Canadian Women Climb Big New 5.11 A0 in Remote Patagonia
On January 24 and 25, Canadians Flavie Cardinal, 22, and Jasper Pankratz, 26, established Todo lo que se Comparte, a 500-meter 5.11 A0 (plus 400 meters of “approach slabs,” also 5.11) on the seldom visited Pirita Central, deep in the remote wilderness of Northern Patagonia’s Turbio valley.
If, like me, you’ve spent any length of time hanging in Squamish’s Stawamus Chief gravel parking lot you’ve probably heard or met Flavie and Jasper. They have a habit of yelling at each other through their car windows as they drive by, scheming loudly about their next hairball climbing project. In the summer of 2023, I sent them weather reports while they climbed All Along the Watchtower (5.11 C2; 900m) on the remote North Howser Tower, in the Bugaboos. Afterward, I warned my friend that these two would make a name for themselves as formidable female alpinists. Their lighthearted partnership, incessant drive, and commitment to grand objectives could take them to new ground in climbing, and their route on Pirita Central is a testament to that trajectory.
After a series of red eye flights from Canada to Argentina, Flavie and Jasper arrived in Bariloche where they were picked up by the legendary local climber Sebastian De La Cruz, who had been a great source of inspiration and information leading up to the trip. He welcomed them into his home for the night, and gave them valuable beta on the Turbio Valley, including where and how to approach the myriad water crossings. Their host dropped them off the next morning at Lago Puelo, a lake at the mouth of the Turbio. After crossing by boat, a gaucho named Lajuan met them with five horses to begin the two-day journey into the Turbio valley. When the trail became too brushy and complex for Lajuan’s horses halfway through day two, Flavie and Jasper stashed two packrafts by the Turbio river and began shuttling their gear deeper into the valley towards their final destination, the Don Thule hut.
Flavie and Jasper warmed up by climbing El Palito (5.10+; 550m) on the nearby La Oreja between days of rain. When the skies cleared they hiked into the alpine to have a look at the north face of the Piritas, a trio of granite spires rising above the thickly vegetated walls of the Turbio valley. First climbed in 2006 by Pedro Lutti and Bicho Fiorenza from the east, the three peaks have only seen a handful of climbers over the years, mostly from the north. All parties reported clean white granite cleaved by continuous splitter cracks and corners. The Piritas make for an ideal objective for single-push tactics as their higher elevation means little to no vegetation can survive, and its sunny north face provides favourable free climbing conditions in austral summer.
Watch an uncut video below of the women’s expedition.
After nine hours of tedious hiking through rivers and thick brush, they finally arrived at their advanced basecamp near the foot of Pirita Central on January 16. The following day they started climbing the “approach”: three pitches of wet 5.11 followed by convoluted and maze-like slabs for 500 meters. Flavie compared it to Half Dome’s infamous Death Slabs. After climbing the first three pitches in the evening they decided to bivouac and resume climbing in the following morning’s light. Progress continued to be slow the next day, and they struggled to find the easiest route through the slabs leading to the base of the headwall. Though other parties had climbed this lower apron before, Flavie and Jasper struggled to find the path of least resistance, and when they arrived at the headwall they were far off from their intended route. Motivated but apprehensive, they climbed 300 meters of poor quality cracks before ultimately dead-ending between rotten crack systems 200 meters from the summit. Disheartened by the poor rock quality, they ultimately decided to bail and began the long hike back to the Don Thule hut. While descending they took mental notes on where they could go—should they have another chance at climbing the wall.
A few days later, the forecast called for a day and a half of calm, sunny conditions. Thanks to their previous attempt’s reconnaissance, they were able to take a more efficient track to the base of the wall, thus turning a grueling nine hours of bushwhacking into a pleasant five hours of bushwhacking to camp.
Leaving camp on January 24, they moved quickly and decisively up the approach pitches and slabs in light rain. This time bivouacking at the base of the headwall, they stopped by early afternoon and hoped to save time the following day by fixing ropes, but heavy rain and hail forced them to stay put at their bivy.
The two endured a cold and miserable night without a tent or tarp. Their down insulation quickly soaked through and became useless. Rapidly losing heat, they used the last of their stove’s gas to make hot water bottles and zipped their sleeping bags together to huddle for warmth. Fortunately, in the early hours of the morning, the sky cleared and morale grew once again.
Around 4 a.m., eager to warm up, Flavie climbed directly out of the bivy up clean 5.11 cracks. When one crack ended she made a short pendulum right into another crack system, the only section of aid on the whole route. The pair climbed to the left of their previous attempt and never encountered the bad rock quality that had turned them around. Instead, pitch after pitch of stunning splitters and corners presented itself, all connecting to one another. After taking on a few lead blocks each, the summit seemed at last to be coming into view. Jasper took the final block and when it came into reach she silently belayed Flavie up, not wanting to celebrate until her partner was with her. The two soon descended and reconnected to the line they had first attempted, knowing they had all their rappel anchors still in place.
Two days later, they were back at the shores of the Turbio river where they had stashed the packrafts. The following morning they began the pleasant 60-kilometer paddle back to Lago Puelo where De La Cruz could pick them up for a well-earned asado and beers. After all the hard work, the isolation, and the unpredictable weather, Flavie and Jasper had not only made their mark on a seldom-visited peak in Patagonia. They’d also cemented their place as two of the most promising young climbers to watch in the years to come.
Flavie and Jasper would like to thank the Jen Higgins Grant, Grit and Rock, and Stikine Packrafts for their support on this trip.
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