Los Alamos Mountaineers
Monthly Program:
Rock Climbing in Patagonia with Josh Smith
The South American region of Patagonia is home to storied granite spires that tower thousands
of feet above vast and convoluted glaciers, and even during the summer these remote summits
are blasted with ice and snow by storms that first fetch over a vast expanse of the far Southern
Ocean and then whistle across the great Patagonia Ice Cap before slamming into the Cerro
Torre range. Despite the long and dangerous approaches, active glaciers, and what is
demonstrably the worst weather on the planet, climbers have long found these mountains
irresistible. Each year both escalarati and weekend-warriors come from across the globe to rub-
elbows in the town of El Chalten at the foot of the Fitzroy range, where they wait impatiently, a
beer in one hand and an empanada in the other, for the infrequent good-weather windows that
will allow them to rush into the mountains and test their strength on the best rock on the
planet.
In January of 2019, we, Josh Smith and Aaron Miller, joined this seasonal migration for a short
while. Any attempt to climb in Patagonia is a gamble governed by the notoriously mercurial
and brutal weather, but we had incredible luck and experienced two good weather windows
during our three-and-a-half week stay. During the first, we made an attempt on Cerro Fitzroy
via the Franco-Argentine route (5.11) during the warmest weather window in local memory.
We were turned around part way up by waterfalls generated by the uncanny heat but counted
the 4-day attempt as one of our most extraordinary mountain experiences to date. During the
second window we completed a climb of the mountain St. Exupery via a route called Chiaro de
Luna (2200 feet, 5.11). For such a short stay, our trip was remarkably successful; however, it
was not unmarked by drama. The 2018/19 season saw one of the highest accident rates ever in
the Fitzroy and Cerro Torre ranges, partly because of the abnormally warm weather, and partly
because of the increasing number of climbers attempting the mountains there.
Join us for a short reprise of the trip, a description of the logistics of climbing and hiking in
Patagonia, and some thoughts on risk and reward in the mountains.
The month meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month in the planetarium of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) 2600 Canyon Rd, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Social at 6:45. Reports of recent and upcoming trips at 7:05pm. Program to follow.
Visitors are always welcome! Free refreshments!
Ongoing Events
Monthly Public Meeting and Presentation:
Normally held in the planetarium of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC)
on the fourth Tuesday of each month
Social at 6:45. Reports of recent and upcoming trips at 7:05pm. Program to follow.
Past presentations, and occasionally future, can be viewed here.
Visitors are always welcome! Free refreshments!
Check out Bill Priedhorsky's profile on the LANL web page!
Get a 2018 Official Mountaineers T-Shirt
Buy it on PayPal!
Future Club Speakers: In addition to frequent presentations by nationally known adventurers, we love to hear from our own members....not that some of you aren't in that group. A presentation gets you a free club membership and dinner at the restaurant of your choice in Los Alamos.
LAM Member Presentations Wanted! The LAM Board would like to encourage our members to provide more of our monthly presentations. We understand well that club members are an active lot, with a wealth of activities in their repertoire that can and have been inspiring to new and old members alike. We have often focused our monthly presentations on the elite of the outdoor adventure world, and perhaps created the undesired effect of squelching the voices of our own members who participate in frequent beautiful and exciting adventures of their own. Although our own activities are not always "world class", they are representative of what we "weekend" athletes can and do accomplish. We want many of our programs to inspire the "I can do that" attitude in our members, not merely entertain. Shock and awe may have their rightful place, but inspiration to participate and shine is our true goal.
Trip Leaders: Post your trip by logging in and then going here. If you do not have an account, contact the webmaster. For overnight trips, please ensure that membership waivers for participants are current and recorded by the club Membership Chairperson prior to your trip. Non-members may participate in day trips. All club sponsored trips require the trip waiver. After the trip, please scan and email a PDF of the waiver to the Trip Coordinator.
Trip Leader Awards: The club will recognize trip leaders as described here.
GMRS / FRS Radio Usage on Club Trips: The Los Alamos Mountaineers encourage you to carry portable "family" radios as a safety measure on appropriate LAM trips, and urge participants to agree on a contact channel at the beginning of the trip. As a default, if no channel has been selected, LAM suggests channel 3.14. These three first digits of "pi" might be easily remembered in this scientific community.
Borrow Equipment: We have a limited amount of mountaineering equipment for loan (e.g., avalanche transceivers). Contact our Equipment Manager listed on this page.
Climbing School Update
Course Objectives: Beginner through intermediate students will learn the fundamentals of single-pitch rock climbing. The five-week course, taught by an AMGA certified Single-Pitch Instructor, will cover fundamentals of top-roping, anchor building, climbing technique & movement, rappel, and sport lead climbing. Students will be required to provide a minimum amount of climbing equipment (see Minimum Equipment Requirements). This equipment is necessary to participate in the class, and detailed instruction will be provided throughout the course. The combination of selected equipment and course instruction are tailored to meet all current climbing-industry standards and best practices, and will prepare students to participate in LAM single-pitch outings in the Northern New Mexico area.
The class fills quickly with only 24 seats, so early registration is recommended.
This includes 4 Wed nights, and 5 Saturdays; some 36-40 hours of instruction. The Los Alamos Mountaineers Climbing School is a great way to learn about technical rock climbing and mountaineering. The school should offer a good experience to:
- beginning climbers with no climbing experience,
- new climbers who want to gain experience,
- climbers who need outdoor experience and instruction, and
- anyone wanting a chance to tap into the expertise of some of the area's most experienced climbers.
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