LA SUR DEL LANIN

We find ourselves packing up arround 7pm that day.  The anxiety was starting to take control of the situation and some small discussions about what should be in our packs became a big deal. We were trying to carry as less weight as possible, but we wanted to be safe and have everything we could need for an emergency situation.  Climbing Lanin´s South face in one long continous effort, can be somehow very demanding and quiet dangerous. 

Lanin Volcano is settled at the border between Chile and Argentina, in northen Patagonia. It is one of the highest volcanos arround the area, with it´s summit at  3.776 mts over sea level and to get to it, you got to negotiate 2.700 mts of rough terrain.  

The volcano it self counts with several routes that go all the way to the top.  The most popular and classic route finds it´s way up through the north face.  Not very difficult, but long, it would usually demand two long days on the mountain, in order to reach the summit and come back down.  This route counts with a very comfy hut at 2500 mts, wich makes it the perfect spot to spend the night and attempt the summit early next morning.  The next route that follows in difficulty is the east face.  Steeper and sustained, with no hut in the middle, this route is uually climbed in a single day push (between 6 to 9 hours) by strong climbers. It could be climbed in two days, but logistics make it easier to be done in one day and avoid the extra weight.

The south face is certainly the most difficult route on the volcano.  It´s not only long, is also the most technical out of all four sides.  It involves trekking, ice climbing and negotiating a glacier full of crevasses to the top. This route is generally climbed in two days, spending the night at the base of the Colada Mazzoldi (a 200 mts technical ice climbing section), at a snow cave.

It was early october and we were rock climbing at a local crag.  Ramiro showed up and asked me if i would like to go climb Lanin East face in a single push.  I´ve done that one before, so i suggested going to the south face, wich i have never climbed, and he said yes, but let´s do it in a day. Cool, let´s do it, i answered.

I knew Walter wanted to climb the south face too, so i called him right away and told him that in a couple of hours we were heading to Lanin south face.  He was in inmediately and an hour late we gathered at the loca climbing gym to sort out details and tactics.

The idea was to start climbing arround 10pm.  We would go light, but we wouldn´t sacrifice safety and we would bring our skis.

Eight thirty pm we left town.  Our packs were super light, but we knew we woudl have to attach our skis to them, at least for the first 2 hours of the way up.  At ten thirty pm we left the car at Puerto Canoa.  Skis on our backpacks and ski touring boots on.  the first section is a long and steep trail 

throught the woods, till we finally got to the snow and were able to start skinning.  Six hours after leaving the car, we were at the Colada Mazzoldi.  The sky was turning red and even though it was freezing, we knew the sun would be out soon and would give us at least one or two hours of heat.  At that point we took a 20 minute break and had some breakfast.  Quickly we geared up and roped up and started negotiating wich we knew it would be the crux of the day.  Ice conditions were not the best, but with great team work, three hours later we found ourselves at the glacier.  This section is not hard, but after 9/10 hours of non stop going, it could be pretty desmotivating just looking up and realizing how much you still have to go and it sure was the hardest section for our minds.  

Few hours later, we were at the top.  The total time ascent was of 16 hours. But we still had to go down. the plan, was to ski the north face down.  It took us 3/4 hours to get down to Tromen, were Caro was anxiously waiting for us.  

It sincerely was a great experience that prove to our mind many things.  I belive that the partners i had were a key part of our success.  Thank you team.

Enjoy the pictures and video at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXd5nU7JwQ