Cerro Torre

El Chalten

Even today, what seemed like a quiet transfer day turned into an overwhelming journey towards the endless beauty of this region. The sky is clear and it's even warm when we have breakfast at the usual café near the petrol station in El Calafate. The croissants, which are called "medialuna" here, have become a regular occurrence. A fill-up with fuel and off to El Chalten.

Cerro Torre

The camera has already taken over 2000 photos on the memory card, but I only need one more: the one with him. Cerro Torre. In reality, fate had much more in store for me. The road is completely paved. and offers a more varied route than the usual steppes previously traveled. It's certainly not arid, but it follows the course of the River La Leona with wide ascents and descents that make the journey more interesting.

It's interesting to notice how these arid and desolate lands can be traversed by such bright rivers. However, the Argentino and Viedma Lakes, which receive the meltwater from the enormous glaciers, allow their waters to flow into the rivers that cross the desert, eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean. This creates a spectacle of large blue strips that cut through the ochre color of the steppe. This is particularly impressive when you arrive by plane.

Cerro Torre and El Chalten

As we continue, the peaks of the park begin to emerge in the distance, and one in particular excites our minds. There are still 150 km left, but its shape, when viewed closely, is unmistakable: it's Cerro Torre, without clouds. Even from a great distance, we can see it. In fact, it's this mountain that has decided to show itself today. The ground is now mostly flat, and the few undulations never manage to hide the iconic landmark before us. From here begins a race against time, with the fear that some clouds might prevent us from seeing it once we are close. We have to stop several times to take pictures in the distance, as the surrounding landscape also becomes increasingly interesting. Almost at the finish line, we finally arrive at El Chalten And here we look for accommodation for tonight, at least to leave our luggage. The Las Piedras hotel is on the ground floor in an American style. And here another curious and unexpected event occurs: the manager, who addresses us in English, tells us to speak calmly in Spanish. After a while, hearing us speak Italian, he asks us to speak calmly in Italian as well, because he does too, but eventually we discover that he is from Piedmont and we can finally speak our native language 14,000 km away. Not only that, Elvio tells us that his grandfather is from Nole Canavese, while on his mother's side he has origins in Moncalieri and Pralormo. At this point, we stop exploring the topic to avoid discovering any family ties. He kindly asks us to leave our luggage on the lawn and advises us to run towards the Montagna because a day like this is truly rare. It's 12 o'clock, and we don't even need to ask twice. We travel for a few hundred meters by motorized vehicle until we reach the beginning of the path. From here, we continue on foot with many changes in elevation and different ascents and descents, first with Cerro Torre. the Fitz Roy ahead. Then only with the first one to guide us. It's pointless to say that photos are taken from every position, almost as if it were a target, even though it actually is. No woman could have sparked our interest more at that moment. It’s true that in this case, a rough vertical wall is preferred over smooth, soft curves. But this is love! After the long walk under a scorching sun and the sunscreen with SPF 50 which barely filters its rays, we arrive at her presence when it's 3:00 PM, corresponding to 600 meters of altitude difference.

This is not intended to be an idolization of a stone block, although it stands at 2000 meters, but rather the proper gratitude towards one of the ultimate beauties that is Nature had managed to create, moreover on a day of wonderful sunshine We reach Laguna Torre, which, along with the corresponding glacier, separates us from the southern and eastern walls of our mountain. Some small icebergs float on the lake, while a bird belonging to the eagle family, called... Carancho (like a bird) flies above us. My desire to get as close as possible to Cerro makes me consider going around the lake on the left, but there is a fast-flowing river that branches off from it and I don't think it's advisable to use the cable that was put up for crossing, although there isn't the equipment needed to set up a pulley system. I see some guys coming back using this system: they seem Indiana Jones Let's try on the right side, where a path follows the ridge of the moraine and we reach the point where the glacier ends. a quick dip in the lake with a front of about twenty meters. Beyond that is not possible, but we are already very satisfied. And with just as much satisfaction We head towards our accommodation to enjoy the guanaco with polenta (what a delicious treat!), and the hare marinated in brine that Elvio has prepared for us.

Let's listen to his stories: he tells us that not everyone manages to climb it every year and that the expeditions sometimes have to wait months before finding a relatively stable window of opportunity. There are no normal routes, they are all very challenging and few people can handle them. He also speaks passable Piedmontese, although he often confuses terms with French, which is understandable since he doesn't use it very often. For this reason, he asks us to only communicate with him in Piedmontese, which we gladly accept. Being able to speak Piedmontese in such a remote place is already an exciting experience that adds to the excitement of seeing Cerro Torre, but the accommodation and hospitality are also excellent.

My grandparents came to Argentina around 1925 and settled in Cordoba, where people from Piedmont, accustomed to working the land, usually went, while those from the south went to Mar del Plata, where there were opportunities for fishing work. He has been living in El Chalten for 17 years and can be considered one of the pioneers, as the town was founded just in 1985. At that time, only about 42 people lived there, including 10 members of a single family. It was created to establish a base in an area where Chile was starting to make territorial claims. Currently, the town does not have GSM coverage and electricity is provided through diesel-powered generators. Elvio tells us that with the rivers and wind here, it would be very easy to become energy self-sufficient, but for some, it is more profitable to use the generator system. Many roads are unpaved, and everything alternates between recent constructions, sometimes even beautiful ones, and abandoned, dilapidated houses. However, it is clear that there is a significant construction boom, which is demonstrated by the many hotels under construction. Despite the good weather, life with the summer winds and winter cold must be anything but simple, but just looking north can dispel any doubts.

Today we were lucky! To find Cerro Torre free from wind and storms on the day you pay it homage is a matter of luck, not skill. The skill, however, lies in attempting its ascent, trying to climb its two thousand meters of vertical granite.