Gastronomic Big Wall Climbing in Patagonia

Tyler Karow, Imanol Amundarain and Cedar Christensen make a team free ascent of the South African Route on the east face of the Central Tower of Paine (Torre Central) in Torres del Paine, Chile in January 2023. The film documents their ten days on the roughly 4,000-foot line after two days of fixing ropes from the ground. The route was first climbed in 1974 by a South African team and first freed in 2009 by Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll, Nico Favresse and Ben Ditto at about 5.12c; this film shows the second reported free ascent of that line. The film's value is practical as much as picturesque: it captures climbing on sustained hard pitches within a long Patagonian big wall and the day-to-day logistics of living on portaledges. Specific details — hauling, rope-fixing, pitch sequences at the route's free grade, and unusual luxury choices (a small cast-iron oven, baked goods and an excess of wine) — give a clear sense of how a modern team manages rope systems and comfort on a multi-day free ascent in remote alpine terrain.