Riders on the Storm in Patagonia finally free-climbed

• Monday 19th February 2024

A team of climbers have made history by completing the first free ascent of Riders on the Storm on the East face of the Torre Central in the Torres del Paine National Park. This monumental achievement, on February 9th, 2024, marks a significant milestone in big-wall climbing history.

The team, consisting of Belgian climbers Siebe Vanhee, Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll, Nicolas Favresse and American climber and photographer Drew Smith, finally puzzled together a free ascent of the legendary route that has captivated and challenged the world’s best climbers since its first ascent in 1991.

Riders on the Storm is known for its demanding 41 pitches, graded up to F7c+, that stretch over 1200 metres of vertical granite, presenting formidable obstacles that had previously rendered the route impossible to free climb in its entirety. The team, who spent 18 days without leaving the wall, managed to link all 41 pitches in a team-free ascent, meaning they alternated the lead-climber for each individual pitch.

The journey to the top was fraught with challenges, including extreme weather conditions that are characteristic of Patagonia. The team embarked on their expedition with a month's worth of supplies, prepared for the relentless wind, rain, and snowstorms that awaited them. Their perseverance paid off and they managed to free-climb a variation which had been discovered and equipped previously by Mayan Smith-Gobat and Ines Papert in 2016 - bypassing the notorious 16th pitch and making the dream of freeing Riders on the Storm a reality.

This achievement not only represents a technical milestone but also a testament to the human spirit's capability to overcome the elements and push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of Alpine climbing. The team's collective effort, resilience, and mutual support were instrumental in accomplishing what had been considered an insurmountable feat for over three decades.

The expedition was documented by team member and photographer Drew Smith, whose images capture the struggle, triumph, and sheer beauty of the ascent. These visuals, along with detailed accounts of their adventure, will soon be shared with the world, offering a glimpse into the dedication and passion that define the climbing community.

In a joint statement from Siebe, Sean, Nico and Drew they commented: “February 9th, 2024, we stood there again, on the summit of Torre Central (2460m) of the Torres del Paine. Two days after Sean’s 43rd birthday, seven years after the first free ascent of El Regalo de Mwono, 18 years after Nico and Sean climbed Riders on the Storm for the first time. We stood there, wind in our faces, after having done the first team free ascent of Riders on the Storm in capsule style spending 18 days on the wall.

Riders on the Storm is one of the legendary Alpine big wall routes first ascended by Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Güllich, Bernd Arnold, Nobert Bätz and Peter Dittrich in 1991. This obvious king line of 41 pitches, climbs 1300m up the centre of the East face of the Torre Central. In the last 33 years, this masterpiece has never been entirely freed. One of the major hurdles was the hard aid climbing and the big pendulum across a blank face on pitch 16. In 2016 Mayan Smith-Gobat, Ines Papert and Thomas Senf discovered a possible 5-pitch variation at R13 that would make the route go entirely free. Mayan returned in 2017 with Brett Harrington and Drew Smith aiming for an all-free ascent. Unfortunately, they were pushed back by the intense Patagonian weather.

Extreme weather conditions are often the biggest challenge for free climbing in Patagonia. In 2023 Siebe teamed up with Jacopo Larcher and Brette Harrington to give it a try. Like Mayan and Brette, they got shut down by wind, rain and snowstorms. This year Siebe came back with Sean, Nico and Drew Smith.”

It was as easy as one single message; “Hey guys, I want to try to free Riders, are you psyched for another sufferfest?” – Siebe.

“On the 15th of January, we walked into the park with heavy loads of climbing gear and food. We prepared for one month of autonomy. We shuttled our fat pigs to basecamp, Campo Torres, and the base of the wall. During the first nine days in the park, we managed to climb for one and a half days, making it to the top of the pillar at pitch 13. On the 24th of January, a short window without too much wind gave us the chance to commit to the wall in capsule style. “We either get wet on the first day or on the last”, said Nico. We hauled and set up camp barely beating the storm that rolled in at 7pm. It was game on! The next few days we quickly managed to free-climb the new free variation in harsh conditions, freeing the crux at about F7c+. Day 6 on the wall we rallied to pitch 26, the famous ‘Rosendach’ roof. From there we only needed one good day to go to the summit.

But it’s not called Riders On The Storm for nothing and when all the windows closed The Doors began to sing. Seven days later we still hadn’t gotten passed the roof. Several attempts were made to climb but they were shut down by freezing temperatures and rime-covered rock. The only progress made was Nico red-pointing pitch 23, a mega struggle in icy conditions, cleaning the snow off the crimps while free-climbing. Most time was spent reading, playing music, having book discussions, popcorn parties and melting snow. We also got several visits from 140km/h invisible trains. Patagonian winds never disappoint.”

“Every time I climb this wall I remember what a masochistic experience it is to free-climb here” - Nico.

“On day 14, we made it through the roof and continued free-climbing the last difficult pitches. At nightfall, only 6 ‘easy’ pitches from the summit, we got shut down by snow and heavy spindrift avalanches (heavy for us simple rock climbers). Another two days then were spent in ‘The flying carpets’ (our portaledges). Finally, on the 9th of February, we crawled out of our tumble-driers and climbed the remaining pitches to the summit.

Once again, we squeezed through the eye of the needle, taking advantage of every little opportunity, working as a team and feeding on each other’s motivation. This is the third free route on the East face of the Central Tower of Pain(e) (with South African Route 2008 and El Regalo De Mwono 2017). Each one of them is absolutely world-class quality and one of the reasons this wall keeps calling us back.

Besides being an indispensable member of the team, shutterbug and Montana hardman Drew Smith managed to capture not only the pain, struggle and glory of the ascent but also the sobbing. 

This trip wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the kind Chileans: Jorge Ruiz, Seba Rojas, Hernan Jofre, Hernan Rodriguez, Seba Pelleti, Yonatan Araya, Nico Secul, Ocho and Ruth of the Redpoint Hostel and all the guardaparques at Campo Torres. Also, many thanks to Rolando Garibotti and Mathieu Ménadier for weather forecasting.