Into the Unknown, Three Women Attempt Patagonia's Untouched Cerro Balmaceda ~ part 2 The Attempt

A Difficult Start

We left camp around 8 AM. Irie decided to stay back due to feeling incredibly sick. Her body gave in on her. Period cramps combined with a bad stomach bug did not allow any room for flexibility. She had to stay behind and I know that crushed her on the inside. After putting in so much work to get to that point, between the permits, logistics, flights, gear and all the money, it’s not easy to say goodbye to your objective.

So the summit team was Isi, me, and Marko as our filmer. The first step was to cross the lagoon and get on the glacier. Thankfully, the lagoon was frozen solid. We moved fast, even though roped up. We reached Col De Gallina (chicken col, named after a chicken-shaped rock on the windiest part of the pass) around 12.30 pm.

Navigating to Cerro Balmaceda and Obstacles on the Glacier

Navigating the small glacier before the cold was quite easy in these late winter/spring conditions without much snow over the past few months. The day was gorgeous. I couldn’t help but think how lucky we got with this comfortable weather. We descended to the ridge crossing Serrano Glacier and got to the NE face of Cerro Balmaceda. The summit looked far…

I was starting to worry about the speed at which we were moving at. This glacier with a sea of seracs above us required a bit more brain power to navigate (and time). A lot more open crevasses and not all of them had a way to cross. Some were as wide as 20-30 feet with no solid bridge on sight. And the only option was to turn around and try another way. We lost a lot of time searching for the right way up. The day was warm and my concern with these temperatures had me looking at all the massive pieces of ice hanging above our heads, waiting to fall.

We decided to change our approach and stick to the big cliff on the left side of the face. We strapped our boards to our backpacks and started boot packing. Using our pictures and the track I made on Google Earth, we were making progress, but very slowly. At some point, I heard a big oomph under my feet. I quickly moved forward and glanced back at my team. It didn’t look like Isi or Marko heard that. Probably for the best. I kept going.

The Hard Decision to Turn Back

What is my intuition telling me right now?

I really wanted that summit. But unfortunately, it wasn’t our time to summit. We made a very hard decision around 5 pm to turn around and ride down. We were only a couple of hundred meters away from the summit. But still a very long way from the camp. I left with a little bit of regret in my heart. All the bullshit and the permit business we had to overcome to be able to be here.

Some people say they don’t care about the summit, I think they just aren’t honest with themselves. To not reach the summit after putting in so much work is disappointing either way. Whichever way you turn it. You can have an amazing day in the mountains and still leave a little disappointed. I think it’s totally fair and natural.

Battling the Wind and Gratitude

But everything always happens for a good reason. We found our reason an hour later. When we were passing Col De Gallina, we got wrapped in horrendous winds that would throw us to the ground in half a second. It was a struggle to continue, but we were screaming with joy. I have a few moments like this in life but I felt truly and completely alive.

Gusts with over 70 km/h would throw us down, we had to wait half a minute for the gust to stop and then continue… As soon as we stepped on the glacier on the other side the war was over. A beautiful sunset ride down to the lagoon with our base camp at sight made me feel very grateful. All the disappointment I felt over not making the summit was gone. To experience those winds that far up on the mountain without the possibility of going down would be a different story. Everything always happens for a reason. So they say.

Isi is a strong partner in the mountains, and this mission just proved our “alignment”. I’m glad to be doing this with a woman who handles these conditions well and is strong like a bull. Balmaceda was a good test. The partners that we chose in the mountains matter more than any other decision we make. On the other hand, it’s also important to be aligned. Choosing an objective together is an easy part. The hard part is aligning on what you want to get out of the mountain. Is it the summit? Is it an experience with friends? Pretty sunsets? Is it a sweet ski or board out? Is it a challenge?

At this moment of my life, I feel motivated and very driven. I’m happy to push myself and test my limits. It’s not always simple. I’m looking for a challenge and I’m enjoying the uncomfortable elements and a little bit of suffering. It makes comfortable moments feel so sweet.

Return to Camp

When we returned to camp, Irie waited for us with hot water and sandwiches. I felt happy and recapping the whole day with her was fun. Adding another beautiful mountain to my list of Patagonian lovers is special, summit or not. It will always be in my heart.

Friday, the 12th of September, was when the weather got really bad. We made a final decision to leave the mountain, a day early. Packing up the camp and walking down, I felt good.

Bittersweet, but knowing in my heart that I will return to this mountain when the time is right. The wind wasn’t stopping. Even our descent wasn’t easy. Loaded again, with 30 to 35kgs of gear on our backs, we descended to sea level. The catamaran that brings tourists to look at the glaciers in the area passes the Porto Torro dock only three times a week, in the winter. The next navigation was Sunday, so I had to wait for two days before going back to civilization. We bivyied under the roof, on a deck of the ranger’s office.

Reflections and Connections

The power of women together in the mountains is strong. Not in a strong force kind of way. Strong in a sense of belonging, in a sense of connection, confidence, and feeling the same feeling without the need to explain ourselves. By the time the boat picked us up, we were more than ready to leave that world behind and go back into the ‘real world’.
Whatever that means…

Words and Photos: Alenka Mali