On August 30, Camilo Pedreros, Nicolás “Nico” Secul (both Chile), and I kayaked west from Estancia Perales (30km northwest of Puerto Natales) across Fiordo Última Esperanza to reach Península Antonio Varas in the northern part of Cordón Monumento Moore. We left our kayaks along the bay and camped at a small shelter. On day two, we began our approach through very-dense subpolar forest, at times progressing on our hands and knees. It took us approximately eight hours to travel the 5km to the base (ca 950m) of the broad south face of Cerro San Luis (ca 1,500m; 51°34'39"S, 72°58'54"W).

On day three of the trip, we began our climb up the center of the south face, climbing a technical ice pitch above the bergschrund at dawn. This was followed by a few technical pitches both above and below a long snow ramp. The snow ramp allowed for quick progress and the only safe passage among large hanging seracs. Near the top, Nico led a beautiful dihedral plastered with a thin strip of ice, and I excavated a tunnel through sugar snow for us to crawl onto the summit ridge. We traversed west for approximately 500m to the summit and then descended the east face back to our camp below the face. We kayaked back to Estancia Perales the next day.

We named the route Memoria Kawésqar (750m, AI4 80°) in honor of the Kawésqar, an indigenous people who navigated these fjords by canoes thousands of years ago. Cerro San Luis had one prior ascent by Gabriel Mancilla Jipoulou and a friend in 2015 or 2016; they ascended the north ridge. 

— Sebastian Pelletti, Australia