The weather is a poker game yet again

The weather is a poker game yet again

Stefan Glowacz knew what he was letting himself in for. Patagonia was no new terrain for him, and The Royal Flush route, 3,406 meters above see level, was just another challenge he tried to master.

In 1995 the two German mountaineers Kurt Albert and Bernd Arnold managed to conquer Fitz Roy via the extremely exposed 1,400 meter high East Wall. The newly opened route was named “Royal Flush” for a reason: statistically a climber in Patagonia will only have two to three continuous days of good weather before storms with an unbelievable intensity make the ascent impossible for days, weeks or even months. This route up the 1,000-meter North Wall is one of the most difficult in the world and has not yet been repeated. The changeable weather took Glowacz by surprise back in 1990 during the filming of “Schrei aus Stein” as he had to sit out a storm in an ice cave together with film director Werner Herzog high up on Cerro Torre until the weather calmed down and they could be rescued by helicopter.

This time, when Stefan and his Argentinean partner Horacio Gratton started their attempt to climb the over-hanging wall, natures’ forces again made them give up their ascent after 35 hours in the wall.
Non-stop ascent – the real kick
The objective of the expedition was to climb the Royal Flush route non-stop. This means conquering the mountain as fast as possible without any real breaks; no bivouac or sleep. When night falls, you continue to climb using a headlight. Non-stop ascents are a no-compromise style of climbing at high speed with little equipment. The rope is merely there to protect you if you fall. Glowacz finds this back-to-the-roots style of mountaineering especially appealing. He reckoned a non-stop ascent of Fitz Roy was possible and planned to take around 45 hours.

Two attempts without success
From the total of four weeks the team spent at the foot of the Fitz Roy mountain, there were only six days of good weather. Unfortunately these were not consecutive. Increasingly heavy snowfall halted the first attempt after just 100 meters. On the second go, Glowacz and Gratton managed to complete 24 of 37 rope lengths. The attempt took 35 hours. As a result of the exceptionally icy temperatures the team was no longer able to keep to the intended schedule. The cracks in the rock that they needed to climb further were completely iced up above the mid section of the wall and required effort to be cleared with an ice axe. That cost time. On the morning of the second day Glowacz and Gratton together decided to abort the tour. Another night on the wall without bivouac equipment would have had unforeseeable consequences.
Failure on the route to success
Stefan Glowacz knows that he took the right decision. Those who are unable to turn round are putting their lives at risk. Being able to accept failure is the only life insurance the mountain has to offer. Glowacz still intends to fulfill his dream and will return to Fitz Roy. In a renewed attempt at a different time of year he will put all the experience gained into a new strategy.