Climbing Mount Tronador

So post Spanish school in Bariloche I hunkered down in the Marco Polo hostel with my buddies Sean and James from Colorado to plan our ascent of Mt. Tronador. The peak you see below in the front right foreground is Pico Argentina, which is actually a little shorter then the international peak to its left. However, because of increased rockfall from melting glacial ice during this hot summer, we had to choose to summit Tronador's Pico Argentina.

It ended up being all we could handle. On the first day we hiked up to a refugio, a mountain hut, at the base of the huge glacier that covers Tronador. We ended up forming a summit team there with a very nice couple who were park rangers at Yosemite in the US. The five of us started at 5 in the morning and traversed across the glacier in rope teams until around 10 when we reached the saddle between the two peaks. The glacier was gorgeous and we saw some huge crevasses to remind us why we were tied into ropes.

The only technical part came during the last 20 meters of climbing. Here is was a nearly vertical wall of loose rock and ice mixed together. Not great climbing conditions. A guide who was taking up a client that day turned around in front of us unwilling to take the risk. Chris, the husband in the park ranger two-some we had linked up with, was willing to lead this section of this climb and set up some protection by using some ice screws. We were all able to make the climb without falling but the shear exposure was terrifying, ice screws or no ice screws protecting us.

We all peaked out, repelled down the ice/rock pitch, and then traversed the glacier back home. It was an amazing climb, an a totally unique experience to be surrounded by such an alien landscape as a glacier. I was super lucky to have a great group of friends willing to take me.




A view of Pico Argentina, front right, from the glacier below



Climbing up to the saddle between the two peaks

Chris leads the way climbing the last vertical pitch


James and I celebrate on the summit

The beginning of the repel down from the summit

Some steep snow, but so much easier coming down

Crampons help, but you don't wont to slip . . . the drop off is pretty sheer to the right


A last stop on the snow before reaching the refugio


Let me introduce you to the staff which had a hot meal waiting for us back at the refugio.