El Chaltén

Drew might've been new to the industry, but he wasn't new to big walls.

He was an accomplished climber with a handful of El Cap summits and a season in El Chaltén under his belt.

He'd been climbing in the Canadian Rockies all winter, so even with just a few weeks to prepare, from a climbing perspective, he felt ready.

But pretty much right away, things were more difficult than he'd anticipated.

And we're there in the, it looks like in the middle of nowhere.

Well, that mountain that you see in the back is called Chalten.

also known as Fitz Roy.

And that is actually the mountain that is in the logo of the Patagonia, the clothing, the outdoor clothing brands.

Um, it didn't see a single summit.

And usually Fitz Roy, uh, El Chalten is summited by s- multiple routes in a summer season.

It only saw summits from, uh, the Super Canaleta that year, which is the easiest and most snowy, like icy route on the mountain.

Um, so it was a terrible weather year.

So I've been to Jurassic twice now.

I went, um, two years ago and then two years before that I had gone to Patagonia with my dad, didn't fish Jurassic, but got to fish at Torres del Paine and then El Chalten for salmon as well and trout.

So I'd been down to Patagonia before.

Um, but Jurassic's just, it's so much fun.

I just like learned, like I knew there was a lot of climbing in South America.

I mean, it has like Patagonia and Chaltén.

But I was like, really realized how much is there and how good it all is.

So next winter, I think we'll be back in South America.