New 27-Pitch Rock Climb Opened in Patagonia
Thirty years after climbers first tried this 900-metre wall, three Italians have succeeded in taking it to the summit
On the northwest face of Patagonia’s Cerro Piergiorgio, Italian climbers Matteo Della Bordella, Dario Eynard and Mirco Grasso have completed the first ascent of Gringos Locos. The 900-metre big wall was first tried in 1995 by Maurizio Giordani and Luca Maspes, and while they made it to within striking distance of the top, nobody until now had cracked the final pitches.
Della Bordella, Dario Eynard, and Mirco Grasso had made it halfway up the route during their first attempt last month, after waiting for weeks for good weather. After bailing, they returned to El Chalten in hopes of one more weather window in 2025.
Gringos Locos is 27 pitches with the cruxes coming in at 5.11d and A2. Speaking with the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), they said it was the most difficult climb of their lives. The climb was part of the CAI Eagle Project, which teams veteran climbers with younger alpinists who show promise to the be the future of the sport.
“We took advantage of every second of good weather,” Della Bordella said to Planet Mountain. “In order to succeed, we continued climbing after sunset and reached the top at 3 a.m., just before the bad weather arrived. We couldn’t complete the climb in alpine style as we had hoped because the weather window was too short. However, we brought back all the gear we used on the wall, including the 480 meters of fixed ropes.”
