Fitz Roy - North face


16. Aguilar, Banderet, Maillefer Attempt

Marcelo Aguilar (Argentina) and Vincent Banderet and Paul Maillefer (Switzerland) 18-20/11/1985.

Description/History. They started climbing on the far right of the north face, close to the face’s lowest point. After the initial buttress they dropped down slightly and traversed left, crossing the line that 22 years later would become Los Últimos Días del Paraíso, to climb an obvious corner system leading to the big ledge that the following year (1986) got christened Grand Hotel. Just shy of the Grand Hotel, some 700 meters up they accidentally dropped a pack while rearranging a belay and were therefore forced to retreat. It is unclear which line they had hoped to climb in the upper headwall. They rappelled along the line of Los Últimos Días del Paraíso, which is why Jakofcic and Lacen initially thought they were not climbing virgin terrain.

Approach. Paso Cuadrado and Glaciar Fitz Roy Norte.

Photos (click to enlarge)

Fitz Roy north face