The 2023–2024 season in the Chaltén Massif was statistically “average” for weather, meaning there were few windows and conditions were challenging. For a change, and thankfully, there were no fatalities in the massif. There were only two serious accidents, both in the Cerro Torre valley. Because of how much the glacier has receded, the trail into this valley is exposed and difficult, so the rescue team avoids making retrievals on foot. For both rescues, helicopters were used, and they flew from Río Gallegos, three hours away, at a cost of $30,000 in each case. Before coming to climb in this area, be sure to obtain rescue insurance that covers at least that much.

On the far right side of the north face of Cerro Grande, Giovanni Zaccaria and Claudio Migliorini (Italy) benefited from a cold spell during poor weather and climbed a 300m new line (65°). The crux was descending in the storm, with low visibility, following the line of ascent, making five rappels and downclimbing.

Two variations were climbed on El Mocho. Yannick Glatthard and Jonas Schild (Switzerland) started up Moribito and, halfway up, traversed to a splitter immediately right, climbing four pitches (Plan YX, A2 6c) to join Bizcochuelo. In the stunning shield to the right of Frader Pisafe, Nicolas Lewin and Leon Riveros from Chile and Ignacio Mulero from Spain climbed a six-pitch splitter—a jewel. They returned a few days later to free it (Arigato Chaltén, 5.11+, 5.10+, 5.13, 5.11-, 5.9, 5.11-). Mulero, an experienced sport and trad climber with redpoints to 5.15, highly recommends it. 

On Aguja de la Medialuna, Nicolás Gutierrez, Alexis Rojas, and Hernan Salas (Chile) climbed Con la Calma (300m, 5.11), a line to the left of Harvest Moon, which it joins for its last two pitches.

The Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre was climbed four times, its eighth to 12th ascents, including the first all-female ascent—one of the hardest done yet in the area (see report here). On Cerro Chaltén, Laura Tiefenthaler (Austria) and Thomas Bukowski (USA) summited via El Corazón in difficult conditions; Tiefenthaler’s was the first female ascent of the route. On the opposite side of the peak, Lucia Guichot and Nieves Gil, two members of the Spanish young female alpinist team, climbed Supercanaleta, doing its second all-female ascent.

In mid-September, Pedro Odell and Agustín Perez Aguirre (Argentina) did the second winter ascent of Aguja Standhardt via Exocet, 34 years after the first. 

On the east face of Aguja Guillaumet, Matías Korten and Pedro Navarro (Argentina) climbed a beautiful rock pillar, finding six pitches with difficulties to 5.11. Elsewhere on Guillaumet, Juan Cruz Adrogue (Argentina) and Colin Haley (USA) went “sky cragging,” climbing a 60m overhanging splitter right below the summit block. They dubbed it Barrilete Cósmico and estimate it might go free at 5.13b or thereabouts. 

On the west face of Aguja Val Biois, Korten and Pierrick Saint-Martin (France) climbed a massive right-leaning corner that was gritty in the lower half but had good Patagonia granite after that. The nine pitches of Gracias a Vos have difficulties to 6c C1.

On the south face of Aguja Poincenot, Luka Krajnc and Luka Lindič (Slovenia) completed a multi-year project with Pot (750m, 6c A3). The final ascent took three days, joining the Whillans-Cochrance for the final 200m, with another day to descend. See Krajnc's report here. Yet another crack system was climbed on the north face of Poincenot: a five-pitch variation, said to be of very good quality, to the left of the middle section of 40° Gruppo Ragni, done by Michał Czech and Jakub Kokowski (Poland).

On a marginal weather day, Pedro Odell and Colin Haley set the FKT for Aguja De l’S, summiting in 7 hours 39 minutes round trip from the Rio Blanco trailhead. A week before Pedro had set the previous FKT, solo, in 8 hours 20 minutes.

There were a number of thefts at Niponino camp. Although some of the gear was recovered when the thief was apprehended, this must be kept in mind when leaving caches and choosing a storage method and hiding place.

With a donation from Edelrid, the local rescue team was able to replace the 300m of rope across the approach slabs to the base of Mermoz and Guillaumet’s west faces. The previous ones had been placed over ten years ago and were in very bad shape.

— Rolando Garibotti