I'm heading to Patagonia Jan. 6th. I plan to climb in Cochamo, Frey, and mostly Chalten (hopefully the weather breaks and I will get a shot on some of the bigger routes on Fitz Roy).
I've been reading around and notice that most people recommend bringing two ropes. With the gear I already plan to bring, my pack will be HEAVY. I know I can leave stuff in basecamp, or even in a hostel in Chalten when I go into the mountains, but I plan to travel around quite a bit, and I would love to trim down. That being said, I know I need to get some soft-shell pants for the Chalten area. Any recommendations? I was planning on bringing my OR Ferossi's, but a buddy told me that they won't be warm enough with the wind. Any ideas?
Also, if you have been, please shoot out any other gear tips you think would be useful?
But seriously- routes on Fitz, or any of the other lesser routes in the massif, even if considered "day routes" can feel like a winter ascent of the Diamond or can leave you stripping off all your layers and climbing in a t shirt and rolling up your pants. Be prepared- I wouldn't wanna bank on just having lightweight pants like you describe.
Hey I've been dealing with the burden of a lot of gear down here. So far I've found it very easy to leave a bag with a hostel for weeks at a time. They seem to accept it as an expected return of business.
I'm sure you'll get a wide variety of responses as far as pants and clothing. But I've been climbing and trekking in heavy winds and my approach as been with a pair of nylon patagonia pants and just throw on some long underwear if it's a particularly windy day.
I've also concluded double ropes are a must. I climb with 8.5mm doubles for the frey and plan on using a 9.8mm with one of the 8.5mm ropes for cochamo and chalten. Many would say 8.5 ropes are too thin for Chalten
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