SAMAYA x MAGDA & LEO
PARAGLIDING AND CLIMBING COMBO IN SOUTH AMERICA
In February 2023, Magdalena Mittersteiner and Léo Gheza traveled through South America in search of granite walls and thrills. New paragliding takeoffs, first ascents, and moments of conviviality in El Chaltén punctuated their journey. For Samaya, Magda and Léo recount the moments that left the biggest mark on them.
Magda: The first time I went to Patagonia was last year. I fell in love with the place. When Léo told me he wanted to go, I jumped at the opportunity. We were going there with quite different goals. Léo had a big project in mind that he wanted to do with Fabian Buhl, while I was going with a very open mind, just to see what I could do depending on the conditions. I was going with an exploratory mindset. The weather there is quite special—extremely changeable and unpredictable. You need to have plans A, B, and C. When we arrived, we had 10 days of bad weather. That set the mood for us. Then came the first weather window. Léo and Fabian hesitated a lot, and then a gap opened up.
Léo: Going to Cerro Torre was a very spontaneous decision. In the end, Fabi didn't come with me because he had other goals, but two Italian friends joined me there to climb the Ragni route. What was great is that this route was climbed for the first time exactly 50 years ago. Every year, you have to reopen the route at the beginning of the season to make the subsequent passages easier. This year, we were the first to reopen it, on the exact same date, 50 years later. It was quite special.
Magda: Meanwhile, I went off on my own with some Chilean friends to climb some magnificent routes. It was fun to see the contrast between our two activities: I was in the sun, wearing a T-shirt, while Léo was in the cold and ice, in winter gear. At the end of our respective days, we all met up in El Chaltén to eat a burger, have a beer together, and share our different experiences.
We didn't have much luck with the weather: that was the only weather window we had. Once again, we waited and waited, impatiently. We finally made the decision to head further north to the South American Yosemite. We crossed the valley on horseback to reach a base camp. From there, we started climbing, and we were off again.
The weather turned bad again, while it was beautiful in Cochamó. We headed there and were able to do some paragliding combos, as well as open new takeoff spots. Taking off from majestic, flat granite summits was truly magical! While there, Léo was also able to open a new route.
Léo: With Angelo Contessi and Diego Diaz, we opened "Nunca say Nunca" on Cerro Trinidad Central, an 800-meter monolith. The line we originally had in mind was on Cerro Trinidad Norte, which we thought was still virgin. Upon arrival, we were shocked to find it had already been freed! Information in the guidebooks is more sparse than what we are used to in France and Italy. During a paragliding flight with Magda, I was able to scout our plan B. After carrying our gear to the foot of the wall, we took advantage of a 4-day weather window to open the first 500 meters, snaking between technical slabs and cracks. Diego fell, fortunately without breaking anything. We brought him back to the base and endured two days of bad weather. Angelo and I regained our strength and set off to tackle the second section of the route, adding another 450 meters of climbing through a system of vertical, sustained, and never direct cracks, offering thrilling sensations! We managed to free all the sections except one, as we ran out of time, which we nicknamed the "Trinidad changing corner." It will surely be an interesting goal for future climbers. We reached the summit around 9:30 PM and were rewarded for our efforts by the full moon and a clear sky all night long. We bivouacked, and the next morning, I took off by paraglider. In 15 minutes, I was back at the base. What more could you ask for? In expeditions like this, the equipment makes all the difference. It needs to be both lightweight and resistant, whether it's the tent or the backpacks. This is particularly true in Patagonia, where it changes everything because we had to carry all our climbing gear, food, and bivouac equipment over many kilometers and even while climbing.
Magda: While Léo was opening his new route, I headed to another magical place in Patagonia: Torres del Paine. Their call was simply too strong for me to resist: it is one of the most beautiful places to climb in South America!
