Off to Patagonia

Patagonia is a dream destination for alpine climbers worldwide, but it can be a daunting and challenging environment. Aside from the infamous Cerro Torre skyline, its most notable feature might be the audacious weather and unforgiving alpine environment.

Pete Whittaker returned from his first trip to Patagonia this year, where he accomplished two first free ascents and gained valuable tips and insights. We sat down with him to discuss his preparation and advice for first-time climbers heading to Patagonia and hear his thoughts on how to enjoy a trip and return satisfied.

To start, what sparked your interest in Patagonia? It is very different from your typical climbing style.
Patagonia is always somewhere I’ve wanted to visit, as I thought it would suit my style of climbing well; big rock faces, crack climbing, and moving quickly and efficiently over moderate-level and adventurous terrain.

How does it compare to other destinations you have visited, such as Norway, Yosemite, or the US desert?
The nuts and bolts are the same; jamming techniques like I’ve practiced in Utah, moving quickly like in Yosemite, and climbing adventurous terrain like in Norway are all the same. The big differences are the weather and approaches…

Let’s jump straight into the notorious weather, then. How did this affect your approach to climbing, and what strategies did you use to adapt to the weather?
Climbing in good weather is really important in Patagonia. From only climbing three routes there this season, I can already understand that you can die if you misjudge the weather or get caught out.

The approach myself and my climbing partner, Sean Villanueva O’Drsicoll, took was to pick the objective for the weather and conditions rather than trying to fit a planned objective around the weather. I believe this is how we’ve actually managed to get some stuff done, as the weather windows have been short. This is an approach I would probably take if I came back in the future. It also prevents any trip disappointment.

You had the benefit of climbing with your friend Sean. Is teaming up with an experienced Patagonian climber crucial for success and safety?
Having a partner who has spent a lot of time in Patagonia is massively beneficial; however, it’s not essential. I had four friends from the UK who were all on their first trip to the area. They got a bunch of good climbs done, but I could also tell they were very careful and thoughtful about how they approached things. They respected the mountains and good decision-making, and ultimately they had a good trip.

Is there a resource you used or would suggest to someone for their first climbing trip here?
Get information before you go. Ask questions to friends who have been, and read the front of the guidebook; there is a lot of good information in there!

Visit pataclimb.com and read all the information there. Once you’ve done that, take the appropriate steps that make sense to you.

What was the most challenging aspect of climbing in Patagonia for you?
The most challenging aspect for me is the objective danger of being in the mountains. There is constant rock fall, seracs, avalanching, etc.

It’s impossible to eliminate yourself from all these dangers, but you can try and minimize them to the best of your ability. For example, even if the longer approach is a total ball ache, take that way because objectively, it’s much safer than the one that is two hours shorter.

You managed to put up two first free ascents. Can you share how you picked and scouted these routes or your process?
This was a lot down to my climbing partner’s knowledge. He has good connections in the area and knows the locals well. The first free ascents we climbed were routes put up as first ascents this season.

If you are interested in FFAs, then using @patagoniavertical on Instagram and the new guidebook as a source of knowledge is a good starting point. In the guidebook, you can easily see if existing routes have points of aid to be freed.

The routes you climbed had some impressive cracks and off-width sections. This seems really fitting for you, is being an expert crack climber an essential Patagonia skill?
Let’s put it this way… I’m very glad I can crack climb. So many of the rock-based routes follow crack features. To me, it feels like an essential tool that everyone should have for climbing there.
I always say that your climbing ability/experience is your first point of safety, so having that crack climbing ability under my belt and not worrying the whole time about ‘the next pitch’ really helped.

You were having a lot of fun on the routes. So how do you balance this and the possible stress of this big environment?
Having a good time and ensuring you want to be there is really important. It helps eliminate mistakes and stops you from taking shortcuts on things. The more of these you prevent, the safer the trip in the mountains is. The nice thing about Sean is he knows when to have fun and when to get shit done; I like that. It means you have a good time but, at the same time, are less likely to get yourself into a sticky situation. The less sticky situations, then the more fun you can have.

Okay, last question, how are you managing to stay focused or calm in those adverse conditions and comfortably move through the mental and physical fatigue on these long routes?
I’m always drawing from past experiences to help overcome the current situation. If I’m feeling mentally/physically tired and it’s difficult, then I consider when the last time was, I felt like this? What did I do? and how can I apply that to the current situation in a better way?
I go through these steps and try to get on with it as best as possible.