Cerro Grande (ca. 2750m).

1. Filo Norte
2. Cara Norte
3. Filo Este
4. Cara Sureste
5. Cara Sur

Punta Luca (ca. 2700m)

6. Bonatti - Mauri

Punta Mini Torre (ca. 2600m)

7. Odell-Raselli; Cordón Adela to Torre Traverse
8. Rimeflow im Zuckerwatteland

Punta Sordo (ca. 2550m)

Jerez-Heer-Raselli

Climbing history.

The 1916 Sociedad Científica Alemana expedition led by Alfredo Kolliker was responsible for the naming of this peak. They were responsible for the first accurate mapping of the southern and western flanks of the massif.

Kolliker’s team managed to reach paso Tunel coming up to it from Laguna Toro. From there they had a good view of the Adela massif and were able to identify and name a number of summit unknown until then. They were the first to look into the “Torre valley”, which they christened “Valle Fitz Roy” (their name did not stick).

Cesare Maestri, Marino Stenico and Catullo Detassis made the first ascent in 1958 (see below).

Bibliography. Patagonia, Resultado de las expediciones realizadas en 1910-16, colaboradores Kölliker, F. Kühn, F. Reichert, A. Tomsen and L.Witte. Buenos Aires, 1917, Sociedad Científica Alemana.

Cerro Grande - south face

1. Filo Norte

Cesare Maestri, Marino Stenico and Catullo Detassis (Italy), 5/2/1958.

History. After tagging the summit of Doblado they descended the south face and traversed along the ridge to do the first ascent of Grande via its north ridge. Somewhere along the ridge they passed a very small summit that they christened Cerro Paganella (2450 m aprox). They reversed their route of ascent, re-climbing Doblado, reaching their camp at the plateau 18 hours after having departed. This line was repeated two days later by Walter Bonnati and Carlo Mauri as part of their Adela traverse (see Travesía del Cordón Adela).

Approach. Glaciar Grande Superior to Paso Doblado.

Descent. The way you came up.

Bibliography. AAJ 1959 p. 317; CAI-Rivista Mensile 1958/3-4 p. 112, p. 114; CAI-Alpinisti Italiani nell Mondo 1972/2 p. 836; Lo Scarpone 1957/23 p. 1; Lo Scarpone 1958/1 p. 1; Lo Scarpone 1958/2 p. 1; Lo Scarpone 1958/5 p. 1; Lo Scarpone 1958/21 p. 3; Bolletino SAT 1958/2 p. 3-8; Bolletino SAT 1959/3 p.13; Italiani sulle Montagne del Mondo p. 273-274; Maestri C. (1961) Arrampicare il mio Mestiere, Garzanti, Milano (p. 57-86); Maestri C. (1981) Il Ragno delle Dolomiti, Rizzoli, Milano.

Photos (click to enlarge)

Cerro Grande, Cerro El Ñato, Cerro

Adela Sur, Central y Norte - east face

Cerro Grande from the NE

Cerro Adela Sur, Cerro El Ñato, Cerro

Doblado y Cerro Grande,- west face

2. Cara Norte

350m 60º

Werner Stucki (Switzerland), 23/1/1991.

History. Stucki climbed solo. A parallel line was soloed by Tommy Bonapace the 18/3/1992.

Approach. Glaciar Grande Superior

Descent. Via the north or east ridge.

Bibliography. Gipfelsturmer 1996 p. 21; High magazine 131 p. 17-18.

Cerro Grande, Cerro El Ñato, Cerro

Adela Sur, Central y Norte - east face

Cerro Grande from the NE

3. Filo Este

350m 50º

Thomas Villars (Switzerland), 23/1/1991.

Description. A very cool snow ridge that is reminiscent of Biancograt on Piz Bernina. Surely worth the walk.

History. Villars and Stucki soloed the east ridge and north face separately but on the same day. In 1997, Frank Herreweghe (Andorra-Belgium) and Max O’Dell (Argentina) skied it from a point about 130 meters below the summit (50º).

Approach. Glaciar Grande Superior.

Descent. Reverse the same route.

Cerro Grande, Cerro El Ñato, Cerro

Adela Sur, Central y Norte - east face

Cerro Grande - south face

4. Cara Sureste

350m 75° M4

Gianluca Maspes and Marcello Cominetti (Italy), 5/12/2002.

Description. Climbs a line left of the East Ridge that it joins 200 meters below the summit, from where they retreated.

Approach. Glaciar Grande Superior.

Descent. East ridge.

Cerro Grande - south face

5. Cara Sur

500m 5 75°

Casimiro Ferrari (Italy), 21/3/1993.

Description. Follows a rib in the middle of the face, just right of the obvious seracs, involving steep ice and some moderate rock climbing on bad rock.

History. Until 200 meters from the summit Ferrari climbed with Argentine Damián Friedman. They met for the first time one day before at the Laguna Toro and Friedman lacked any climbing experience... They bivied once in the descent.

Approach. Glaciar Túnel.

Descent. East ridge.

Bibliography. AAJ 1994 p. 185; CAI-Rivista Mensile 1993/5 p. 86.

Cerro Grande - south face

Punta Luca (ca. 2700m).

A secondary summit to Cerro Grande, crowned by some of the most impressive ice mushroom formations in the area. It was named by the first ascentionists in honor of the son of one of them (Mauri’s).

6. Bonatti - Mauri

Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri (Italy), 7/2/1958.

Description. Follows the ridge linking Grande to Luca.

History. This was the sixth of several summits that Bonatti and Mauri climbed while making an impressive traverse from Adela Central to Cerro Grande and Punta Luca. See Travesía del Cordón Adela for more details.

Approach. Via any of the routes that lead to the summit of Cerro Grande.

Descent. The way you came up.

Bibliography. CAI-Rivista Mensile 1958/3-4 p. 114; CAI- Rivista Mensile 1959/1-2 p. 32-39; AAJ 1959 p. 317; Lo Scarpone 1958/1 p. 1; Lo Scarpone 1958/2 p. 1; Lo Scarpone 1958/5 p. 1; Lo Scarpone 1958/20 p.1; Mundo Argentino 10/9/58 #2480 p. 27-35; Leoplan a.24 #572 1/6/58 p. 1-8; Bonatti W. (1961), Le Mie Montagne, Zanichelli, Bologna (p. 191-214); Bonatti W. (1979) On the Heights, Diadem Books, London (p. 153-169); Rho F. and Mauri F. (1997) Carlo Mauri - Il Viaggiatore dei Sogni, Ferrari Ed., Clusone (p. 48-57); Bonatti W. (year?) Montagne de una vita, Ed? p. 137-152.

Punta Mini Torre (ca. 2600m).

This is a secondary summit to Cerro Grande. It is located west of Punta Luca.

In it's south face, approaching from Laguna Toro and the Tunel Inferior glacier, there are two lines.

In 2012 Max O'Dell, and Juan & Agustin Raselli (AR) climbed a 400 meter ice and snow ramp (to 60°) to reach the summit pyramid, which proved quite difficult, involving two pitches with 90° rime. From there the first ascensionists traversed north, traversing the Adelas to climb the Ragni route on Torre, see Cordon Adela to Torre Traverse.

In 2016 Matthias Stutz and Christoph Thaler (AT) climbed a line left of the previous one, which they joined in the upper part. "Rimeflow im Zuckerwatteland” climbs snow and rime with difficulties to WI4+ and 95˚.

Punta Sordo (ca. 2550m).

This is a small summit between Punta Luca and Punta Mini Torre.

Rafael Heer, Juan Jerez and Juan Manuel Raselli (AR), 2/2014.

Description. They approached from the west, via Paso del Viento, climbing the long west ridge of Cerro Grande to reach the base of Mini Torre, but finding dangerous conditions they circumvented it, climbing then Punta Sordo, the small summit immediately east and then continuing onto Punta Luca. This they were unable to climb from the west, so they circumvented it too, climbing Cerro Grande via it's north ridge and traversing the summit ridge westward to reach the summit of Punta Luca. They then descended east, via the snow slopes south and east of Cerro Doblado.

Approach. Paso del Viento then north.

Descent. To the east, descending snow slopes to the south and east of Cerro Doblado.