UKC

21 climbers summit Cerro Torre by West Face Route

© groovejunkie
Six teams climbed the upper west face of Cerro Torre in the first nine days of December, doubling the number of previous ascents. A total of 21 climbers summited the granite spire via the west face—the 1974 first-ascent route—or by a new variation that finished on the upper west face.

During the same period in early December, only one team climbed the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre's southeast ridge, following the controversial bolt ladders installed by Cesar Maestri in a 1970 attempt on the mountain. To Rolando Garibotti, a historian of Patagonian climbing, the many recent ascents of the all-natural west face mark a historic shift. In a summary quoted on Colin Haley's blog, Garibotti wrote, “It appears that the climbing community has finally come to understand that an ascent of the Compressor Route is not really an ascent of Cerro Torre. It is as if overnight everyone stopped climbing Everest with oxygen, fixed rope, and Sherpa support.”

Read the full report by Dougald MacDonald at Climbing.com


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17 Dec, 2008
Amazing developments. Just the walk-in alone makes it a very different prospect.
17 Dec, 2008
Daniele Chiappa, who at 22 was the youngest of the four summiters on 1974, left us last year, and I believe he would have really pleased to know that "his" route had become so popular. The same goes for Claudio Corti, who did a lot to help the team bringing supplies up and down the route (while he was prevented from reaching the summit). This said, I find a bit sad reading about Garibotti's comments - he's a great climber, and I think he may do better than joining what's becoming something like a big, ugly smear job on Cesare Maestri's name - even just considering that, without the Compressor Route, I've my doubt the area around Cerro Torre could have developed has much as it did. And I think someone should ask Jim Bridwell if "the Compressor Route is not really an ascent of Cerro Torre" - he may have a different opinion on it!
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