Climbing information, history Fitz Roy Patagonia Argentina

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The Fitz Roy
The Fitz Roy is one of the most impressive granite structures on earth and one of the most beautiful summits. It is the Patagonian mountain with the most history as well as one of the most climbed by alpinists that visit the region. Our mountain situated on the eastern edge of the range with many other smaller summits, form a group unique located between 49 degrees 15 and 49 degrees 20 latitude south. Its length extends the mystery of the Continental Ice South into one of the largest glaciers of the planet. These mountains are formed by volcanic rock and as well as the neighboring Cerro Torre are grand and without vegetation. Confusing the clouds with smoke, the Tehuelches thought that up there existed a volcano or perhaps more than one. For this reason they called that mountain The Chalten, the volcano. All of the information about the first identification was from around 1782, the date that Don Antonia Viedma organized an expedition to the interior of the country after he had founded the port of San Julian. Following the course of the river Chalia, Viedma arrived at the large lake that today has his name, the northern edge of which divides the mountains. The second white man that saw the mountain was Robert Fitz Roy, captain of the expedition of the British royalty for the observation and expansion of the smaller Magallanes. In the normal way of exploration Fitz Roy commanded 3 whaling ships and followed the river Santa Cruz with the intention of arriving at Lake Argentina. After almost 300 kilometers the expedition had to stop when the goal was at hand. It was at this point that the English captain was able to just make out the mountain that would later bear his name. The first exploration by foot of the slope of the Chalten is the celebrated work of father Alberto Maria de Agostini. Probably this interest also came from the fact that in comparison with the other summits around, the Fitz Roy appears to be the highest summit of the region. Of premier importance of the entire period which the explorers prefered to avoid the difficulties instead of confronting them.
The French Challenge
The first to accept the challenge were the French who in 1952 organized a well trained expedition. The interesting part of the expedition is that it was not organized by a group of alpinists, but everyday climbers that had trained hard by climbing small rocks around Fontainebleau, situated a few kilometers from Paris. To substitute for the lack of experience on ice, snow , and mixed conditions they brought in a group of skilled climbers. In a short time the group came together. The group included Jacques Poincenot, Guido Magnone, M.A. Azema, Lionel Terray, R. Ferlet, Liliboutry, Depasse and Strouve.

Together with 3 pure climbers, Poincenot and Magnone, they found a true lion of the mountain Lionel Terray, one of the best alpinists of all time. In a few days they prepared three advance camps of those the last in the Italian breach (maximum point reached by the Bonacossa expedition in 1937) is the ideal base to launch the final leg against the final difficulties. A long period of bad weather blocked the French for days until the point when failure was expected. Then on January 30 the sky returned to clear and blue and generated a new enthusiasm among all of the explorers. They knew they would have to take advantage of the weather. In an article written in 1956 in the magazine Groupe Haute Montagne, Lionel Terray recorded that "of all the climbs that I did, the Fitz Roy is that that over all others that required all of my physical and mental energy. Technically it is perhaps a bit smaller than these completed recently on the peaks of the Alps, but a great climb is more than the sum of rope." The route of the French had perhaps dissipated the aura and legend of the impenetrability of the mountain and opened an era that has yet to end, the exploration of all of the peaks remaining.
The Superpipe and the Eastern Section
Between all of the logical lines of ascent, the super pipe was without a doubt the prefered route even with the great longitude and the exposure to danger. The stretch through the 1800 meter west/northwest wall required techniques based above all on the speed of execution. That magnificent pipeline will be the route chosen by the Argentineans Jose Luis Fonrouge and Carlos Comesana to complete the second ascension of the Fitz Roy. This climb lasted 3 day and used the same route. Still today this is the only first ascent of the Fitz Roy completed without the assistance of rope and was completed on January 16, 1965 by the two Argentine climbers. The ascension of the super pipe constituted our success, a valuable milestone in the history of the Fitz Roy. Today technical improvements such as the ice axe, and four wheel drive have made it faster to travel over ice, that these ascents were completed without these tools adds to the value of the results.