Patagonia’s Mega.. boulders?

Patagonia is known for its granite spires, Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre, but over the years, alpine climbers kept busy on rest days by establishing some easy to hard boulder problems. Bouldering pioneer Fred Nicole made the trip and climbed a number of new lines, including a stellar-looking V13.  

Cesar Acuna is busy working on the new guidebook which will feature new routes by Nicole, Toni Lamprect, Ueli Steck, Alex Honnold and more. Although El Chalten is a little out of the way for the long-weekend road-trip, perhaps more boulderers, keen on new-routing, will make the voyage.

Casi Nipo

Climbers started cleaning routes at “Almost Niponino”  in 2012, it is about 45 minutes from El Chalten.

The Carrier is the first boulder with some routes maxing out at 10 metres.

Fisurita uncomfortable : V4 / 5 (Dörte Pietron, 12/2012) 

Crossing Hinterstoisser : V7 (Ueli Steck, 12/2013), Named for the famous Eiger pitch. 

Homo heidelbergensis : V5 / 6 (Dörte Pietron, 12/2012) 

The Puma : V6 / 7 (Josh Wharton, 12/2013)

Project : Fred Nicole’s mega project. 

Acroyoga : V5 (Lukas Mathis, 12/2013)

Hera’s Problem : V7 / . 8 (Josh Wharton, 12/2013) 

Devil’s Beard : V8 / 9 (Toni Lamprecht, 12/2013), the last step is quite hard and very high. 

The Galleon . V11 (Fred Nicole, 12/2013), begins sitting on a clear strip to both hands 

El Condor : V8 / 9 (Toni Lamprecht, 12/2013), originally V10, lowered by Alex Honnold.

The Menhir is the next boulder, which has a number of V4-V8 routes climbed by Caldwell, Pietron, Nicole, Steck and Josh Wharton. The classic is The Wailing Wall which was climbed by Wharton, a seven-metre V7.

Block Cricket is another popular bloc, in 2013 Lamprecht climbed Encadeno, V10, and Nicole established Encadeno One, V13, to its right.

For more info and to see some great shots of Fred Nicole climbing, visit Pata Climb.

Sources: Pata Climb