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Desmochada, Southwest Buttress, "Golden Eagle" (Patagonia)
At the 29th of January the Swiss Stephan Siegrist and I went from Campo Bridwell to Campo de
los Polacos, directly below the Westface of Aguja Desmochada.. Next morning we started at about
6 o'clock climbing up the lower slab to the begin of the actual climbing, which was just at the
base of the prominent Southwest Butress of Aguja Desmochada. This steep granite Spire was first
climbed by Jim Bridwell and was named after its characteristic summit: a hundred meters long,
fully horizontal knifedged ridge of monolithic granite.
Our new route "Golden Eagle" follows more or less the line of the prominent Southwest Buttress.
The lower, less than vertical part was climbed just a bit left to the Buttress while the route
in the dead-vertical central part follows up the very obvious and continuous cracksystem just right
of the Buttress. Just two pitches above the ‚Eagle's Nest' - a tower, which offers a perfect bivy
platform in the vertical world - the climbing gets easier and the route follows the now low angle
line of the buttress.
At about 9 a.m. we started climbing and reached the end of the vertical, central part. We fixed our
two climbing ropes and rapelled back to the ‚Eagle's Nest'. After a beautiful and exposed bivy night
we started again with the first light and made it despite to the chilly and windy conditions to the
summit at about 11a.m. We descended via the fully equipped rappel route of the american route and
made it back to Campo de los Polacos at about 6 p.m. The next morning saw us, with all our equipment,
walking back to Campo Bridwell.
We made the first ascent of "Golden Eagle" without any previous exploring, without any previous
preparation - fully alpine style from Campo Bridwell to Campo Bridwell.
Because of the snowfalls in the days just before our ascent the cracks of the first three pitches of
the vertical, central part of the wall had been iced up and made the climbing difficult. This was the
reason why we had to aidclimb two short sections of the first of these pitches (under better conditions
this pitch should go free with difficulties not exceeding 5.11). The rest of the route went free, even
though (due to the cold conditions) we had to rest several times on several pitches (french free,
difficulties up to 5.11).
The central part of the route offers mostly steep climbing on cracks of hand and fist size. The granite
is typically very rough and the use of tape might be recommended. The rest of the route is quite moderate
and not too steep face climbing.
To repeat the route, we recommend to bring Cam 0 - 4, with double gear of the midrange sizes, plus a
full set of stoppers. Even though not absolutely necessary, it might sensible to bring a small set of
pitons. Despite one piton in pitch 9 and one stopper on the belay after that pitch, there is no gear on
any other of the 25 pitches of the route.
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