Durante il loro soggiorno di questa estate a El Chaltén Nico Favresse e Sean Villanueva (BE) hanno salito in libera alcune vie e aperto delle altre:

a metà febbraio, in tre giorni dormendo su portaledge, hanno aperto El Flechazo, sulla parete sudest dell’aguja Standhardt. Inizia a destra di Motivaciones Mixtas (Chaverri, Plaza 1993) per poi andare in cima insieme alla classica via di ghiaccio Exocet (Bridwell, Smith e Smith 1988, prima salita della montagna). Questa via è lunga in totale 850 metri con difficoltà incontrate fino al 7b M3 e WI5+ su ghiaccio.

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AGUJA STANDHARDT – Lower southeast pillar – “El Flechazo”. . About a week ago, Nico Favresse @nicofavresse and Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll @seanvillanuevaodriscoll climbed a new fourteen-pitch free route on the southeast pillar of Aguja Standhardt. They started just to the right of “Motivaciones Mixtas”, crossing it after three pitches to tackle a stunningly steep 300-meter pillar. Higher, and after climbing one more steep step via a three-star corner, they traversed right, to join Exocet, along which they continued to the summit. They report high quality climbing, with five pitches in the 5.12 range (7b). . They bivied twice on the route, at the “Birthday Ledge”, on top pitch seven and at the base of the Exocet chimney. Seán had no cake or candles for his birthday, but the stunning splitters the next day more than made for it. On both bivys they used the new @grade7equipment inflatable ledges (courtesy of @rogerschaeli). It will be interesting to see how this bit of equipment shapes the potential for alpine-bigwall free-climbing in the years to come. . Climbing Exocet was too boring for Sean, so he infused some excitement into one of his leads by doing an all points-off dyno with his ice-tool, catching himself (unsurprising for someone like him), pulling off a real life version of “The Vertical Limit”. . The name of the route refers to Cupid’s arrow, a source of endless richness, but that at times can cause more destruction than all the Exocet, Tomahawk and Scud misiles in the world… . “El Flechazo”, 600m 7b M3 60˚ (850m 7b M3 WI5+ altogether). . #agujastandhardt #elflechazo #patagonia #chalten #cupidsarrow

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I due Belgi hanno poi salito, in due giorni, una combinazione di vie in libera sulla parete sud dell’aguja Poincenot. Partendo dal colle fra aguja Rafael e Poincenot sulla via Historia Interminable, salendo parti di varie vie, sono arrivati in cima dalla classica Whillans-Cochrane.

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AGUJA POINCENOT – Cara sur / South face – New free-line. Hace una semana y media, @nicofavresse y @seanvillanuevaodriscoll escalaron una línea en libre en la cara sur de la Aguja Poincenot. Comenzaron desde el Col SUSAT, escalando 4 largos fáciles para luego ir a la izquierda, a juntarse con “Historia Interminable”, una supuesta vía de 1987 que probablemente no estaba terminada. El largo clave del muro central es un off-width que requirió una batalla de dos horas. La reunión anterior son 3 espits oxidados que requieren ser remplazados. La última traza de paso de 1987 es un espit al inicio de ese largo. Luego de cruzar Judgment Day vivaquearon, y al día siguiente escalaron otros 2 largos difíciles apenas a la derecha de “Rise of the Machines”, para luego juntarse a la “Fonrouge-Rosasco” y la “Whillans-Cochrane” y seguir hasta la cumbre. Llevaron dobles hasta el #4, y uno de cada al #6, pero recomiendan llevar doble #6 para el largo clave. . A week and a half ago, @nicofavresse and @seanvillanuevaodriscoll free-climbed a line on the south face of Aguja Poincenot. They started from Col SUSAT, climbing four easier pitches to then head left into “Historia Interminable”, a 1987 line that increasingly appears to have been unfinished. In the steep headwall they climbed six long pitches, including a memorable, and bloody two-hour battle with an off-width. The belay before the off-width has three rusty bolts that require replacing, and the last trace of passage from 1987 is a bolt a few meters higher. After crossing Judgment Day they bivied, climbing two more steep pitches the next day, just to the right of “Rise of the Machines”, joining the “Fonrouge-Rosasco” and the “Whillans-Cochrane” to continue to the summit. They carried a double set of cams to #4, and one each to #6, but they strongly recommend taking two #6s for the crux off-width. . #patagonia #chalten #agujapoincenot

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Più tardi sempre la stessa cordata ha aperto Beggars Banquet, l’evidente diedro offwidth di 400 metri a destra di Patagonicos Desesperados, sulla parete sudest dell’aguja Poincenot.

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AGUJA POINCENOT – Cara este / East face – “Beggars banquet”. . Nico Favresse @nicofavresse y Seán Villanueva @seanvillanuevaodriscoll abrieron su tercera vía de la temporada, esta vez en la cara este de la Poincenot. Comenzaron por la rampa Whillans, desviándose a la derecha, para escalar un fisurón de casi 400 metros, paralelo a “Patagónicos Desesperados”, con la cual comparte algunos metros del 4to largo. Las condiciones no eran las mejores, con mucho hielo en las fisuras, que los forzó a escalar algunas secciones por placa, incluyendo la sección clave, y en dos lugares a hacer pasos usando un piolet. La escalada es intensa, con muchas secciones anchas. Rapelaron “Patagónicos Desesperados”, volviendo al glaciar al anochecer. . Llevaron dobles hasta el #4, y uno de cada al #6. Tener un tornillo de hielo puede ser útil . El nombre, “El banquete de los mendigos” se refiere al hecho que hicieron la vía con equipo prestado, y recuerda al famoso disco de los Rolling Stones. . Nico Favresse and Seán Villanueva opened their third route of the season, this time on the east face of Poincenot. They started via the Whillans ramp, turning right, to climb a 400m crack, parallel to “Patagónicos Desesperados”, with which it shares a few meters on the 4th pitch. The conditions were not the best, with much ice in the cracks, and this forced them to climb several sections on the slabs to the sides, including the crux, and do a few moves using an ice axe. The climbing is intense, with many wide sections. They rapelled “Patagónicos Desesperados”, reaching the glacier by nightfall. . The took doubles to #4, and one each to #6. One ice-screw would have been useful. The name refers to the fact that they did the route on borrowed gear, and remembers the Rolling Stones album. . . #patagonia #chalten #agujapoincenot

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