Feat in the Fitz Roy: a mountaineer managed for the first time to get on and off without help – 03/04/2019

They told him that he was not human, that he had super powers and that he had achieved a legendary level. Her name is Jim Reynolds, 25, was born in the United States and has just done something that seems impossible for the most experienced alpinists in the world: climbed and climbed Mount Fitz Roy without any help, only with the strength of his arms and legs.

His colleagues did not save praise before the feat. "Evolved this sport", "He just scored a moment in the life of climbing", "He is very strong." They are mountaineers who dedicate their lives to climb the highest peaks in the world. made this young man.

Jim works as a lifeguard in Yosemite National Park, California, where he is The captain, a famous vertical wall of granite that is one of the mecha for the practice of climbing. It was known that Reynolds had some experience, but when he arrived three months ago in Argentine Patagonia, no one could predict what he was going to do.

Since December, he was prepared. He studied the field, met with Argentine rescuers, visited the city for advice and took two other routes with the same technique, the needles. Rafael Juárez (2,450 meters) and Saint-Exupéry (2,558 meters). All for the sole purpose of touching the sky with your hands and watching the world of 3,405 meters that Fitz Roy has.

Héctor Soto, who is also part of the rescue team of El Chaltén, is one of the Argentinian alpinists who accompanied him in the preparation: "When he told us what he wanted to do, we thought he was crazy. Only one person had it 20 years agoand when he came down, he called back – with the help of a rope. But this madman has also come down alone with his handsSoto, who in February climbed Fitz Roy with two other mountaineers and took nearly three days back and forth.

Reynolds took 15 hours and 25 minutes. AT 9 o'clock in the morning started climbing with only a liter and a half of water and cereal bars. By noon he had already returned to the base. During the last hours of the descent, his eyes were guided by the light generated by the helmet's headlamp. He helped himself with the touch to find where to place his hand, then the other, then one foot, the other, and so on, like some kind of real-world Spiderman.

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"There is something about all this that worries us," says Soto with a bit of joking and a bit of seriousness: "The problem is that it sets a precedent and we are somewhat worried. that a lot of people want to come to Chalten do the same thingUnfortunately, they do not reach it and everything ends in the worst sense. It's really difficult. "

Tad McCrea is a close friend of Reynolds who accompanied him to Patagonia and with whom he trained in the months leading up to the feat. Sitting in a bar in El Chalten, the young man spoke with Clarin.

Reynolds is used to climbing great mountains. What makes this climb so special?

-I think it's a lot, definitely. First of all, it is something that is so different from the other things that were done in another era in such a vast and legendary mountain. He was not trying to break a record or make history, but he was trying to climb in the best way. He did not think twice, he went to do it. There is also a physical element: it is important to understand how long the climb lasts, as many people would need rest. It is difficult to get on and then off: not only do you need someone physically strong, but also your mind. It took 10-15 minutes of rest for three breaks, then an hour and a half, then a descent.

Mount Fitz Roy is no harder than El Capitan in Yosemite. What makes it so special?

– The route he did is technically easier than El Capitán. But it is longer. It's one thing that makes it more special: there are even more challenging routes. But it is a very iconic and beautiful mountain. Fitz Roy is like an incredible painting. When you arrive, it's like driving through a painting. When you download it, it's like you're downloading a painting. It's really amazing, beautiful. We are mountaineers, but before we are explorers. It's an incredible feeling.

– What does the world say about climbing on this?

-Two things: a lot of people are very impressed. What he did is really amazing. But at the same time, everyone wants to compare it to Alex Honnold – the famous mountaineer who directed the documentary "Free Solo", winner of the Oscar award. And I understand that it makes no sense to compare, we are all in the same team.

– Is it difficult to get off?

– Physically, it's different, but the most complicated is where you put your feet, because you do not see as well as when you go up. Everyone who climbed the Fitz Roy has rapped it down. What is striking about Reynolds is that he saw something that others did not see: he understood that the reminder, in fact, is harder because you have the wind and you can get stuck . With his ability, he lowered it in a very different way. He's a visionary because after all, he did the most effective and safest work, which worried him from the beginning.

Collaborated by Juan Brodersen

DD

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