There has been plenty of activity this season in the Northern Patagonian valley of Cochamo. Notably, Swiss and Austrians established several impressive big wall free routes.
Cochamo is dubbed the 'Yosemite of Chile' with its now world-famous granite walls the size of El Capitan. It was first 'discovered' almost accidentally in 1997 by British climber Crispin Waddy after a tip-off from a Chilean.
However, unlike its North American counterpart, Cochamo valley is dense jungle, and cracks are generally unfriendly to free climbers, most often being shallow, blind and in need of a thorough valet. It can also rain a lot.
Recently, Swiss Dominik Angehrn, Tom Holzhauser, Michi and Jvan Tresch put up the longest free route on the walls, when they added a new line to the Roca Grande de la Junta (aka Cerro Capicua). Previously this huge wall had only two routes reaching the top: a Spanish route from 2001 (18 pitches: A3 and 6b), and a German route from 2005 (19 pitches: 5.10b/c and A4+).
The Tresch brothers and companions climbed the right side of the wall, close to the 2005 line, in capsule style, first creating Los Gorilas del Norte (1,200m: 24 pitches: 7c and A2) .
The top, vegetated section of this route required aid, but the climbers saw a way to bypass it, so rappelled and climbed a brilliant free finish to the left. The crux pitch involved a big dyno to a crimp more than 800m above the ground. The complete free line was named Los Tigros del Norte (1,200m: 7c), and after a few days rest Angehrn and Michi Tresch return to climb it in a single push of 11 hours.
Chilean Sebastian Baeza, Columbian Camilo Lopez and American, Anna Pfaff nearly reached the top of the Milton Adams Wall by an incomplete line they are calling Welcome to the Jungle. From the refuge and campsite the trio spent five hours hacking a route to a bivouac at the base of this face, which has only three routes to date, the first, Martes 13 (11 pitches: 5.10b) not opened until 2007.
The three then spent a couple of days climbing seven pitches (5.10d maximum) to the 'Condor's Ledge'. Another 5,10 pitch up left led to cracks in the headwall, which succumbed at A2 until they closed down, allowing no more aid placements. Close to the end of the difficulties but not wishing to place bolts, the team descended but feel the pitch may go at runout 5.12.
The three then visited the Pared Seca, a sport crag close to the refuge. Here, with the help of a power drill and seven protection bolts, they established Amigos Para Siempre, which after a hard start crosses a big roof: it maybe the valley's first pure sport route at 5.13 (grade to be confirmed). However, this grade was certainly climbed earlier in the year on the big walls, when a crack team of Austrians, including Hansjorg Auer, put up a clutch of impressive, technically hard, multi-pitch free routes. These will be reported here soon.
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