Climbing in Patagonia: Aguja de l'S via Austríaca

Beau Skalley and I speed-drove 1300km of Argentinian roads past herds of guanacos, drinking thermoses of yerba mate and with only one flat tire to get to Chalten for a small weather window. We joined up with Chris Farrah and Adam Martos to climb Aguja d l'S from the west side via the Austríaca route from Camp Polacos.

This was my first Patagonia summit and the stories lived up to the hype. The approach into the Torre Group across scree-covered glacial moraines was no joke, the packs heavy, the weather finicky, windy and ever-changing, and the climbing and views legendary.

Shout-out to many packs of Oreos, our Rocky Talkies and TruWild turmeric tea for providing some luxuries on the summit!