Road to Patagonia (when were you ready?)

My dream is to climb in the Fitz Roy/Torre Massifs. For those of you who have climbed in Patagonia, when did you decide that you were "ready" to make a trip to El Chaltén? What skills and experience did you have? What skills and experience do you WISH you'd had? 

I know that climbing Patagonia is serious business and that I'm a ways off skills and experience-wise, but part of what I enjoy in climbing is setting goals and climbing objectives that build my skills. My thoughts are that I need to: 

• become a pretty good granite free climber (onsighting all sizes of 5.10 Yosemite cracks, solid on 5.11)
• competent ice/mixed climber (leading WI4)
• gain experience on a variety of bigger routes (e.g., Beckey-Chouinard in the Bugaboos, the Nose and RNWFHD in Yosemite, technical alpine routes like Kautz on Rainier, N Ridge of Baker, etc.). 

I'm most interested in rock climbing in the Fitz Roy massif and some of the easier ice/mixed climbing routes.

Of course depends on your specific goals but the criteria you outlined seem about right. I think self-rescue along with excellent route finding abilities and the ability to cover a lot of ground on granite quickly and efficiently are probably most important.

I’ve only climbed in the Paine, which has less snow and ice, but your plan looks on track.  Definitely be squared away rapping in howling winds, dark, etc.  Also agree that moving quickly on granite is important.

I know this doesn't contribute at all but this is a really cool post and I wish there were more of these. 

Know how to get down. That is important. And maybe even getting down via not a standard rap like the BC has, or walkoffs like a few of the other routes you listed.

Double J wrote:

Know how to get down. That is important. And maybe even getting down via not a standard rap like the BC has, or walkoffs like a few of the other routes you listed.

I’d echo this. Know how to fight your way down through high winds, snow, etc and assess and potentially fix rap anchors quickly. Weather forecasting in Chalten is better than it was, and it’s still not perfect. Sometimes the window slams shut on you faster than anticipated and knowing how to get down through the leading edge of a storm is critical. 

Echoing everything said.

Yes.  Good to be able to move pretty good on 5.11 and fast on 5.10 terrain.

Be in very good hiking shape.  I have seen people do the approaches and then be too spent..

Doing first ascents in your local alpine (or wherever).  I think this helps analyze, strategize, and so on.  It can help when you are in the big unknown.

Climb alpine.  RMNP, Teton, Winds, Bugs, etc.

I will add more if things come to mind again…

I didn't decide...a family trip came up in Patagonia, and the had the opportunity to go early. And magically, a window opened. Therefore have enough time to wait it out for that magic window!

Beyond that, being capable and trustworthy will get you the right partner. My partner (who I met down there) was better on ice, me on rock. A solid partnership. Be able to hike. Deal with...trepidation. Solid on rappel. Solid on decision making. Moreso than what you can lead (,though it's helpful too!)  

And most importantly, able to deal with wind. Constant wind. All the time. More than you think. 

It's f**king awesome--but terrifying.

The listed skills is probably more than needed to start climbing in Patagonia. If the goal is summit Fitz Roy I would believe that you should climb even better than listed. The list also lacks skills such as avalanche dangers and aid climbing.

Wictor Dahlström wrote:

The listed skills is probably more than needed to start climbing in Patagonia. If the goal is summit Fitz Roy I would believe that you should climb even better than listed. The list also lacks skills such as avalanche dangers and aid climbing.

Maybe the question wasn't clear enough, but I'd love to hear about where people were at skills-wise when they personally first climbed a bigger route in Patagonia.

This is a great post!

I'll add a question to it:

What are the "easiest" climbs to target on a first trip there? Climbs with less objective dangers, rather established descent to get familiar with the environment, the weather, the approach, the techniques/logistics needed for bigger objectives etc?

Max G wrote:

This is a great post!

I'll add a question to it:

What are the "easiest" climbs to target on a first trip there? Climbs with less objective dangers, rather established descent to get familiar with the environment, the weather, the approach, the techniques/logistics needed for bigger objectives etc?

Low hanging fruit would be on either end of the Fitz massif.  Smaller, more established, etc, but in the end the objective danger is about the same.  Only difference is less time on the wall, and less high up.

My first trip back in 2011, we climbed the Brenner ridge 5.10 on Gillaumet, and Mate Porro 5.11+ on FitzRoy.  My partners had been to Patagonia before.  One had never submitted the Fitz yet, and one had sun notes Fitz the previous season.   I had been climbing since 1989 at that point.  I wish I had gone earlier!  In the end you will never be fully ready…. The stakes are high.

Have money and time.