“It’s the storms, clouds and waiting for special moments that makes your memory of the mountains
many times stronger.” – Dave MacLeod
N THE DISTANCE, RISING UP FROM THE BARREN plains, a series of granite spires poke their heads above snow-capped summits. As the bus turns the fi nal corner, a fl at, straight road stretches out to their base beneath a tumultuous sky. The mountains look different to the photos I’ve seen: there’s far more snow plastering their otherwise gold-tinged walls. Stepping off the bus into the sprawling town of El Chalten, I feel the chill of the katabatic winds on the summer air. It’s my second trip to Patagonia this season. I feel like I deserve a bit of good weather. My fi rst thoughts of Patagonian climbing were conceived as
I started climbing at 13. After Googling for a school project, I started to discover some of the outstanding peaks. Later, reading Paul Pritchard’s Deep Play, the seed was soon sown that I should experience the wild weather and impressive climbing for myself. That was seven years ago. In the meantime, inspiration and practicality had to be balanced out: an alpine apprenticeship was undertaken, big-walls climbed and plenty of ice and mixed climbing squeezed into every winter. And, always, I knew I would test myself in Patagonia at some point – the only question was when. I didn’t have long to wait: last year, I was invited to Torres del
Paine with Mike ‘Twid’ Turner, Jerry Gore and Raphael Jochaud. Travelling out in mid-October, our aim was to make the fi rst ascent of the South Face of the South Tower of Paine. From Manchester airport, three fl ights and two bus journeys bring you to the foot of the mountains. It felt like a long way, but it’s worth looking back to Bonnington and Whillans’ 1963 expedition for a dose of perspective: one month on a ferry
SUMMIT#73 | SPRING 2014 | 45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100