The Cerro Riso Patron by Lise Billon
Far from everything where anyone is at the mercy of the elements, the Cerro Rison Patron and its 2,550 meters dominates. As if lost in the middle of Chilean Patagonia, at the bottom of the fjord, this monster of rock and ice is a dream for mountaineers. Among them, Lise Billon, Jérôme Sullivan, Martin Elias and Antoine Moineville set out in 2014 to conquer the never-before-explored southern summit. Unfortunately, this first attempt was a failure. Jérôme, seriously injured following a fall into a crevasse, must be repatriated.
Despite everything, the group of mountaineers did not let themselves be discouraged and renewed the adventure the following year with Diego Simari instead of Martin. This time, numerous pieces of ice in the fjords make the approach by boat impossible. They therefore give up their first objective to attempt the ascent of the north summit. A difficult but successful expedition rewarded in 2016 with a Piolet d’Or.
© coll. Billon/Sullivan/Simari/Moineville
The Nuptse by Benjamin Guigonnet
In 2015, unfavorable weather conditions made any attempt impossible. In 2016, after good progress, they failed just 350 meters from the summit. Thursday, October 19, 2017, it’s the good thing: the trio finally reaches the west summit of Nuptse (Nuptse Nup II, 7,742 m). It took six days of climbing to achieve this feat of opening a new route on the south face. The ascent will be rewarded with a Piolet d’Or the following year.
© coll. Millerioux/Degoulet/Guigonnet
Sani Pakkush by Symon Welfringer
This is one of the rare expeditions of fall 2020. In the north of Pakistan, in the heart of the Batura Muztagh massif, Simon Welfringer And Pierrick Fine rise to the summit of Sani Pakkush at 6,951 meters above sea level.
Thus, they made the first ascent by the south face of a peak climbed once and only once by a team of Germans in 1991. This ascent of this route called Winning setback (2500 m, ED+ / 90° / M4+ / WI4+) will earn them a Piolet d’Or 2021. An unexpected feat since initially, Symon wanted to go to Nepal, where, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the borders remained closed. The two young mountaineers therefore chose Batura Muztagh, the only massif with strong mountaineering potential still open.
During acclimatization. Altitude: 5,450 m. © Welfringer/Fine
