Cerro Torre reflected in glacial lake, Patagonia, Argentina

Climber's conundrum

Peering past floating glacial icebergs and rugged Andean slopes, Cerro Torre cuts an unmistakable profile against a Patagonia sky. Nearly vertical, Torre was once considered impossible to climb. The first confirmed team to ascend the peak did so in 1970 by creating a ladder-like sequence of anchor bolts. No one would reach the summit without help from these bolts until 2012, and that team dismantled the anchor route on their descent. Though this re-raised the bar for difficulty, several successful summits have occurred since, including some achieved partly by free soloing.