The Myth of Cerro Torre

The West Face on the Patagonian granite needle - the first Winter Ascent

It was clear to me: This was my peak. The first time I was in Patagonia, on Fitz Roy, I caught myself constantly peering over to the massive granite pinnacle of Cerro Torre. The 3128-meter high peak is captivating and alluring, towering steep and lean into the sky, making this first winter ascent mean all the more to me. In the winter of 1999, together with 3 friends, David Fasel, Stephan Siegrist and Greg Crouch, I conquered the West Face of Cerro Torre – on a route that Casimiro Ferrari first climbed in 1974. Tricky mixed terrain, hoar frost, a steep face up to 90 degrees, not a soul in sight – that was what we were dealing with. I brought 120 movies back from the mountain along with numerous images of which some were published by National Geographic magazine, making yet another dream come true.

Read the 19-page travel report (PDF file) in National Geographic including many great pictures.