From the Frey Refugio, it’s hard to count all the climbable towers circling the Laguna Tonchek, but it’s easy to imagine their shapes as cannons, faces, animals, chopsticks and hand gestures. The uniqueness of climbing in this area made the trip to Bariloche in the Lakes District of Central Patagonia an easy “yes”. I speak about logistics in this blog post, but this is my climbing primer from getting on top of some amazing spires!
Aguila Frey Region
A ten minute hike up from the Refugio, an easy view from the picnic table is Aguila Frey. It gets A LOT of climbing-action with some approachable grades. The main gulley up towards the easiest climb Diedro Fissura Jim (5.8, 1.5p, 50m) was a cluster of people hanging out and filling a tight space. This climb seems to have a reputation for being easy but I saw multiple people bail off the first and second pitches. I found P1 interesting 5.8 and P2 not perfect hands but a #4 into good hands. Both this climb (Diedro) and the popular “Lost Fingers” classic rappel Diedro Jim to add even more of a cluster among people rappelling down, waiting in line and leading up. Diedro was worth the introduction to the area after the hike up, but otherwise not the full value experience I was looking for up here.
Other notable climbs:
- Lost Fingers 6a+ (10a) 70m 3p: has a classic overhung corner pitch with fingers
- Si Fuentes-Weber 5+ (5.9) 10m 4p: Easiest way up the spire, but supposed to be classic 5.9
M2 / Abeluo / La Vieja Saddle
I considered this the main rock sector visible from the Refugio, with its cluster of spires under the highest tower: Torre Principal. The approach takes 1-1.5 hrs depending on where you are going on mostly semi-loose rock/dirt (1-2mi, 1200-1500′). Since you can see all the towers and the approach from the lodge, it seemed it would be a chill hike but took quite a bit more effort and was looser at times than expected.
We got on the super aesthetic Aguila La Vieja (~320 ft tall) (pg 88) with our friends. They went up the sporty, runout but extremely aesthetic face / right arete Julie Pot de Colle (10c) and I went up the classic trad, cracky Sudafricana experience (10b/c). P1 was varied and fun 5.8, P2 was burly lieback-sidepull-roof to an exciting! / runout offwidth (#6 would have been nice) to good protectable offwidth and P3 had a fun delicate traverse / exposed arete with tricky gear. What an indelible rock feature to climb!
Other notable climbs:
M2’s Del Diedro 5+ (5.9, pg 66) ‘classic corners’ pitch looked a pretty full-on lieback 5.9 and was not going to be the cruise-fest I thought it would be. So while it would have been cool to get on another spire, after Sudafricana, I was pretty tired on the way back from La Vieja.
Torre Principal (pg 146)
Torre Principal is the big tower that looks like a chimney from all over Bariloche and the highest thing around in the Frey region. I was hoping to get on Clemenso (5+ [5.9] 650 ft, 4p / 6r x 35m) because it had this wild u-shaped cave pitch that was “confirmed wild” from first hand recounting at dinner. However, we all got on the “more approachable” Normal Ruta (10a, 400 ft, 5p) which was full value with a lot of varied and harder than expected climbing: a full offwidth pitch off hollow-ish blocks (P3: 5.8), a steep overhung wide chimney-roof pullover (P4: 5.6?!?) and an exhilarating, tiny friction face finish to the summit block (P5: 10a, 13 draws).
Amazing views up there of the rocky ridges, huge Tronador peak / glacier (20mi away at 11k), steep Puntiagudo volcano 45 miles away in Chile and the lakes of Bariloche. Really any route up here would be well worth it.
Our timing for a moderately paced group:
- 7:40am – start hiking (well marked cairns kick off right after gulley and to the right of Tonto)
- 9:35am – Base of climb (2 hrs approach)
- 2:30pm – Summit (5 hrs climb)
- 3pm – Start raps
- 5:15pm – Base (2 hrs rappeling)
- 7:20pm – Back at refugio (some breaks)
Tent-tent: 12 hours (a faster group could probably shave 1-2 hrs off)
Campanile Region
This is the farthest region from the refugio with 2+ hrs approach (2.5mi, 2500′), but was the other major area of super aesthtic spires. I tried hard to get my friend to hike out here and get on the rad classic El Campanile (pg 198), Imaginate (6a+, E2/3, 5p, 6r) which had a description including: a wind-sculpted ear, an imposing layback crack, a perfect bivy cave, a horizontal roof and it being “one of the most memorable climbs imaginable” while Mountain Project comments said things like “the most interesting thing I’ve ever climbed”. Seemed amazing but would be a long, big day. Would be high on my list on return.
Other routes on the wish list:
- El Gruyere’s (pg 187) El circo de Bartolo: 6a+ #2 100m 6p, 1r 35m for an amazing hueco climb
- Buch-Gion 5+ (5.9) 80/140m route on Campanile for textbook corners, “one of the best climbs for the grade”
Summary
This is an amazing climbing area with many aesthetic rock spires, towers, needles. It felt pretty standardly graded and no route felt beginner friendly. There is a lot of great 5.10 trad climbing here, but a confident 5.9 leader will have a great time. The Frey Spire was very busy, but out in the mountains there is maybe only one other party on any route we got on.
