Mount Fitz Roy: A Mountain Day Dream for Hikers and Climbers

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

Scattered among the usual errands between the condo and the new super supermarket wearing a comfortable pair of loafers with tassels, I do what I enjoy most – pretending I am getting ready for a eco adventure I don’t have the time or money to go on.  Where now?  Mount Fitz Roy (11,073 ft./3,375 m.) in Argentine Patagonia.

Patagonia is romanticized a great deal for its rugged and basic qualities.  Charles Darwin made observations there that lead up to his theory of evolution.  The weather is legendary for being capable of intense wind, intense rain and intense sun, and never when you prefer it.  The landscape is mixed forest, tundra and alpine mountains, comparable to the Dolomites in Italy or parts of the Karakorum in Pakistan.  But what makes it so beautiful is the contrast of the vertical spires of granite against crisp, lush blue skies and green landscapes.

It is a land of mountains without being exclusively or isolated among the mountains, such as in the heart of the Alaska Range or parts of the Rockies.  You can find isolation if that is what you seek, no problem, but the towns in the region, like El Chalten, can provide some amenities for those of us traveling with significant others and children that prefer to “hike” and “climb” from a rocking chair and binoculars (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Fitz Roy is so iconic for Patagonia that if you’re a climber there are few new things to do; all news about climbing Fitz Roy is about variations of routes or linkups, like the climbs Freddie Wilkinson and Dana Drummond made in February 2008.  Regardless, it has been a great day dream.  Here are some facts that I have accumulated about Fitz Roy over the years in case you decide to go:

  • Location: Parque Nacional Los Glacieres, Argentina, South America
  • Summit Elevation: 11,073 ft./3,375 m.
  • First Ascent: February 2, 1952 by the great French alpinist, Lionel Terray with Guido Magnone
  • Traditional Climbing Routes: 15 accepted “standard routes” have been established, including the Franco-Argentine route, 600 m., VI/VI+A2, and most new ascents are actually only variations of established climbs on Fitz Roy
  • Hiking Trails: Several trails can take travelers to backcountry locations with spectacular views like the Laguna de los Tres trail
  • Camping: Several campgrounds including near the village of El Chalten; a climbers-only camp is located en route to Laguna de los Tres
  • Getting There: Fly (US$3,000-6,000 airfare from North America) to El Calfate and board a bus for the ride just under four hours to El Chalten
  • Outfitting: Suppliers carry most goods, but do not depend on isobutene fuels for your stove.  Instead pack a multi-fuel stove like the Whisperlite International
  • Recommended Reading: Mountaineering in Patagonia by Alan Kearney (1993)

I hope this provides some inspiration or at least some escapism.  Now it is time for me to head for the subway and grab a latte from the café before work.  Have a good week, everyone!

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A Fee Increase for Rainier and Denali

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

Word has it that the fees charged by the National Park Service (NPS) for climbing Mount Rainier and Denali are going to increase significantly.  I go back and forth on whether it is ethical to charge anyone anywhere for hiking and climbing.  I am beginning to think there may be some reasons to do so.

The NPS has enjoyed implementing user fees to supplement their budget shortfall over recent years.  Their budget is allocated by Congress through appropriations.  With the down economy, U.S. spending deficit, and other political factors, federal public land maintenance is not a top priority.  It never has been for that matter.  And that is a good thing; too much money for the NPS may mean too many grandiose interpretive centers and not enough wilderness.  So extra cash from the visitors that use the park seems reasonable.

It is probably acceptable to charge fees for any mountain anywhere where the trails are so popular the routes are trampled with refuse, not to mention higher management costs of searches and rescues (SARs).  Rainier passes that test.  Mount McKinley?  Probably.  Ben Nevis?  Not sure.  But doubling the price to play?  That seems tough.

Shouldn’t an increase that big be implemented over a long period of time?  I guess when the park service is funded less, the still popular parks have to fund their services somehow.  I’m sorry that the park service feels it has to come so suddenly.

I’m really sorry for the cash strapped climber that just spent his savings on his new rack and crampons.  Well, there is always next season, boss…

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Lying Climber… Another One

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

It was reported yesterday that Austrian climber Christian Stangl is correcting his earlier story.  He claimed that he was the only mountaineer to top out on K2 this season.  Stangle recently confessed that he only reached about 27,200 ft./8,290 m. up the mountain.  Stangl says he lied because of sponsor pressure. 

Earlier this summer, Korean climber Oh Eun-Sun lied to the climbing community to claim that she was the first woman to reach the world’s 14 meter peaks (see the post Peak Baggers’ Integrity and its link for more informtain.)

NPR: Consumers Buying and Getting Outdoors

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National Public Radio reported earlier this month that despite the recession, the outdoor gear and apparel industry has been doing okay.  To me this illustrates two things: 1) Financially-enabled consumers continue to spend on their hobbies; 2) People want to enjoy the outdoors, possibly above other activities. 

The second point has the most significance to me.  I like to think that our collective interest in the outdoors and our sports of hiking and climbing are coupled with conservation and reducing pollution and waste.  If we are still buying that new headlamp for our next trip, are we also forward looking enough to invest in other “green” efforts?  I hope…

Recycle Camp Stove Fuel Canisters

/ Andrew Szalay / 1 Comment

When we return to camp, cold, dry food doesn’t cut it.  We prefer a hot meal. But my concerns for unnecessary waste and the environment always had me worried about what to do with the fuel canisters from my camp stove.

In the 90s, my uncle and I used a couple of different camp stoves, that at the time the only thing to do with the canisters once they were spent was sit on a shelf in his garage for a year before his wife, my aunt, made him clean them out and put them in the trash.  There must have been a couple dozen of them.

Nobody knew what to do with spent fuel canisters at the time.  Recyclers that could recycle steel were worried about excess fuel and true recycling for such products was not available everywhere.  Today, however, the fuel for Primus, MSR, Soto, Snow Peak, Coleman and other canister fuel camp stoves can be recycled more easily because the knowledge of the canisters (both to hikers and climbers as well as recycling facilities) has been raised.

When the canister is spent, take some additional time to be sure to burn off any little bit of remaining gas.  Then unscrew the canister and puncture it.  Backpacker magazine said you can use a rock to just smash it (that ought to do the trick!) but for a more elegant approach there are tools available, such as the Green Key for Coleman canisters.

I now prefer a white gas stove, like the Whisperlite products.  The fuel is liquid and is easily refillable, though the amount of work is double or triple of using a canister, because of the priming of the fuel and timing of lighting.  The green advantage is that the canister for white gas stoves are reusable and the fuel comes in large containers, meaning less waste.  In addition, the aluminum cans the white gas comes in looks like a can of turpentine, which the local recycling facility is familiar with.

If you need to find a recycling facility near you, go to Earth911.com and type in either “steel” or “aluminum” depending on the canisters you are using and your zip code.

Lastly, here are some informative links on recycling and the canister versus liquid fuel stoves:

How to Recycle Spent Fuel Canisters

http://www.backpacker.com/february_2008_how_to_recycle_spent_fuel_canisters/gear/12084

Canister vs. White Gas

http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-canister-vs-white-gas-sidwcmdev_053437.html

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Link-Ups: Four Sends, Same Day

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Alpinist‘s website reported yesterday that back on July 30, 2010, Matt Ciancio and Peter Croft completed sending four routes in the Northern Sierra, meanwhile in Squamish, BC, Alex Honnold and Will Stanhope climbed four walls as well. 

These same-day, multi-route climbs are becoming (if they are not already) a style of climbing by themselves.  They are significant because the climbers are faster than before and often free climb more sections.  For example, Alex Honnold is now the record holder for French free climbing several routes in Yosemite at unbelieveable speed. 

Extreme stamina and courage may be more critical than climbing skill for such climbs, because in these climbs breaks for the body and the mind are rarely permitted.  Where this takes the sport is definitely worth watching.