On October 27, Felipe Cancino and I, both Chileans, made the first ascent of the northeast face of Cerro Peñón (2,424m), the second-highest peak in the Castillo Range, which is located south of Coyhaique. This prominent peak was first climbed by its east face, solo, by New Zealand climber David Waugh (AAJ 1982). It’s unlikely to have been climbed again prior to our ascent, making our route the second on the mountain.

Our ascent was generally straightforward. We roped up while crossing the 2km glacier, then climbed solo up the northeast face for 700m (up to 70°). After this, we roped briefly to surmount a short rock step (5.5). Another 100m of 60° climbing brought us to just below the summit. From here, 10m of extremely loose and unprotected rock (5.7) and a short knife-edged traverse brought us to the top (850m, D 5.7 70°).

Christian Steidle, Chile