Aguja Poincenot - North face


5. Potter-Davis


400m 75˚ 7a C1

Stephanie Davis and Dean Potter (USA), 12/3/2001.

Description. The route climbs the couloir just right of the East Face, mostly neve with a short section of close to vertical ice and turns left onto the rock face 25 meters below the ridgeline, where a fairly new rap bolt marks the start. The route climbs four pitches up an obvious crack system to the top of a small pillar, from where a sparsely protected face leads to an angling crack and a small roof. A few more pitches up a big corner lead to a large “cave” that is blocked by a large roof which two giant cracks on either side. By crawling up into and behind the left most crack, and then riding pony out along the top of a rock bridge one manages to climb out of the roof. One final easy pitch leads to the summit. During the second ascent in 2006, Horacio Codo, Luca Fava and Elio Orlandi climbed out of the “cave” heading horizontally right (A2), then up a gritty, crumbly wall to the ridgeline (Potter and Davis had tried to climb that way but considered the rock too bad so they back tracked to find another route to the summit).

History. Davis and Potter did the first ascent in 25 hours round trip from Paso Superior. This line had been attempted twice before, once in 1996 by Catalans Pere Vilarasau and Xavi Teixidor (the bolts on the first four pitches are theirs) and once before them (Pere and Xavi found a couple of pitons in the first two rock pitches).

Approach. Paso Superior and Glaciar Piedras Blancas Superior.

Descent. Via the same route (anchors in place from Codo and partners) or via the Whillans.

Photos (click to enlarge)

Aguja Poincenot northeast face

Aguja Poincenot northeast face

Aguja Poincenot northeast face