Season Opening for Frey

It is now the time of year to camp and climb in Frey. This weekend has been a meticulously chronicled proof of that!My trusty, lightweight, 3-season, 2-person Sierra Designs tent stands strong against the cold winds of September's goodbyes to the valley and Frey.
DAY 1:
Since I was the only person tenting in this pretty cold weather, I had my pick of all of the campsites, or should I say, rounded fortresses of stacked rocks that partially protect your tent from the wind. More importantly, my view was in my hands! I chose the place closest to the valley! With a cushion underneath my sleeping bag, I slept very warmly! The main obstacle between my dreams and myself was getting accustomed to sleeping in such a restrictive cocoon!
My two new French friends, Mateo and Sage, arriving ahead of me up the snow-covered trail to Refugio Frey.

As any good adventure goes, it begins with something being forgotten. This trip it turned out to be Marcus' car lights. He got a text on his cellphone about 1 hour into the hike from a friend, telling him that he left them on. This is lucky because we were nearly out of cellular reception; unlucky because he had to run back and forth to turn them off, and I was the best option for carrying his bag along with my own! I do need the practice! He caught up with us before the last part: the steep and snowy section! Thank goodness! The rest of the trek is history!
Marcus belaying Mateo up the last pitch of Aguja Frey's classic and original, Sifuentes-Weber, 90m, 5+. This is one of my favorite pictures not so much for the perspective of the refugio and bushes below, but for the evident happiness in both of my friends, withstanding the cold!

This climb is a classic. Last April I tried to climb it, but I didn't study the guidebook well enough before hitting the rock and ended up finishing after the first two pitches on a long last pitch that was an interesting 6a+. This time, not only did we do the correct final two pitches of Sifuentes-Weber, which are really classic, but thanks to Marcus and Mateo and Sage, I got to lead the first three pitches and practice a technique new to me, namely belaying two people at once! It was a great experience and a great feeling to be back on adventurous yet secure terrain being, as Mateo puts it, "Brave and safe"!
The view of the valley as seen from atop of Aguja Frey. I love Frey!
Marcus poses while belaying atop of Aguja Frey, with a gorgeous sun setting behinds Frey's lineup of proud towers. The leftmost and tallest at around 2400m is Torre Principal, my goal for Monday...! For now, we go back to the refugio and chat in a warm room with our friends Emma, Rob, and Murph from the hostel, Pudu that is, Miles, my ex-nextdoor-neighbor, and Allen, my new friend and refugio-worker. Dinner never tasted so good! Next time I think I'll bring more food, drinks, chocolate, and wine! :)

DAY 2:
The adventure into the unknown!

For some reason my camera was low on battery at the beginning of this two-day climbing rampage so I didn't take that many pictures. That includes missed shots of most of today's activities, so words and memories will have to suffice - and how! We left the refugio at about 11am with one large backpack filled with our ropes, some snacks, the water bottle attached, and wearing jackets and gloves that Marcus let us borrow, and the gear on my harness since I'll be the lead-climber, we start marching slightly uphill towards the largest track of snow nearest Torre Principal.A picture of Frey, with our approach hike and climb lightly drawn over it. Click on the picture for an enlarged view and better look at where we went!

On the steeper portions of the ascent we encountered only a thin layer of snow above the ice. Luckily, Mateo had burly stiff boots and more frequently than not went first to dig the largest footprints possible to follow. We were safe, but mind you next time I plan on bringing crampons with Marcus and maybe a set of ice-axes for security. As it turns out, the descent through this area was way easier and non-technical in the evening thanks to the warming power of the sun! Long story short: we didn't weave very much, we didn't fall, and we arrived at the little snow-covered dip between Torre Principal (the huge one in the picture) and La Lechuza. I was stunned at the view. Without a doubt, it is the most awe-inspiring thing I have seen this entire trip and I want to return to see it again A.S.A.P., hopefully even better from the summit of Principal (hint, hint). You can see layers of snow-covered mountains Mount Tronador, Lanin, Osorno, Lago Gutierrez, Nahuel-Huapi, Morenito!! It's incredible! Mountains upon mountains, valleys and peaks and lakes! And I was so awe-stricken and caught up also with time and our goal of climbing and even just arriving at our route on Principal that I didn't even take a single picture of it!

After some other small adventures, and typically tough route-finding in Frey made even more difficult by the deepness of the snow, we started climbing. This was funny because we had to make an anchor for ourselves at the base of whatever climb it was we were doing just to stay on the wall and not fall back into the steep bank of the snow that we traversed at the base of Principal. Well, also to hang our backpack up, put on our shoes, have a snack and water, get out and organize the gear and ropes, etc.! Then I started climbing. Occasionally snow and ice filled up the crack, leading me to sport-climbing techniques, and sometimes eliminating gear placements causing run-outs. As it turned out, the first two pitches which are normally French-grade 4 and about 30-meters each, I led together! Marcus yelled up as we had discussed, "You have 5 meters left" (in Castellano, or spanish), and since I could still see no bolted anchors but rather only ledges of snow and ice and more of it, I backtracked and made an anchor for him to follow!Mateo giving the peace sign at the anchor of pitch 2 of Torre Principal's ice- and snow-ridden Clemenzo route. I'd still give it three stars!

By the time Mateo arrived, it was almost 4:30, getting colder on the shaded East Face of Torre Principal, and his toes were numb. I gave leading one more shot and could see no way to pass through. I new that we had arrived at the snowy ledge that was supposed to be a traversing pitch, but without an ice axe to clean it, there would be no gear placements let alone climbing it! N8 atop pitch two of Clemenzo on Torre Principal, Frey, Argentina.So, again I backtracked, looped a sling around some sturdy triangular rocks for a second anchor, better suited for bailing since it only left a cheap sling behind, as opposed to three expensive and useful cams, and down we went!Our progress up the Clemenzo route, roughly sketched on a picture I took of Torre Principal as we were trekking away from it after bailing.

Another great part of this adventure was skiing down. After passing over the ridgeline between Principal and Aguja Frey, the softness of the snow literally allowed us to ski with our shoes. Even our friends sitting on rocks around the Refugio, watching us come down, thought that we had skis on! We had allowed ourselves plenty of time to descend before nightfall but as it turned out, descending was fun and easy!!

Mateo and I, happy and tired, turn to look back once more at the footprints from our Torre Principal adventure, with Aguja Frey and our friends awaiting us in the background.

What a great way to make friends closer!

More to come soon! -your landescaper, n8