In 2020, while attempting to summit Cerro Aparejo, a friend and I noticed an attractive summit visible from the road through the Aparejo Valley in Chile’s Cajon de Maipo, two hours from Santiago. We analyzed possible routes on the peak’s south face and later sought information about any previous ascents. We talked with many people but found no information about the peak.  

Fast-forward to 2023, when late rains kept the valley snow-covered until November. It was my opportunity to solve this old project. Our team consisted of Fernando Quilodran, Rafael Reinoso, Emil Stefani, Victor Zavala, and myself. On November 4, we drove to the entrance of the Aparejo Valley (2,600m), where the snow started, and made a short approach on skis and snowshoes to a bivouac at 3,100m, at the base of the south face. 

The next morning, we began up the snowy south face at roughly 5 a.m. The 800m snowfield (up to 55°) required only ice axes and crampons. (The face is oriented to the southeast in its upper section.) We reached the southwest ridge between two cornices. The last 100m to the summit was easy scrambling on rock and snow. We reached the summit (4,225m, -33°33'14.3", -70°0'24.3") after 11 a.m. and stayed about an hour, enjoying the view and looking for evidence of previous climbs—we found nothing. We carried—but didn’t use—ropes and snow anchors, and retraced our ascent route for the descent. 

With its pleasant summit, amazing views, and manageable ascent, this peak would make a fantastic outing for many people. We decided to name it Cerro Evelio in memory of Evelio Echevarría, the well-known Chilean-born mountaineer who dedicated much of his life to writing about Andean climbing history and archaeology and contributed countless reports to the AAJ. [Echevarría emigrated to the United States in 1953 and taught literature at Colorado State University for three decades. He died in 2020; see AAJ 2021.] Echevarría loved to visit this valley; in fact, the cover of one of his last books, The Andes, is a photo of the Yeso River Valley’s upper basin, less than 10km east of Cerro Evelio.

— Agustín Ferrer, Chile