Expedition: Turbio IV- Now a FEATURE FILM!

Here you go, a full length video from our recent trip into the Turbio Valley. Yes, it is long, but just grab a beer, sit back and relax, and enjoy the show. Best to click through and watch it right on the Vimeo site...

http://vimeo.com/21496708

Back from the Turbio!

Full Moon rising over Piritas

After having just returned from 34 days in the Patagonian backcountry, seeing no one else and being alone to work harder than either of us had worked before, I am left thoughroughly depleted, mentally and physically. Now back in Bariloche for a week or so, before figuring out my next step. Here is a preliminary expedition report and a couple photos. More to come for sure.

Leeches, carniverous bees, hacking through thick bamboo jungle on the approach: these are not the things that come to mind when you talk about Patagonia. But the amount of mystery and secrecy I found surrounding the many hidden granite walls of the Turbio IV, or Valle Oscuro piqued my interest, and in late January 2011 I found myself back in Bariloche, Argentina with my partner Josh Garrison, preparing to go in virtually onsight with the exception of a decade old hand-drawn map.

After waiting several days for the river to go down from recent flooding, we began a difficult 60km horseride to transport us and our gear to the junction of the Turbio tributaries. From here we made our first trip into the Mariposa Valley. The trailfinding was the hardest either of has ever encountered, through dense forests of cane colihue jungle and over sketchy tyrolean crossings, but after a mid-approach bivy while hopelessly lost, we reached the open alpine meadow of the Mariposa which became our basecamp for the following 14 days. During this time we experienced lots of heavy rain, but in between managed to climb the second ascent of the Brazilian route “El Palito” (5.10+ 550m) on La Oreja, and simul-soled a Royal Arches type feature we named the Earlobe to the east of La Oreja (5.6 900m). We attempted new routes on a feature we named El Diente (5 new pitches, 200m), as well as on the Northeast Piller of La Oreja (9 pitches 400m), but were thwarted on both by closed out and vegetated cracks. While we found the rumor of “10 Half Domes” to be true, most of the walls are capped by large glaciars which sweep the faces more often than one would hope for.

Josh find clean fingerlocks on El Diente

La Oreja





Summit of Earlobe, looking downinto Piritas valley

After a final resupply at the Turbio junction, we moved our camp over into the lesser known Piritas Valley. Piritas Right has seen some action from two different teams in the last several years, and for good reason: it has the cleanest and most spectalular granite in either of the valleys. Again experiencing days on end of heavy rain, confining us to the tarp-shanty we constructed, we grew anxious and began slimming down our rations in hopes for a weather window before our food ran out.

At last, with 4 days left, our window arrived. Leaving camp under a cold and clear sky, we made it to the bottom of the approach slabs by day break. The approach to the main wall is long and involved, kind of like the Death Slabs with pitches up to 5.10. By late morning we reached the bottom of our intended route in the center of the face and began climbing pitch after pitch of rope-stretching clean laser-cut cracks, with some heady slab climbing and traversing connecting the near plumb feature. We topped out at dusk, to a brilliant orange sunset sweeping from the distant Pacific Ocean (only 30 miles away!) to the snowy flanks of Monte Tronodor to the north, before settling in for a very cold full moon lit open bivy on top. In the morning we decended for 7 hours down the shoulder and slabs, for a camp to camp time of 33 hours, having established Under a Southern Star (V 5.11 460m)

Line of Under a Southern Star



Ryan follows thin cracks low on the route

Josh, about to get cold.

Atfer making one last heavy carry down the Turbio IV to our low camp, we loaded all of our gear into 2 lightweight packrafts and decended the Rio Turbio back to Lago Puelo in a long, relaxing day, finally able to let the river do its share of the work after 34 days in the Alpine.

Arrrrgh, the PIRATES always SEND!

This has by fay been one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences of my life, and Josh and I would like to thank the American Alpine Club Mountain Fellowship Grant, Sterling Rope, Alpacka Rafts, Montbell, MSR and Evolv, as well as our hard working gauchos Cholo and Mikol, all of whom helped turn this pipe dream into reality.

2011 Turbio-Piritas Expedition Prep

We have been in Bariloche for almost 10 days now, and after getting some great climbing in up at the Frey, we have turned all of our attention to the matter at hand, our upcoming expedition into the remote Turbio IV valley in Northern Patagonia. That and eating as much ice cream as humanly possible.

Home in Bariloche

Yesterday, we did all of the food shopping for the trip, which took all day, having to get things all across town. Luckily for us there are a couple good bulk food shops which were able to supply us with a lot of the items we are accustomed to taking into the backcountry with us. The rest of the day was spent weighing and packing it all, splitting it into 3 separate 8 day resupplys. Our block of cheese weighs more than 7 pounds, and is the perfect size for my alpine-pillow!


Josh weighs flour and watches Everybody Loves Raymond.

You don´t know what you´re missing. FrutiGran is the truth.

Should we take Rack A or Rack B? BOTH!

Ropes are heavy.

In 5 days, Josh and I travel south, to start the long process of getting to the Alpine Shangri-La. We have made contact with the gauchos at the end of the valley who will take us and our gear 50km up river, to where the Turbio IV drainage begins. We will say goodbye to them there, and start hiking loads up to the upper valley, where we hope to explore and climb some of the many mysterious walls that lurk in the hidden canyons for the next 25 days, before descending Rio Turbio in our lightweight packrafts filled to capacity with gear!


See ya´ll in a month!

Saludos Torres del Paine, Bienvenidos Bari-loco!

A lot of time has passed since the last installment of the Patagonia Sufferfest 2010-2011 Series, but not too much has happened. After a cold climb on Peineta, Josh and I waited out 5 more weeks of very windy and wet weather, mostly in the comfort of Erratic Rock´s warm living room. One attempt on Almirante Nieto, and one attempt on the Aste Route on the South Tower, but both days collapsed before much could be done.

So we left Puerto Natales, and just in the nick of time, as the whole region is now completely shut down by a gasoline strike. We arrived to Bariloche quickly and easily, except for getting hassled by The Man at every turn. Besides being extorted for more than $200 in excess baggage fees, almost all of our freeze-dried and dehydrated meals we brought down for the Turbio expedition were confiscated by Argentine Customs.

Once we got here, we did not hesitate to make use of the unbelievable weather, so we packed up our kit and headed into the hills for several days of alpine cragging at the Frey. We were so giddy to go climbing, however, that we forgot about half of the food that we should have brought. Josh had never been there, so we toured some of the classic routes, topping it all off with Descansa en Paz, an amazing arete climb on the Slovenian Tower.

Camponile Esloveno and its little brother

Back in town we have just been hanging out, eating ice cream twice a day, and getting stoked for the Turbio!

Blown Away on La Peineta

It isn´t usual to arrive in Puerto Natales and within a week have a small weather window with which to attempt one of Torres del Paine´s many elusive granite towers, but that is exactly what happened. After being in town for only about 5 days, Josh and I saw a brief opportunity to actually go climbing. Our friend (and Head Logistics Coordinator) from Outward Bound, Caitlin Brown, had decided to take a long weekend from her studies in Santiago to come down and hike in the park; little did she know she would be helping us carry in our tremendous load of gear! While the weather did not look stable enough to go for our main objective on the Central Tower, we took our full kit up to the Valle de Silencio so that we will be ready when it does come. Instead, we set our sights towards a route on La Peineta, a distinct tower accessed from the Silencio, called Durazno para Don Quijote (IV 5.10+ A1 or 5.11c).

Josh scopes the lines on the East Face of Central Tower

After getting a good sleep in our old home, the Italian Cave, we woke at 12.30am on November 27th...MY BIRTHDAY! That´s right, a spell of good weather on my birthday! Is that luck or what?! Anyway, starting from that far down the valley meant we had a very long approach in store for us. About 6 hours later, we were at the base of La Peineta, having just ascended the super-couloir. The wind was slack when we began the couloir ascent, but was begining to pick up as we donned our rock shoes.

Brr.

Beginning the "Red Ramp" pitch

No. 5 Camalot and gloves. Fun times!

The climbing was spectacular, up clean and featured white and red granite. Pitch after pitch of rope stretching splitter cracks led us further up the southwest buttress of Peineta, but the increasing force of the wind, together with the debilitating temperature drop, was beginning to take its toll. Below the 9th pitch, only 2 pitches from the summit, I was unable to warm my toes, which had become cold and wooden. Luckily for us, this is where the rappel line leaves the route and continues down the main corner system, so we hastily organized the rappels.

Having seen no more than a handful of ascents since its FA in 1997, the rap stations were pretty dire, but without too much donation of our own gear, we were able to re-equip the line and safely make it back to our boots which were waiting for us in the sunshine.

North Face of North Tower of Paine

A long descent and march back through the snow got us to the cave at just after 8pm. I can say with assurity that after having been on the move for 19 hours camp to camp, that this is the MOST of any of my birthdays which I have truly experienced!

Thanks to Mom and Dad for giving me this life that I am trying my hardest to live to its fullest.

With nothing but rain on the horizon, Josh and I sit and do what we do best. Wait.

It is hard to believe that I have already been in Argentina for a month, but I have been kept so busy that the time has flown by. Bariloche has treated me very kindly, as have the many friends I have made since first coming here in 2008. A couple of days ago I finished up the last of my spanish courses, and I have been going up to the Frey to climb every weekend. With a ton of snow still up at the Refugio, it has made good training for the 3,000ft couloir approach to the Central Tower which is never far from my mind. My friedn Lissie is traveling here in South America, and she was lucky enough to come up for a visit on the nicest weekend we have had here. We managed to climb 17 fun pitches, and feast on homemade chocolate every night. While climbing the Torre Principal, two magnificent condors came and kept us company, flying within 20 ft of us at times.
I bought an old bike here, and it has been great to pedal around town and along the many lakes.

Tomorrow I leave for the Paine, where I will meet Josh and after reuniting with the crew in Puerto Natales, we will begin preparation to go back into the Valle de Silencio.

Fin del Mundo

Gear is being sorted, bags are being filled and weighed, and carry-ons are being stuffed full of the heaviest items. This can only mean one thing: another season in Patagonia. I leave in a few short days for the Southern Hemisphere, my third trip in as many years. I would have thought that my lesson had been learned by now, but apparently not. There is something seductive and captivating about this land and the people who inhabit it.

So what is going down this year? I leave early to take some Spanish lessons and do some cragging with old friends in Bariloche, waiting for my partner Josh to finish up his relief work in Haiti and join me. Josh and I have some unfinished business with the Central Tower, which shut us down last season. After spending a month in Torres del Paine, hoping for a weather window during that time, we will travel back up north to the bustling little ski town of Bariloche, Argentina which will be our base-camp for the following months. Our plan is to ascend into the Rio Turbio drainage near the Chilean border, spend about one month attempting new routes in the Upper Turbio, and decend back down to civilization using lightweight pack rafts.

We may be spreading ourselves thin with such a varied itinerary, switching objectives so dramatically, but I think that by staying focused on the immediate, we will be rewarded with success. Either way, we can only do so much; we must still be granted passage by the God of Wind in Patagonia, Mwono.

Until the next one... Ryan


The objects of our obsession.