Patagonia climbing is bigger news these days than ever before and many people want to climb there. But then there are the stories; legendary storms, hundred mile and hour winds that destroy everything, iced up rock and one word tends to sum up a lot of Patagonian climbing – epic. But it does not have to be this way. Located in the Fitzroy group Guillaumet is only a couple of summits away from Fitroy proper. What a difference a few summits make - Fitzroy is an awesome granite tower over 11,000' high; Guillamet is 3,000' lower and offers a mellower Patagonia climbing experience - if the weather cooperates. A cushy basecamp complete with fresh bread and cold beer positions us for a move to a high camp at about 4,500'. Weather permitting the climb is done as a day out and back from high camp and is characterized by a snowy approach and then fifteen to twenty pitches of fine rock climbing that are somewhat reminiscent of the East Buttress route on Mt. Whitney. The first ascent of Cerro Guillaumet was on 12 January 1965 by the Argentines Jose Luis Fonrouge and Carlos Comensaña, who climbed in alpine style taking a day and a half to the summit.

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Itinerary
Patagonia has changed a lot over the last few years and it is now possible to fly into the town of Calafate readily. There are regular connection from Buenos Aires and within a day of leaving home you are in the wilds of Patagonia. A far cry from the days of the first ascent of Fitzroy when it took days of travel in an ox cart to get Estancia Madsen at the base of the massif.

Day 0 Arrive in El Calafate.

Day 1 First actual day of the trip. We will shuttle to El Chalten the dusty outpost below Fitzroy. Here we will continue to our basecamp at Piedra de Fraile, a small in holding of private land within Los Glacieres National Park.

Day 2 Shuttle gear and equipment to the Black rock Bivvy and get prepped.

Days 3-10 Wait for that elusive weather window. When the weather clears and the barometer goes up, so do we

Day 11 Return to Calafate

Day 12 Return home

Notes
Patagonia is renowned as being the home of the wind. The weather can vary from bad to abysmal. So keep this in mind when you venture here since a big part of the game is waiting for clear weather. Patience is the key. There are plenty of hiking and exploring options but once it turns fine we move. Luck plays a big part and all we can do is hope for a nice fine day. But when it does clear there is truly no place on earth that comes close to the stunning beauty of this area.