Prepping for Patagonia, Part 1: The Technical Side

Whether explicit or not, much of the training for this trip has been focused on increasing our ability to suffer. By “suffer”, I don’t mean the unexpected, necessary types of suffering that life throws at you. I mean the fully avoidable, self-induced suffering that comes with big mountain adventures — especially in a place like Patagonia. Although I’ve never been, the climbing world is riddled with stories of the place. From talking to the Boulder old-timers who climbed there 40 years ago to the friends who have spent time there in recent years, the common themes seem to be: huge routes, hellish wind, unpredictable weather, and some of the most beautiful peaks in the world. With these stories & the generally intimidating lore in mind, I knew this trip would require more intentionality than my typical “ehh, do whatever sounds fun at the time” attitude around training for climbing.

This trip really all started back in February of 2025. I was about to leave Boulder for a few weeks to spend a week in Indianapolis with my parents before meeting the Colorado friends in Kentucky's Red River Gorge for a few weeks of climbing & bourbon drinking. Isaac asked if I wanted to climb the Great Dihedral on Hallett Peak in RMNP (Rocky Mountain National Park) with him before I left. We climbed the route in cold, snowy, and windy conditions. Pretty objectively "bad" weather, but it was SO FUN! He was already planning another season in Patagonia, and he said I should "think about it"while in Kentucky. By the time I came back, I told him I was in for the trip & we started getting PSYCHED.

Isaac displaying this confidence by eating leftover cake while driving

A trip of this scale felt pretty intimidating to commit to. To me, Patagonia itself has always felt like one of those places that only "legit" climbers go, and I still feel like a very "non-legit" climber, even after all these years of putting time and effort into the different disciplines. Luckily, Isaac has much more confidence than me (and he's quite good at making others feel that same confidence in themselves). So we planned on climbing, running, and generally getting outside in spring, summer, and winter conditions as much as possible over the subsequent ~9 months to sharpen up our skills & get as prepared as possible.

The other big part of climbing to me (beyond physical fitness), whether that be casual sport climbing in Boulder Canyon or huge alpine climbing days at altitude, is partnership. In climbing, partnership isn't just helpful -- It's foundational. You are literally tying your life to another person, trusting them to manage risk, make good calls under pressure, and stay fully present when things get uncomfortable or scary. I think a good partnership goes far beyond shared goals & grades. It's built on clear communication, honesty about limits, patience when plans or weather change, and the ability to give AND receive feedback without ego. When the trust in eachother is real and time-tested, it keeps you safe and can keep resentment from creeping in during long days and difficult moments. It allows you to work towards a shared goal rather than individual or competing goals. Alpine climbing priority list: 1) stay safe & alive, 2) stay friends, and 3) summit. For me, the best partnerships are the ones where you can argue, laugh, suffer, and adapt while still knowing that, no matter what, you're on the same team. Summits are optional, but coming back home to your friends & loved ones isn't.

Although that was a bit of a tangent, it's important to note that, beyond fitness, the past months have also been focused on continuing to cultivate the best possible partnership we could. This incuded anything from our weekly 60lb backpack hikes up Green Mountain (which sucked, but was WAY easier together) to communicating through decisions to bail from routes in the mountains. Long, stressful days in the mountains tend to really strip feelings and emotions down to the essentials. After years of climbing with Isaac, I have incredible respect for his ability to push through fatigue and fear while, at the same time, being able to detach from the goal and continue to evaluate risk, conditions, and our partnership. Long story short, I couldn't imagine a better partner for a trip like this.

Spring in Colorado is incredible. As things start to warm up, blossom, and come to life in town, the mountains stay covered in snow & ice for a few more months. You can have a wildly adventurous day in the mountains climbing snow & ice, only to come back home to shorts & t-shirt weather and an afternoon hanging at the creek. A few of my favorite outings of the spring were climbing The Saber with Isaac and the Petit Grepon with Jack, two huge spires of rock up above Sky Pond in RMNP (photos above). We seriously lucked out on both of these days and were able to actually rock climb during a season when most people up there are skiing or ice/mixed climbing. And a good reminder that, even when you are unsure what the conditions will be like, it's almost always worth hiking out there to see. Worst case, you hike back down & go eat food in town. Best case, you get to climb to an epic summit with your friend and have an entire area to yourself in one of the busiest National Parks in the country!

Early summer in the mountains (mid-May to early June) got us excited for one thing in particular: Longs Peak's East face, as known as The Diamond. Longs is quite possibly my favorite mountain on the planet. With infinite ways to the summit, from hiking to technical rock climbing to vertical ice, it's near impossible to imagine ever getting bored of being up there. The Longs Peak trailhead is only ~1hr from Boulder, essentially making it a "backyard" peak, and we wanted to have some early-season outings up there on the Diamond. As far as prepping for Patagonia goes, this is a pretty ideal training ground. Climbing this face in early summer requires many different skillsets: cardio fitness to get to the base of the mountain, ice & mixed climbing skills to climb the North Chimney with ice tools & crampons when it is filled with snow and ice, rock climbing ability to climb a route on the ~600ft face of The Diamond, and then back to crampons & ice tools for the final ~500ft to the summit. And then begins the VERY long descent back to the car.

I went up by myself in May in an attempt to summit Longs via the Cables route on the north face, but was turned around due to bad snow conditions on the final few hundred feet. Isaac and I went back 6 days later for our first ascent of Longs for the year after climbing Pervertical Sanctuary (5.11a, 6 pitches) and again two weeks later to climb two routes on The Diamond in a day, Pervertical Sanctuary (again) and D7 (5.11c, 6 pitches). Both of these days were such a freaking blast. We were incredibly tired after both, but they gave us a serious confidence boost: climbing those routes, in those conditions, while hauling all of our winter climbing gear to the top was a pretty ideal simulator for what the Patagonian peaks would be like. And they were some pretty epic adventures for being so close to home.

Mid-summer included more of the same: big rock climbing days in the alpine, training in the gym, and lots of backyard hangs with the pals & time spent doing all of the other things that make Colorado summers so wonderful. Another one of my favorite days was spent up on the Arrowhead, an incredible granite peak above Black Lake in Glacier Gorge, with Jack! Before this year, we hadn't done much alpine rock climbing together and it was such a blast climbing on a perfect summer day up there with him. After climbing Airhead (5.11+, 5 pitches), we trotted over to the Spearhead to climb the North Ridge. It was one of those days that made me feel such a deep appreciation for both where I live AND the people I've been lucky enough to become friends with here. Romping around the wildflowers up in RMNP with a good friend on a perfect summer day... those kinds of experiences are what make it hard to ever imagine leaving the Front Range.

By buddy from college, Mike Palmer, flew out from North Carolina for his annual(ish) Colorado trip, and we drove down to the South Platte to some climbing on Big Rock Candy Mountain. We climbed a route called Bulleit Train, an 8 pitch 5.12 full of hard underclinging, razor sharp slab crimping, and generally incredible climbing. I really wish Mike lived out here because DAMN it'd be fun to get out with him more! A weekend trip to Red Rocks outside of Las Vegas was another highlight. Jack & Michaella were already going to be in Vegas for a week-long work conference that Michaella had to attend. Jack convinced me to buy a cheap flight out there so we could try to climb the Original Route on the Rianbow Wall. The Original Route is a 14 pitch long, 5.12- rock climb which had been a dream route for both of us. I don't have many photos from the day, but it was amazing. Perfect sandstone corner climbing up one of the most beautiful faces around. Plus a night in the Venetian afterwards (Michaella had a suite and was kind enough to let two smelly boys share it for the night). An all-time weekend.

After these few out-of-town rock climbing weekends, it was cold enough in the mountains to start thinking about breaking out the ice tools and crampons again. The good thing about living in Boulder is that summer was also full of a whole bunch of local outings as well. Plenty of cragging days in the Flatirons, Boulder Canyon, and Eldorado Canyon with various friends & partners supplemented these bigger routes very well. But the end of summer still felt bittersweet because, as much as I like freezing my ass off and climbing choss, rock climbing in the sun is pretty dang fun. Alas, the training program needed to continue and it was time for alpine climbing again before we knew it.

My first wintery day back climbing in RMNP was a trip up to the Arrowhead in early November, the same feature Jack and I climbed mid-summer on a warm sunny day. This day was quite the opposite: knock-you-over wind, frozen lakes & streams, and many many layers to stay warm. We climbed the Hourglass Couloir, a 1200' long route rated WI3 M4. Isaac had already climbed on his tools and crampons this season, but this was my first day back out so I opted to follow him up the route. After almost getting thrown to the ground by wind a few times on the way up, we finally made it to the route. The climbing went well even though there was little ice & snow to be found in the couloir itself. Regardless, we had a blast bumping Viagra Boys out loud and zipping up to the summit.

Our next outing was a big one. Noah, a friend of ours from the gym, had his heart set on attempting to climb a route on Longs Peak call Abraxsis (WI5 M6) and recruited Isaac & I to join him on the attempt. Both the ice & mixed grades were harder than I had climbed before, so I knew I was in for an absolute smack-down of some sort. To approach Abraxsis, we'd first climb Alexander's Chimney (WI4 M4), traverse ~800ft across Broadway Ledge, and then finally arrive at the base. Being the least experienced on this type of terrain, I was the "mule" for the day (AKA pack carrier), a position I happily took up given that I'd be able to have two absolutely crushers take me up something I would likely never have the chance to climb again. Starting of the day with Alexander's Chimney was such a purely fun time. Isaac blasted up the 5 pitch route, with Noah following on microtraxions first, and myself bringing up the rear. the route was in perfect condition & we were all STOKED to keep the train rolling towards Broadway and eventually Abraxsis.

After the mega traverse of Broadway ledge, we found ourselves looking at the base of the vertical ice pillar which starts Abraxsis. Noah, who is seriously skilled on ice & mixed terrain, cruised the ice pillar. Isaac & I followed, both being very vocal about how incredible it was. The following pitch was made up primarily of a ridiculous vertical chimney. With rock shoes in the summer, it wouldn't have seemed too crazy. But with steep ice leading to a bombay chimney, while climbing with crampons & ice tools, it was pretty full-on. Noah cruised the lead, of course, and Isaac & I were able to climb it in a much more enjoyable style (toprope lol). One more steep ~M5/6 pitch led us to Kiener's Route and eventually to the summit of Longs.

After a fairly smooth descent down the Cables and then Camel Gully, we eventually found ourselves searching for the backpacks we'd left at the base of the route. At this point, we were 14 or 15 hours into the day and the sun was setting. We had left our packs on a seemingly obvious large boulder at the base but, since we started the day at 2:30am, we had left them there in the dark. Darkness started setting in quickly, and we had absolutely zero idea where our packs were. These packs had extra food & water, our hiking shoes (we were still in mountain boots), extra layers etc. and were NOT psyched about losing them. Eventually it was fully dark and getting pretty cold. After about 45mins of searching, either Noah or Isaac finally hollered that they had found the packs. Honestly such a brutal way to end a very long day, but were we happy to finally be heading down. Looking back, I think this day fully convinced me that winter climbing is unbelievably fun. A painful, cold, and brutal kind of fun, but fun all the same.

After spending Christmas time back in Indy & having a nice break from the training, I had a few days of before heading back to work for the new year. During this little break, I went up into the park solo to attempt a route called the Flying Dutchman just past Chasm Lake. One of my boots ended up breaking, so I called it a day and hiked back down (and then had to beg La Sportiva to give me a new pair). A few days later, Emily and I hiked back up to Chasm Lake to go ICE SKATING!!! This was a bucket list thing for both of us and holy moly did it live up to our expectations. Chasm Lake in early winter is seriously wild. The ice is smooth and incredibly clear, allowing you to see straight throught the 2+ feet of ice into the depths of the lake below. We had such a blast skating around for a while with a stranger we met on the trail. I think this will be a yearly activity for us now, we were freaking out about how beautiful (and slightly terrifying) it was out there in the center of the lake.

A few days after the epic skating day, Jack and I went back up to climb Alexander's Chimney. Although I had climbed it previously, I followed everything that day. This was, in a way, a test for myself to see how I'd hold up leading the entire route. Isaac is typically "Daddy Isaac" on our days out, taking his less competent child friend (me) out into the big leagues. Jack hasn't spent a ton of time climbing on ice tools & crampons, so I was going to me taking up the lead as the (slightly) more experienced one. This was good mental practice for me and I was SO psyched to get out with Jack on such an amazing route. Overall, the day went super well and things went smoothly. Climbing up Lamb's Slide to access the climb was honestly so cool (first photo below). I felt so small heading up the giant snowfield -- the Longs Cirque has a way of making you realize how tiny we all really are. The route was in prime condition and we had such a blast climbing steep ice, getting cold, and only semi-flailing our way up the mixed crux. Jack seemed to have a pretty great time on the route & absolutely crushed it -- I'm hoping he stays stoked on the winter climbing because it was awesome getting out in those conditions together ;)

Almost forgot -- before Alexander's with Jack, I dropped Isaac off at the airport on New Year's Eve! He's spending 2 full months in Chaltén to make the most of the Patagonian summer. I've been the remote Weather Man while he & Justin are climbing down there, sending occasional weather updates to their satellite communication devices while they're out in the mountains. All seems well with them so far and I'm itching to join.

My final two mountain days before settling in to a week of pre-travel rest were a solo day climbing Mt. Meeker and an attempt on the East Face of Taylor Peak in RMNP with Ima. On my solo day, I decided to ascend The Loft between Meeker and Longs. I'd never been to the top of Meeker and thought it'd be awesome to have my first summit take place in winter! The only problem was that the wind chill that morning was -38 degrees Fahrenheit... In short, I made it to the summit after an absolutely HEINOUS climb. I put on every layer imaginable but with the temps and some seriously strong wind, there was only so much I could do. I almost turned around like 10 times in the final 200ft to the summit which, after 5000ft of gain already, felt like it would've been a shame -- since I already had a frozen face, fingers, and toes I might as well summit, right? Although absolutely brutal, I was so fired up on the hike down. Spending a few hours near 14,000ft in those conditions made the hike down through the trees, no longer freezing, feel like pure bliss. I guess it's hard to describe the feeling, but there's something about that "Type 2" fun that really makes me appreciate the little things in life like not being constantly exposed to 40mph wind in well-below-zero temperatures...

The final day out with Ima was a very uncertain one. The weather forecast wasn't looking too great (fresh snowfall, high wind, VERY low temps), but we decided it'd be fun to at least attempt a big route. Ima was psyched on checking out the SE Face of Taylor Peak, a mountain neither of us had been to. We hiked out past Sky Pond and the Petit Grepon in some fairly deep, fresh snow. The route we were eyeing, Quicksilver, contains some fairly steep angles that tend to hold snow. In the spring, that snow might be climbable, but the fresh and unconsolidated snow was an absolute nightmare to attempt to climb. We were pretty stoked to at least attempt the route, since we'd already hiked for 3+ hours through powder to get there, so Ima led us up the first few pitches. In short, it was not the day for it. Every part of the day up to that point had taken us much longer than expected and the thought of summitting, and descending, a mountain that neither of us knew in the dark did not sound too appealing. After a few pitches, we decided to bail down off of some nuts & slings, casually hike out, and get home in time for dinner. Ima & I had previously only rock climbed together & it was pretty awesome seeing him in his element out there on a big alpine face! Stoked to do some more spring climbing with him this year and to learn more about the ways of Basque climbing culture (i.e. climb hard, drink wine, eat good food).

Although not a comprehensive list of the preparation, I think each of these days above felt like they led towards the general goal of getting out as much as possible in the mountains this year. With this trip, there were no goals like "climb X grade" or "climb Y route", it was more about getting as familiar as possible with the types of terrain, gear, and decision making involved in the weird world of alpine climbing. As things currently stand, I'm feeling about as ready as I can for the trip and I think the informal "training" method of just getting in the mountains as much as possible has worked well.. We'll see how it goes. I'm sure there will be things that, once there, I wish I would've spent more time doing. But for now, we're going to take we've got and see where that takes us :)