May 9, 2008

"Radio Cochamó here, pleasures for your ears from channel Cocho Ocho," the radio's channel eight cracked over the small speaker.

That line sounded quirky, but add to it a deep, overly romantic tone behind the broadcaster's voice, a sexual intonation on most anything said and a gringo accent, and it was beyond ridiculous.

That was me communicating to climbers across the Río Cochamó and camped at the bases of walls, informing them of the latest weather forecast, love tips and new route news. Some laughed. Others convulsed. So here I go, transmitting a written version of Valle Cochamó's latest ascents as requested for the Chilean mag Escalando.

Cochamó's highest number of international and Chilean climbers visited the area this season, and the amount of new routes this year surpassed the last few combined. The spectrum of routes grew to include not only big wall, short multi-pitch cracks and sport routes, but deep-water soloing too.

First the Amfiteatro, a gigantic granite bowl with almost a dozen big walls, received the newest and most classic big-wall ascents in the area. El Espejo, a 600-meter sheer white granite wall, reflected its beauty through three new routes, shaking away some of the valley's dirty rumors of having only closed rounded cracks.

Puerto Montino Michael Sanchez and German Martin Waldhor returned for a second season, accompanied by German Ashim Mink, to complete Excelente Mi Teniente (5.11a 600 m), an obvious crack splitting El Espejo's center, and later on the walls left side Cinco Estrellas (5.10d 450 m).

Six years since the first ascent, they also successfully repeated the French route 100 Años de Soledad (5.10d A2+ 800 m) on Cerro Noemie Walwalun (opened in 2002 by the deceased French climbers Jean-Baptiste Moreau and Stefan Cieslar) and added a new middle pitch variation that made its 18 pitches go totally free at 5.10d.

Chilean Jose Ignacio Morales and Brazilian Roberto Sponchiado completed their 10-pitch La Hora es Ahora (5.11b/c C1+ 400 m) on the left side of El Espejo.

"It has a little of everything," said Morales, "long cracks, technical faces, flakes and dihedrals - very varied and entertaining...over excellent rock."

Later the brothers Punta Areninos Javier y Jorge Durán opened the valley's longest and easiest climb Espiral de Clavos (5.10a 300 m) up a huge face they called La Sombra.

Chileans Esteban MacIver, Sebastián Baeza and Benjamín Azcar reflected a whole new color of climbing from the turquoise waters of the Rio Cochamo by opening the first deep-water traverse Color Gazard (5.11d 20 m) along slightly overhanging and uniquely pocketed giant boulder.

Australian Anthony Schellens and I added the first color of climbing to the Arco Iris by opening the walls first completed route Através del Iris (5.10c 450 m).

American Tomás Thompson opened La Vaina Oscura (5.9+ A2+ 175 m) in a way never seen before in the valley - a solo first ascent on an unclimbed wall to the right of Arco Iris wall.

Chileans Pancho Muñoz y Manuel Moreno opened the classic splitter Apnea (5.10b 90 m) just above the tents of La Junta's camping. Later Nacho Morales, accompanied by Basques Jozeba y Oihana Beristain, added the neighboring route El Nervio - a quartzite nerve that leads up the Zebra wall.

Americans Peter Fasoldt and Eli Simon found their Wicked Big Toddlah' (5.10b 150 m), an obvious crack system on the right side of Milton Adams.

Later a group of Brazilians, Argentines, Germans and North Americans opened eight new one-pitch routes on the beautiful walls of Matelandia near the base of the 1000-meter Capicúa wall - one of its classics Bombilla de Cuero (5.9 30 m).

Another group added 10 30-meter sport and crack routes to the list on a wall only 15 minutes from the climber's refugio. La pared La Luna took on its name after they established the wall's most classic line, a finger crack opened the day after March's lunar eclipse, thus Eclipse Lunar (5.11c 32 m).

Spanish climbers Jose Miguel Diaz and Alejandro Puche's route Vivir para Trabajar (5.11c 675 m) climbs the center of La Junta Wall but stops short a few pitches from the top. Canadian Winter Ramos and American Mateo Touchette also came very close to the top of the right side of the huge wall Capicúa on their route Gato Negro (5.11a A1 350 m). So often is the case, weather turned sour, and their time ran out for both teams.

Okay, that's it for this Radio Cochamó report, wishing you great climbing. Reajust your radio channel Cocho Ocho is over and out.