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Cerro Torre: The spell of Patagonia's tower - part 3 Final
Nov 9, 2004 12: 03 EST
Patagonia is located in the southern end of South America, territory of Argentina and Chile, stretching South to the island of Tierra del Fuego and North to the south of the river Colorado between the Andes and the Atlantic Ocean. One of Patagonia’s most outstanding peaks is Cerro Torre (Mountain Tower).
In this ExWeb series we have visited the tower and its climbing history, celebrating 30 years this year. We described the first "official" ascent by Ferrari, a bitter repeat climb by Maestro "the Dolomite Spider," whose partner carrying the camera with summit proof had died on descent, and Ferrari's final destiny to leave Italy behind and live at the foot of his mountain to his death in 2001. Today, Part 3: A new generation - The spell continues.
Ermanno Salvaterra on Cerro Torre's East face
“Back to Patagonia, to Cerro Torre. Nearly three years have gone by since our first attempt to scale the legendary, forbidding "East Face" of the Torre. And as my former companions chose not to return, I had to come up with new ones for the enterprise on the quick.”
Those are the words of Ermanno Salvaterra, another Italian somehow bonded to Patagonia, just as Maestri and Ferrari before him.
An Italian sweetheart
Cerro Torre seems to pose an irresistible attraction to Italian alpine climbers. Alessandro Beltrami and Giacomo Rossetti are the new expedition members (once Matteo Rivadossi renounced last Friday), ready to follow Ermanno to one of the least hospitable places on Earth. Their target is, if possible, even more hostile: a new line on the East Face of Cerro Torre.
Love before the first sight
Salvaterra fell in love with Cerro Torre even before he had laid his eyes on it. He heard tales of Patagonia from friends back in 1981, and focused all his energy to get there.
In 1982, he climbed Cerro Torre for his first time and managed to reach the infamous Dolomite Spider compressor that sits 50 meters from the summit.
Winter climb
He came back the next year and made it to the summit in the company of Maurizio Giarolli. After a short Himalayan brake – an attempt on Makalu - he heard the call and returned to Patagonia, again to Cerro Torre, which he climbed again, in winter this time.
Although Ermanno works as a mountain refuge guard in the Dolomites, he returns to the southern tip of America as often as possible. He has already been there more than 20 times.
Start from scratch this time
“On the previous occasion we got approximately 800 meters up the peak, still had another 400 to go to make it to the top. Now we'll have to start from scratch," he says about the East Face.
Unknown territory
"Yet we do have an advantage: I'm quite familiar with the face up to that point and at least we'll find the belay stations already in place. But beyond that, everything will be entirely new to us, there to discover.
If weather conditions are favorable we shouldn't have much trouble with the initial part of the climb. Afterwards however the going will surely get rough, the route enigmatic, forbidding.
It's a massive wall that despite all the years I've spent in the area has never let me scan it in full – not even with a binocular. Finally, there are the last 150 meters. Apart from the large ice bollards jutting out over our heads, we know nothing about them.”
A simple plan
“Our plan is simple, even if it'll all depend on the weather. The idea is to climb the initial 250 meters, up to the first snowfield, and from that point remain definitively on the wall with our portaledges. We'll have with us supplies and gear for two weeks.”
The guys have already reached the wall, a feat no so easy to accomplish, having in mind that the storm kept them in a snow refuge for two days, between base camp and the wall itself. Yesterday they reported to be OK, in their portaledge waiting for the - as usual- bad weather to recede.
The Slovenian "Direttissima del Infierno"
The climbers intend to set a line straight by the center of the 1200m long wall. Up to now there is only one route opened on Torre’s east face: the "Direttissima del Infierno" (Hell’s Direttissima) opened in 1986 by Slovenians Karo, Knez, Jegli, Podgornik, Kozjek, and Fistravec.
The Slovenian route merges in the last 150 m with Cesare "Compressor route", set on the East ridge. Another route opened by British Burke and Proctor, overcomes instead the great overhanging dihedral (300m) that leads to the North face.
Ermanno Salvaterra, born in 1955, lives in Trento, Italy. In charge of a mountain hut in the Brenta Dolomites, he also works as a ski instructor and a mountain guide. His life is a continuous return to Cerro Torre and the Fitz Roi Massif, in more than 20 expeditions. He has climbed in all parts of the American Continent and also has a speed skiing record (212 km/hour, set in 1988.)
Alessandro Beltrammi, 23 years old, is a recently graduated mountain guide from the Trento region. Specialized in sport climbing, he is also skilled in all types of mountain terrain.
Giacomo Rossetti, 31 years old, was born in Nave. Caver and climber, he is also specialized in aid climbing, having sent some A5 routes.
Image of team member watching the Cerro Torre and Fitzroi massiv, courtesy
of Colmar.it
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