Return from Patagonia

I think everyone has things they would like to accomplish in their lifetime, be it writing a book, learning a language, or climbing a particular route. One of my "lifetime goals" is to climb every peak in the Torre group. The Torres are some of the most spectacular peaks I've ever seen, and their steep technical nature combined with Patagonia's notorious weather makes their summits some of the more elusive in the world. In fact, perhaps only a half dozen climbers in the world have stood atop Cerro Standhart, Punta Heron, Torre Egger, and Cerro Torre. In 2005 I nearly climbed Torre Egger, but missed the true summit when my friend Bean Bowers took a 100' fall from the summit snow mushroom. In 2007 I climbed Cerro Torre, but utilized the infamous Maestri bolts on the mountain's final headwall, which for me discredited the ascent.

This year, despite continuously bad weather that kept us from trying our primary objective on the East Face of Cerro Torre, I finally came one step closer to realizing my dream by climbing Cerro Standhart. During a brief window of marginal weather Tommy Caldwell and I repeated "Festerville," which turned out to be a fun route with some quality climbing. We also managed to turn a relatively benign day out into a proper adventure by enduring a 12 hour standing bivy in hopes of continuing onto Punta Heron and Torre Egger the following morning. Unfortunately the weather closed in overnight and we were forced to retreat, but not before getting damn cold and having a few laughs at our own expense.

All in all the trip was great fun. Tommy and I made the most of the trip by bouldering loads, (Look for a short video of us doing a cool boulder problem in El Chalten at www.momentumvm.com soon.), and hiking into the mountains whenever we thought there was a slight chance of decent weather. We're both enthusiastic about more adventures together in the future, and left a cache below the Torre group in anticipation of another trip next season. Hope you enjoy the photos and short video below.

Tommy climbs out of the Bifida/Standhart col during our ascent of "Festerville."

The Torre Group. From left to right; Cerro Torre, Torre Egger, Punta Heron, and Cerro Standhart. "Festerville" climbs the right skyline of Standhart.

Tommy just below the final snow mushroom on Cerro Standhart.

The bivy, before we started to freeze.

Rodellar, Spain

Northern Spain may be the best region in the world for sport climbing and the Mascun gorge in Rodellar is most definitely its crown jewel. We spent six weeks there in the fall of 2007 and were hesitant to leave. Once you’ve climbed at Rodellar, most other areas will pale in comparison. The climbing is varied and spectacular, the scenery is striking and the overall ambience is very peaceful and relaxing (except on holiday weekends). If you’re looking for a European destination, put Rodellar high on your list.


The Cliffs: The guidebook contains over twenty cliffs, and at least four major cave venues, much like Rifle, Colorado. Most styles of climbing are well represented ranging from the “leave-your-rope-in-the-car” boulder routes of the Ali Baba cave to the 40m endurance testpieces of the Gran Boveda. Although the area really seems to shine in the 7a to 8b+ range, there are many cliffs that host quality routes in the 5th and 6th grades, with El Camino being the most popular (30 routes from 6a to 7b). We literally saw hundreds of novice to intermediate climbers enjoying the area during our stay.


The Rock: The climbs are typically long, physical and usually involve thought provoking cruxes to keep the on-sighting real. Expect blocky holds, incut edges and lots and lots of tufa pinching. The footholds are starting to polish on some of the most popular cliffs, but since most of the holds are quite positive, it’s not that big a problem. I usually adapt to the rock in new areas quite quickly, but it took me a little longer than usual to hit my stride in Rodellar. Come prepared!


Season: Likely the best time to visit is from mid-September to mid-November. Since many of the best walls bulge with black tufas, seepage can be a real problem, especially in winter and spring. Summers are quite hot (although very popular with vacationers) and winters are quite cold, if not unclimbable, as the area is at moderate elevation (snow is not uncommon). If you do encounter rain or seepage in the fall, consider moving to Alquezar or the amazing Bruixes at Teradettes. The rock at both areas dries much faster after rain.


Logistics: The area is about a three hour drive from Barcelona, but the nearest airport is in Zarragosa, about 1.5 hours away. Plan to stay in or near the village of Rodellar as the drive up from the main highway is 40 minutes of exhausting mountain driving. We stayed in Las Almunias (4 km away) at Casa Tejador which rents fully contained apartments as comfortable as you’d ever want. The campground El Puente also rents small bungalows and has a very friendly staff, free laptop internet connections and a comfy bar to hang at. Stock up on groceries before making the drive to the gorge as local supplies are limited.


Rest Days: The area has amazing scenery and some great hiking through deep gorges and abandoned villages. The flora and fauna is interesting and unique so bring your camera. If you don’t mind driving, the cities of Heusca and Barabastro are both about one hour away and provide all kinds of sightseeing opportunities. This area has a lot of history and many great castle ruins so get out and explore! Worth noting is that the gorges in Rodellar were famous for canyoneering long before climbing so if you are feeling adventurous, hire a guide and check out this popular European sport.


For steep tufa pulling, Rodellar is hard to beat and I’d highly recommend it to most climbers. Enjoy…

Marc Bourdon – Canadian Team Member

Mt. Washington Valley Icefest

A week ago today I was in the heart of East Coast climbing unsure of what to expect. North Conway, New Hampshire knows how to put on a kickass ice climbing festival.
I had two fun days teaching clinics at just a few of what looked like hundreds of crags. I had nothing but pleasant and eager climbers looking to learn more. One of my students was so thankful for my teachings he hit me in the head with the hammer of his ice tool. No, really, it was my fault......he taught me. Don't spot someone bouldering with ice axes! Duh.
The last day I went climbing with an old friend, Byard Russel. We climbed a local classic on Cathedral Ledge and then spent the remainder of the day in the cave doing some crazy "M" stuff. Soooo Fun!
It was cool hangin on the east coast. I ate lots of seafood, had some good times with the Mammut crew, met a bunch of new folks, and best of all spent an evening with some of my family that lives north in Maine. I'll be back next year for sure. Remember, bouldering and ice tools don't mix!

Whit Magro

300 miles, 3 days, 4 hours of sleep

The mutts and I finished up a 300 mile race this weekend, our last before launching on the 1,100 mile Iditarod. Temps were 20 above to 30 below – quite pleasant after our 60 below epic at the first of the year.

The trail was super technical, with tight twists through trees, 10-15 foot drop offs and vertical cliffs that the dogs could barely scramble up. Of ten teams, only 1/2 finished the race. I ran this as a training run, never pushed the dogs, and still finished in 4th place, so I was pretty happy with the outcome. Plus it was just a great run!

There is nothing quite as fun a zooming through sled-eating trees behind a 40 foot string of dogs. The only way to do it clean is to shoot past the apex of the turn, then stomp on the brake just long enough to swing the sled onto the new trajectory. Hit the brake at the wrong time or with the wrong amount of pressure, and you make a sudden acquaintance with a tree.

The cliffs were another challenge altogether. Going down is not tricky but can be hard on the sled (I broke 2 bolts and split a wooden stanchion, but was able to cobble it back together to finish the race). Going up was a different story. I never thought I’d be out ice-climbing with my team. I have to say that my arctic mushing boots are crap for front-pointing. On one 25 foot high ‘hill’, we stalled out half way up. The dogs were fighting to keep the sled from pulling them backwards, and I could get no traction at all. I slid all the way to the bottom and then spent 10 minutes trying to kick, smear, or edge my way back up the nearly vertical face. I ended up climbing some trees at the side of the trail.

When we race, the dogs run 6-8 hours, then we rest an equal amount of time and get going again. So we are running around the clock. While the dogs rest on nice straw beds, I am busy cooking their meals, massaging their feet and legs, packing the sled up for the next run, and taking care of everything that needs to be done. In a 6 hour rest I am lucky to lay down for a couple of hours. This race I got a total of 4 hours sleep between 5:30 a.m. Friday and around noon on Monday. Try to picture shooting through trees, diving off cliffs, and scaling steep faces with a bunch of insane and incredibly powerful dogs, all while semi-functioning in a fog of fatigue. Haven’t had that much fun in a long time!

Of course there is never anyone out there in the crazy parts to take a picture, but here are some of the team camping, and just getting going on the final leg.




Next time I post will be after Iditarod - if I survive.

Karin Hendrickson