In 2015, Felipe Cazmargo (Brazil) told me about a climb in the “Yosemite of Brazil,” near the town of São José do Divino. A decade earlier, a team of climbers, mostly from Chile, had equipped a route called Planeta dos Macacos up the north-facing wall of Pedra Filhote, just to the northwest of Pedra Riscada, but did not make a continuous free ascent. 

I met Felipe on July 19, 2016, in Belo Horizonte. From there we drove eight hours to the climb. We spent two days climbing and two nights on the wall. The climb included its epics, as all big projects seem to: Storms rolled through at night, and we had no cover from the rain on our portaledge, making for some wet, cold conditions.

Planeta dos Macacos (650m) has several particularly challenging pitches, two of which are solid 5.13. We onsighted all the pitches, with Felipe leading the crux 10th pitch; I led the second-hardest pitch. I’d never done a first ascent on a wall like this, so the achievement, especially with Felipe, whom I’ve known for 10 years now, feels extra special.

[Editor’s note: Planeta dos Macacos was opened in 2005 by Bernardo Gimenez and partners. Gimenez said the route was established top-down, following one of the only natural weaknesses. On the 2005 ascent, every pitch was climbed free by at least one member of the team; however, they did not make a continuous ground-up ascent. The climbers proposed 7c+ (5.13a) for the hardest pitch, but Gimenez noted that the rock’s sometime’s fragile holds might make the climb feel harder.

– Sasha DiGiulian, USA