Three Italian mountaineers have climbed a magnificent new line and reached the top of Cerro Torre in Patagonia.

They reached the top on 13/11/2004 at 21.00. The team  Ermanno Salvaterra, Alessandro Beltrami and Giacomo Rossetti established a new direct route up the East Face of the Torre the top of Cerro Torre, which can finally be regarded as the solution to the unresolved East Face..

The ascent
The web site planetmountain.com has reported that mountaineers reached El Chalten on 30 October and immediately began transporting gear to the ice cave beneath the East Face, and equipping the first section of the route. The true journey up the wall, with nights spent on the portaledges, began on 7 November. Matteo Rivadossi, the fourth expedition member, had been forced to return to Italy due to knee problems, and so the trio continued upwards, despite the poor weather.


Cerro Torre

On 9 November they reached the "Lama di Roccia", dubbed "Dalai Lama". One day later they reached the 2001 highpoint, and they then continued climbing up virgin terrain, with 18 hour days. On 12 November the three were 450m short of the summit, while at 21.00 the next day the reached the top. They bivied until 04.15 and then, unable to withstand the biting cold, descended to the portaledge. A patagonian storm forced them to spend another night on the wall, but  yesterday morning 16/11/2004 all three safely reached the base of the East Face.

Salvaterra, who had attempted the line in 2001 together with Mauro Giovanazzi, Paolo Calzà and Walter Gobbi. Three years ago the four had been forced to abandon their attempt roughly 600m short of the summit due to bad weather.

Great  achievement
The planetmountain.com further says that this new route is without a doubt a great and magnificent achievement, which can now be added to Burke and Proctor's 1981 "East Diedre" (6c/A4) which climbs the large overhanging corner for 300m before moving onto the North Face, and the"Directisima del Infierno", first ascended in 1986 by an expedition comprised of Karo, Knez, Jegli, Podgornik, Kozjek and Fistravec. In its final 150m this Slovenian route joins Cesare Maestri's "Compressor route" up the East Ridge, and is graded ED+ 8+/A3, 90°. 


The map of the Cerro Torre area