and clearly seen from, the refugio. The approach hike from there takes about seven hours. The trail is not hard to follow, until the last 20%. The route has 11 pitches and some easy scrambling. It starts with four pitches in a groove, followed by a scramble. The last six pitches are mostly crack climbing with a short chimney, 55m of off- width on pitch 10, and an easy pitch to the summit. José Dattoli Palominos, Sebastian Moreno, and I opened it ground-up from March 12-13 with some bolts, a rack of Friends, Camalots up to #4, and a set of stoppers and microstoppers. We recommend taking Camalots #5 and #6.

Michael SÁnchez Adams, Chile (translated by Daniel Seeliger and Silvina Verdún)