How Tommy Caldwell And I Freed a 1,200-meter Patagonian Big Wall in 24 Hours

Belgian Siebe Vanhee and American Tommy Caldwell have completed an impressive 24-hour free ascent of the South African Route (5.12c/7b+; 1,200m) on the East Face of the Central Tower of Paine, Chilean Patagonia. The pair began climbing at 3:20 a.m. on February 13 and summitted exactly 24 hours later, marking the route’s first one-day free ascent and its third free ascent overall. Below, Vanhee describes the experience, the decision to take a Yosemite-style approach to Patagonia’s infamously rugged mountains, and his partnership with Caldwell.—Ed.

Tommy and I sent our objective here in Patagonia—we free climbed the South African Route in a day! It took us three intense attempts over three weeks. This is by far one of my most epic experiences in the mountains, and I’m so proud to have shared this with Tommy, a truly strong and supportive climbing partner.

The South African Route was the first line established on the East Face of the Central Tower (2,450m) in Torres del Paine, and was opened in an amazingly pure style, without any bolts, in 1973-1974 by a six-person South African team. In 2009, my fellow countrymen Seán Villanueva-O’Driscoll and Nico Favresse, together with U.S. climber Ben Ditto, made the first free ascent in capsule style (climbing during the day, then rappelling on fixed lines back to a portaledge camp each night) in 13 days. Since then, only one other team has free climbed the route.

In 2018, Seán came up with the idea to try this project, but we got shut down by the weather and the complexity of the wall and conditions. The East Face is known for its challenging rock-climbing conditions: “stable” weather can change very rapidly into fierce wind, and its cracks are often full of snow and ice. Besides these challenges, going for a one-day push is a far more serious commitment because, when a storm hits, you do not have the shelter of a portaledge or the comfort of fixed lines to descend as quickly as possible. All teams who have climbed this wall previously did it in at least one week, in capsule style.

Projecting the South African Route

The chances of success on this project are incredibly slim, so it was important for us to simply try. The weather window for the send was not promising: Several days of precipitation followed by one dry but cloudy (and very windy) day on February 12. The lower slabs dried about 75 percent, and the middle part of the wall seemed almost 100 percent dry, but we had no clue how wet the upper part of the wall would be. Our climbing day, the 13th, had low winds, light cloud cover, and cold temperatures.

Tommy took the lead on pitches 1-5, which we mainly simul-climbed, then I brought us to the base of pitch 14, the first crux. Here, Tommy took over. Despite having onsighted this pitch on our second attempt, Tommy took a slip halfway up and fell. He checked the move, came down, and then sent. I followed cleanly.

A week and a half before, on our previous attempt, we had free climbed up to pitch 21 but were forced to bail when the weather turned. This time, we knew we had to climb the steep crux sections ever faster to give us time to climb the remaining 300 meters of the tower. Free climbing these grades, in these cold, wet conditions, over such a long effort, would be challenging. We knew we could only afford one or two falls and still have time for an in-a-day free ascent. We were both a little nervous.

I took the lead again on the second crux, pitch 15. I wasn’t climbing as smoothly as on our previous attempt, but I powered through and linked the following pitch together into an enduro rope-length. Soon after, we were below the most intimidating (and time-consuming) pitch: the 60-meter 5.11+ offwidth. Tommy had done a great job leading this wide crack last time with only one No. 6 cam, accepting some gnarly runouts. But as he racked up for the lead again, I told him how much I would love to lead it myself. Although I was scared of blowing it and losing a lot of time, I really felt like going for it. Tommy agreed, and in a “short” 1 hour and 10 minutes, I sent the pitch. Tommy laybacked the pitch on toprope, following me in only 20 minutes. This saved us a lot of time.

We had already done 13 hours of climbing by then, and somehow I felt full of energy and determination to bring us to the summit. From that point on, I took the lead again, except for one 5.10 pitch, all the way to the top of pitch 24, which we reached at 10 p.m. We had a brief break to change into our alpine-climbing waterproof clothes, and pulled out the stove we had carried for 1,000 meters. Those moments were some of my favorite of the climb: after 19 hours of constant movement, we burrowed into all of our clothes, took off our tight climbing shoes, and changed into lightweight mountain boots. But the highlight was the hot drinks—we each drank one liter of electrolytes and half a liter of coffee.

Time passed quickly, and at 11:45 p.m. we started the final 250 meters of low-angle fifth class climbing toward the summit. Tommy led this section, navigating through big blocks, snow, and ice. When I reached the last belay—the top of the South African Route—I took the lead again toward the true summit. It was a long traverse in the dark over several peaks and pillars, climbing up and down surrounded by clouds. Luckily, we were still spared from the wind.

At 3:20 a.m. we reached the summit. It felt surreal. We had done it. I hadn’t wanted to celebrate until we were truly on top; even the shortest, easiest pitch can become a nightmare if iced up or the wind starts to howl. Sure enough, right after we took our summit selfie, the weather changed: the wind picked up and small snowflakes began to dust the rock.

We rushed back to the top of the route and started what became an epically slow descent. It was dark, we were exhausted, and snow blew upward instead of down, making it hard to see more than one meter ahead. Finding anchors was a real ordeal and took dangerously long. While Tommy searched, I tried to keep myself warm and awake by shaking my limbs. Still, I fell asleep more than once.

Luckily, daylight began to appear and our bodies came out of this slow, lethargic state. We could see further down the wall and found the anchors more quickly. Eight hours after standing on the summit, we were back at the base of the wall. It was almost midday, the storm had passed, and some rays of sun shone on our battered faces.

This truly was an amazing experience. I was scared when thinking about the climb, but I was never scared while climbing. I felt confident and devoted to reaching the summit and getting off it safely together with my climbing partner.

Why climb the South African Route in a day?

I first climbed the East Face of the Central Tower in 2017. Seán Villanueva-O’Driscoll, Nico Favresse, and I made the first free ascent of El Regalo de Mwono (5.13b/8a), previously 5.10 A4, over 19 days. The next season, Seán and I dreamed of freeing the South African Route in a day, but the weather was not on our side. We never came close to realizing the goal and I forgot about it for some time. Finally, after making the first free ascent of Riders on the Storm, over 18 days, in 2024, with Seán and Nico, the idea of freeing the East Face in a day returned.

Wouldn’t it be to climb this giant wall, which I’ve come to know so well, in a single day?

It might be possible—if the weather allows it and if you know the route very well. I thought about coming back for Riders, but it seemed silly to spend an entire season again climbing the same route. Unlike Seán and Nico, I hadn’t done the South African Route, which they were the first to free in 2009.

What makes it so hard? Isn’t it similar to El Cap?

If you look at the topo of the South African Route, it looks doable. It’s not much longer than El Cap, and the grades are lower than Freerider. So what’s the big deal?

You would be ignorant of Patagonia’s weather to compare it to California. The difference is conditions. Getting a good weather window is one thing, but you also need the right rock-climbing conditions. Often, the wall is wet or icy. When the lower slabs are wet, the upper wall might be dry due to wind exposure. When the lower slabs are dry, the upper wall might be too cold and its cracks full of ice. This wall is demanding even without weather challenges; the lower slabs are adventurous, with intricate route-finding and loose rock quality. Wet, runout slab traverses are unfortunately common. Higher up, above the technical cruxes, the route becomes distinctly “alpine”—occasionally free climbing with chalk in one hand and an ice axe in the other, sometimes wearing a boot or a crampon on only one foot.

The final and most dangerous challenge is the descent. Without portaledges or fixed ropes, you feel naked and vulnerable. If bad weather arrives during the descent, rappelling on natural anchors in wind, rain, or snow becomes nerve-wracking. Visibility drops, ropes get stuck, and mistakes become very costly.

With thanks

Tommy has been such an amazing force. He’s steady and trustworthy. He has proven many times that he can endure and will continue to the end. He’s positive about the past and optimistic about the future. I don’t only appreciate his skills but also value his intellect, his calculated point of view, and his clear communication. Tommy is also just a fun guy to be around, always up for a chat about interesting topics. No pressure, no expectations—and still he goes for it. He sincerely wants it. Tommy was the first to talk about a third attempt after we came so close on the second one. I can’t thank him enough for his commitment to this project, for staying so focused with me, and for being supportive in all the decisions we made together.

I want to thank Felipe Nordenflyght and Matthew Tangerman for spending three weeks with us and capturing footage at every possible moment. Also thanks to RedPoint Hostel in Puerto Natales for the good vibes—a real climbers’ hostel with an atmosphere that kept us psyched and fueled with asado. Thanks to all the people at the hostel with whom we shared matés, coffees, and beers. Thanks to Lise Billon, Fanny Schmutz, and Nate for letting us use their static ropes after the first attempt. Thanks to Caro North, Julia Cassou, Belén Prados, and Amelie Kuehne for letting us use their static ropes on the first eight pitches to rappel after the send. Thanks to Hernan Jofre of the Kau Hostel and Café for the refills.

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