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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Sufferfest City . . . take your pick, she really wants to know you.
Nice images all.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Ghost,
SENSATIONAL.
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Lituya
Mountain climber
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Dec 18, 2017 - 12:28am PT
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Fritz, picture number 4 looks like Veronica. Number two, I think, is a shoulder of Salkantay.
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Lituya
Mountain climber
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Dec 18, 2017 - 12:30am PT
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Kate's Needle on the skyline.
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Nick Danger
Ice climber
Arvada, CO
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Dec 18, 2017 - 06:54am PT
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Some desert obscura from the Great Basin - not as big or spectacular, but pretty cool in their own right.
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MikeL
Social climber
Southern Arizona
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Dec 18, 2017 - 07:08am PT
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Wonderful images, Donini. Improbable looking formations sometimes.
Does anyone have a handle on the history of the geology down there? You know, like one for dummies?
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COT
climber
Door Number 3
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Dec 18, 2017 - 01:12pm PT
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Jim posted a few pictures from the Avellano region near his home in Chile. I have been there a few times with mixed success. Here is a video and write up of my 2015 trip. The 3,000+ foot South Avellano Tower is still waiting for an ascent. Go get it!
https://vimeo.com/124764182
https://thesummitregister.com/climbing-the-avellano-towers-of-patagonia/
CLIMBING THE AVELLANO TOWERS OF PATAGONIA
I first visited the Patagonia region of South America in 1999. I spent several seasons climbing some of the classic lines in the Fitzroy and Cerro Torre Massifs. In this time period there were no weather forecasts available and climbers simply hoped for good weather windows that would allow them to ascend the striking towers and spires. I learned about the importance of staying motivated through the weeks and weeks of wind rain and snow. I also loved the camaraderie shared between the climbers from different countries and with different abilities. However, the increasing number of tourists and climbers as well as the development of the town of Chalten was, in my opinion, removing the wildness from the experience.
In 2004, a Chilean friend Nacho Grez invited me to explore a remote part of southern Chile that he said contained large unclimbed granite walls. We carried all our gear and food along the rugged 20 mile approach and then endured really bad weather even by Patagonia standards. By the end of our three week expedition we stood on top of the North Avellano Tower (5.10 IV, 75 degrees). Rain and snow of the approaching winter season eventually drove us out of the valley, but not before I glimpsed a massive 3,000+ ft tower at the south end of the range. I knew I would be back.
In 2013 my partner Szu-ting Yi and I started making plans to return to the Avellano Range. We recruited Jared Spaulding and Matt Hartman to join us. On January 1, 2015 Szu-ting and I flew to Chile and rendezvoused with Matt and Jared in the resort town of Coyhaique. This year we decided to approach the mountains from the southwest, starting at the small town of Bahia Murta on the shores of Lake General Carrera. On the map this approach was much shorter than the one I used in 2004. We would quickly learn that shorter does not necessarily mean easier or faster.
On January 5 we began shuttling our food and supplies into the mountains, along a rugged “cow trail,” then bush-whacked up a small river, continued up steep rock slabs to tree line where we made our basecamp. From there we continued around beautiful alpine lake which was fed by a calving glacier on the north side. We crossed a loose scree and boulders to reach the col separating the east and west Avellano valleys and then descended a 1,500ft snow slope to reach the base of the South Avellano Tower. We ended up carrying 600lbs of supplies and food over 80 miles. To say the approach was a grueling, somewhat dangerous endeavor would be a great understatement, but then again such things should be expected in wild Patagonia!
On January 19, under clear skies we started up the imposing north face of the South Avellano Tower. The rock was high quality fine granite reminiscent of Yosemite. However, there were few crack systems and those we did find were choked with grass and moss making placing climbing protection difficult. We climbed approximately 1,500ft reaching a large ledge system. Unfortunately, above there were no continuous crack systems to follow. We tried climbing on the left then right side of the ledge, but without placing bolts (we chose not to bring expansion bolts) our route was not climbable and we were forced to retreat.
With our food running low we decided to climb a tower we called the Tooth that was on the way out of the Avellanos. On January 21 the good weather was turning bad as we started up the striking granite peak. As we climbed up the coarse granite cracks a group of giant Andean Condors circled above us, playing in the wind of the approaching storm. Being scavengers, the condors were hoping we would lose our grip on the mountain and provide them with an easy meal. We disappointed the birds and Jared and Matt safely reached the summit of the Tooth (Filo Suroeste 5.10, 1000ft).
While we didn’t reach the summit of the South Avellano Tower, I am very proud of our effort. We persevered through a challenging approach that would have stopped most expedition long before they even reach the mountains. We worked well as a team, stayed safe and relatively healthy and walked out of the mountains as friends excited for our next adventure.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Dec 18, 2017 - 01:25pm PT
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DD, is that the Todra Gorge? I've always wanted to check that place out.
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Dec 18, 2017 - 09:24pm PT
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NickD i love the Hot Creek area-spent a bunch of time doing archaeological surveying with the USFS, found so much stuff we had to stop-arrowheads of all sizes, wickiups, fire pits, petroglyphs unloose slabs. There's a spot n of there called Horse Heaven, i think it's the prettiest place in my memory-very obscure-that part of NV can be yours all alone...
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Lituya
Mountain climber
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Dec 18, 2017 - 10:22pm PT
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Fritz, same peak as in your photo only from the Moray area. Veronica is nineteen thousand something feet.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Dec 18, 2017 - 10:29pm PT
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DD, is that the Todra Gorge?
No, the first two images (and they do look very much like Todra!) are in Oman.
You'll see the entrance just up the road from Tanuf in the link below.
http://www.google.co.in/maps/@23.057637,57.4834378,8987m/data=!3m1!1e3
The 3rd + 4th are in Morocco and very close to Todra though.
The last is K2 from the plane. One a side note when the steward saw me taking photos out the window he told me to stop that is wasn't allowed ('cuz that was Pakistan and we were still in Indian airspace-hah).
edit: if you do get a chance there is a shitload of NR climbing in both Oman + Morocco!
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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pretty awesome everyone.. altitude sikness sucks and sometimes you get it even when you train like hell....
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