Fanny Schmutz from Chamonix, Lise Billon from Drôme and Maud Vanpoulle from the Hautes-Alpes are in Patagonia. Between now and mid-March, these three guides will attempt the first female climb on the south-east ridge of the famous 1000m granite spire topped by an ice mushroom.
The 3 mountaineers find themselves roped up, in this austral summer, between Argentina and Chile for an extraordinary adventure.
Long reputed to be the most difficult mountain to climb, its alleged conquest between 1959 and 1970 by the Italian Cesare Maestri, at the cost of 400 pitons planted in the rock, has remained controversial. The famous 1000 m granite spire topped by a snow mushroom even inspired German director Werner Herzog to make a memorable film: Cerro Torre, the cry of the rock.
On the menu, three days of mixed and rocky climbing to cover the 28 pitches of this smooth colossus, whose decisive length, below the summit, is rated 7b. This promises a committed finale, as the Cerro Torre is so notoriously difficult to summit.
Le Dauphiné
