Currently at the Calafate airport, beginning the first of what will ultimately be 3 days of travel. Surprisingly, the wifi is working super quick so I uploaded some photos from the last window climbing with Jack and Ben where we tried to climb the east ridge of Aguja Pollone. Due to the aggregate of several factors, we ended up pulling the plug on the needle and instead did a very contrived corkscrew (wrap around) ascent of Guillaumet starting from Glaciar Fitz Roy Norte, hiking up the the base of the Giordani ridge which we simul-climbed to the base of the Comesaña-Fonrouge. At the base of the Fonrouge, we decided we would rather climb the Brenner so we traversed east to Paso Guillaumet and climbed the Brenner to the Cumbre the next day. Will do a full trip report during my 20+ hour layover in Buenos Aires... but for now this is it:
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| Ben on the approach to Piedra Negra |
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| Owen stopping to fill up #nofilter |
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| Taking it tranquilo on the approach |
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| Laguna Negra with NW face of Guillaumet above |
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| Ben on the scramble up to Paso del Cuadrado |
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| Owen and Ben at the top of Paso Cuadrado. The Torres (obscured in the clouds just above Owen) and Aguja Pollone (top right needle) visible |
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| Owen at the bivy for the night. The Comesña-Fonrouge is the most prominent ridge line on the left side of Guillaumet |
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| Aguja Pollone from the bivy |
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| W faces of Guillaumet, Mermoz, and Chalten a.k.a. Fitzroy |
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| The Aguja Pollone Sit-Start |
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| Jack and Ben getting ready with morning alpenglow on the Torre |
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| The Torres! Cool to get a different perspective other than Niponino... |
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| Ben beginning the approach to the traditional east ridge of Aguja Pollone after bailing on the sit-start. |
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| Owen leaving a very drippy belay, trying to climb past the glacier recession to access the base of the east ridge (La Granja in Rolo's Guidebook) |
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| Photo of Jack and Ben after bailing back to the glacier |
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| Jack on his way up to the base of the Giordani (Aguja Pollone and Torres visible R -> Left). |
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| Owen belaying Ben at the start of the Giordani |
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| Owen and Ben looking good @ our paso guillaumet bivy |
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| Owen getting a wee bit fed up w/ photographers innit |
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| chillaxing on the ledge at the base of the crux pitch of the Brenner-Moschioni |
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| Owen on the crux of the Brenner |
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| Buttshot |
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| Ben, Violeta, and Diego @ base of the crux pitch |
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| Owen doing the V2 boulder problem to gain the true summit of Aguja Guillaumet |
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| Cumbre!!! |
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| Summit Selfie |
