Royal Flush on Patagonia’s Fitz Roy Gets Rare Ascent
The 1,200-metre route has only been climbed a handful of times since the first ascent in the 1980s
Pedro Odell, Tomas Odell, and Bauti Gregorini have climbed Royal Flush on the east face of Fitz Roy, one of Patagonia’s most elusive big wall lines. Their climb marks a significant milestone for a new generation of Patagonia climbers, as all three are in their early 20s.
The 1,200-metre 5.12 A0 was mostly first climbed in the mid-1990s by Kurt Albert, Bernd Arnold, Jorg Gerschel, and Lutz Richte. In 1998, three climbers made the first complete ascent to Fitz Roy’s summit after fixing ropes. In 2005, Tommy Caldwell and Topher Donahue freed the crux pitch but conditions prevented a completely free ascent. In 2008, Jimmy Haden and Mike Pennings made the first alpine-style ascent. No complete free ascent has been made to date due to the often-wet crux pitches.
The Odells and Gregorini had hoped for a full free ascent, but, like many parties before them, they were shut down by the route’s defining challenge: running water. Several pitches were so soaked that free climbing was out of the question. Also to note, a major rockfall last March had altered the opening chimney, leaving it unstable, but the trio managed to free it.
About the rockfall, Patagonia expert Rolando Garibotti said in spring 2024: A 20-meter flake fell off the first rock pitch of Royal Flush. The original first pitch climbed an incredible splitter to the left, that ended in a blank face and used in the last five meters the flake that fell. Now it does not connect anymore. Alternatively people used to climb the flake itself, which was easier but scary. Now one needs to climb a chimney (6c A0) that has several dangerous, unstable blocks, one of which has a guillotine like edge. It is not possible to climb it as a chimney because of the blocks that are on the left side, but it should be free climbable.
Pedro, 22, and Tomas, 20, grew up with Patagonia as their backyard. Pedro climbed Aguja Guillaumet at 13 with his father, U.S.-born ski legend Max Odell, and by 17 was teaming up with Tomas, then 15. In 2022, Pedro opened a new 600-metre route, El Zorro y la Rosa (5.11c C1), on the south face of Aguja St. Exupery with Horacio Gratton and Esteban Degregori, and later partnered with visiting legends Colin Haley and Thomas Huber. Together, Pedro and Tomas have reached climbed Fitz Roy’s Supercanaleta and Cerro Torre.
In 2023, Pedro and Tomas established the 550-metre Yacaré on Rafael Juarez in the Fitz Roy massif at the start of February. They freed steep cracks up to 5.11 but had to aid some wide sections. Pete Whittaker and Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll were more than happy to repeat the splitter line, freeing the remaining sections at 5.12.
Follow Pedro and Tomas below as we head into the summer season for Patagonia and there wills surely be much more action.
