On December 28, Josef Kristoffy, Martin Krasnansky, and I (all Slovakia) flew to South America for a five-week trip to Cochamó Valley. After getting acquainted with the area, we decided to try a new route up the impressive 700m northwest face of Cerro Trinidad. We spent three days carrying 300kg of gear, food, and other necessary materials to our bivouac at the base and then jumped right on the project. It starts about 50m left of the route Nunca Mas Marisco.

Climbing through small, shallow granite cracks in the first few pitches, we soon realized that the climbing was not at all the kind we were used to. The route turned into a serious big wall with complex climbing, using the smallest micro-nuts, micro-cams, and hooks. Most of the cracks were dirty and full of weeds, the wall got unbearably hot around 1 p.m., and there were biting insects. We managed to climb the route with a mix of free and aid over a week, reaching the summit on January 14.

In the following days, from January 20–25, we climbed all the pitches free, in a team-free style, with Josef freeing the crux pitch. It was very technical climbing on vertical to slabby stone, with tiny holds: El Cóndor Pasa (710m, UIAA X). The 20-pitch route is fitted with 152 bolts (40 of these are at belay stations), and was named after the condors, with their 10-foot wingspans, soaring in the background while we ascended the final two pitches. Though at this time unrepeated, we believe it is the hardest free route climbed in Cochamó to date (approximately 5.13d).

Vlado Linek, Slovakia