In October, Ricardo Hernandez and I traveled to the Torres del Brujo (a.k.a. Sierra del Brujo), in the VI region of Chile. We started up the University Glacier until the point where it intersects the Mañke Glacier—a two-day approach. It took one additional day to pass large seracs on the Mañke Glacier and make camp below our objective, the unclimbed southeast couloir of Cerro Alto de los Arrieros (4,980m).

On our fourth day we climbed the couloir for 750m, roping up for 10 pitches. Due to strong winds, we dug an improvised bivouac in an ice cave, where we spent the night at around 4,900m. The next day, at first light, we completed the final meters to the summit. The climb took us 36 hours round-trip from our camp (750m, D 80°). It was the fourth overall ascent of the mountain, with prior ascents in 1950, 1964, and 1971.

The climbing possibilities in this area are very interesting, with big rock walls, frozen cascades, and mixed terrain [see AAJ 2005 and 2010 for examples of recent routes completed].

Elvis Acevedo, Chile