La Ola Climbing (15th to 20th December)

Kirsty preparing for La Ola with some lakeside training.

 We returned to Argentina and the lakeside town of Villa Carlos Paz to prepare for 6 days in La Ola which was one of the climbing venues I was most excited about since seeing videos on you tube. We chilled in VCP, did lots of cook duty shopping, personal shopping and as stores was exhausted a big stores shop for honey and dulce de leche, mmmm! In the evening we treated ourselves to a meal out for some argentian steak and a bottle of red wine.

Steak and red wine night in Villa Carlos Paz, another essential part of preperation.

Seb talks through the moves on the very steep, very good Thor (7a+)

 On arrival at the crag the overhang above was the first to come into view and SEb and I got very excited and a little bit daunted by the steepness of the rock. After establishing our camp in a small field behind a goat farm we went straight out climbing on the steep rock. I jumped on a steep 7a similar to an indoor route as it was full of jugs apart from a last move which involved mantling over the lip of the roof a fair way above the last bolt but with a big fall into open space if the move failed.

On my way to completing Historias veridias (7a) on the wave, La Ola

I was torn between working a hard route on the wave or checking out the other areas on offer. In the end the explorer in me got the better and I spent the next 5 days checking out the many different areas La Ola had to offer and the fantastic variety of climbing from slabs to vertical climbing and overhanging routes. The scenery around the area was also fantastic, very similar to Los Gigantes were we had been previously but with less far to walk which was a relief. After 3 days continous climbing on the sharp granite my fingers were suffering so had a rest day and spent the day bathing in the sun and dipping in the pools formed down one of the spectacular gorges.

Beautiful La Ola scenery, waterfalls, granite, clear pools and pampas.

Rest day activities, a dip in the refreshing water. A chance to soak aching muscles.

During the evenings we stretched and conditioned our bodies for the next days climbing and I spent a long time treating my tent in preparation for Patagonia after the leaking in Brazil. I did an awesome cook duty with Hannah where despite the meager budget we cooked up a masterful macarone cheese and vegetable curry.We were also treated to many lovely sunsets over the rocks which stretched for miles

Beautiful sunset over the farm.

One of my favourite things about La Ola (and south america in general) is the awesome leafcutter ant trails that occur. I spent a long time studying the ant trails and following individuals on their little journeys, quite fascinating!

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Brazil Climbing 25th November to 10th December

After Rio we had three good looking climbing destinations before our return to Argentina.The first was Serra de Cipo. This was reputed to be the best climbing in Brazil and on my native limestone so was pretty excited.After a huge drive day leaving at 8 in the morning and not arriving till 11 at night we set up camp in a random field after failing to find the refugio. We woke up to torrential rain so was gutted not to be able to climb. This weather pattern continued without stopping for four days solid. It was gutting to make such a big effort to come here and not be able to climb. Even if it had actually stopped raining the nature of the rock meant it would have taken an age to dry out. Days were spent eating lots of pancakes (i had 11 one morning), praying for sunshine and walking to town to use the internet. I found a great game installed on one of the computers called UK truck simulator. I once drove from sheffield to Plymouth in my big truck, it gave me much amusement. Fancy that, a Uk truck simulator installed on a Brazilian computer in the middle of nowhere! We also watched about 3 James Bond movies. We have decided to start from the beginning and by the end of the trip we must have watched all of the Bonds, amusingly I have been put in charge of organising ´Bond nights´. My official title is JBOO (James Bond Organisation officer). One highlight of the stay at Cipo was walking through the forest up to a gorgeous waterfall and taking a bath in the pool above the fall, this also allowed me to do my only climb at Cipo, down the small rock face into the pool! During the rain I was disappointed to find out my tent is no longer the force it once ws as every night before bed i took a cup to bed and scooped out the pool of the water that had leaked in through the bottom. Boo.

Although we were due to stay at Cipo for 6 days after 4 we gave up on the weather and left for the next crag Cuscuzeiro which none of us knew much about. All we knew were that the approch trails were infested with rattle snakes! After a two day drive were the only incident was getting refused entry to a service station for being topless we arrived at the rock which we found quickly. In fairness you could see it for miles around as it stuck up out of the flat plains. We camped in the grounds of a small farm right under the rock and enjoyed a short walk across fields and then up through forest to the fantastic sandstone crag. On the approach trail was a sign warning of cobras on the path which I found exciting. The climbing was sport and on the best rock ever. Solid vertical red sandstone with good crimps and flat holds to swing around on, the climbing was mostly face but also some aretes and overhangs! Kirsty and I spent some great days climbing the classic routesand reaching the summit which felt a bit like a Tepui like the ones in Venezuela. One day I had a day with the boys and we climbed a 7a and a 7a+ which had some great climbing.Half way through the trip we went back to University in a nearby town for a mountain festival. It was a bit weird gatecrashing their festival as all the lectures were in portugese which none of us can speak but we did get some translation and a free lunch so it was probably worth it. We also got to mess around on the Universities climbing wall which was most fun.

On the 6th we left Cuscuzeiro a little bit wsishing wed had more time as the climbing was so fab and there were some harder routes I would have liked to have tried.But new rock beckoned and we were off to Sao Luis, a harder more compact sandstone and according to the Brazilians more good climbing but with disastrous access! We camped roadside just a short distance from a peage on a busy motorway and walked through lush forest to get to the crag.The rock was a bit like gritstone being quite rounded in places and with great friction. Sector 1 gave great sport face climbing and overhanging routes.

The second day we went to sector 2 mainly for the draw of the classic route Via de Totem. The access was a disaster. It took us hours to find the crag having run across the motorway. Eventually we found some bolts and abseiled in. This was very grit like, it was weird thinking I was on a gristone edge doing smeary moves and holding on to slopers whilst clipping bolts. Today the dreaded rain returned and we only got a few routes done before a slippery soaking walk back through the jungle to camp.The rain continued into the next day giving us a forced rest day. The fourth day continued to rain but by afternoon had cleared giving us that satisfied feeling of rescuing some climbing from a day that looked doomed. Turned out to be a great day of clocking up mileage on 6cs, should do wonders for the stamina. It was a fitting end to some wonderful climbing in Brazil, one day I vow to return in the winter when the conditions are slightly less hot and and a lot less wet!

On the 11th we made a 3 day epic journey back to Argentina where we were promised dry conditions and awesome rock climbing at La Ola



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Rio de Janeiro 20th to 24th November

Not normally a city fan but this was always going to be a highlight of the trip and it didnt dissapoint. We were staying just outside the city right by the beach for the first night but realising it took an hour and a half to get to the centre we soon moved to a hostel right in the middle of Copacabana. This wa only after wed had a party to welcome 1 new member to the truck and significantly said goodbye to many who are all dearly missed.

The first day we aimed to climb the famous sugar loaf mountain. After finding the crag after bashing through some jungle I started up a 3 pitch route that would take us to the summit only to discover 15 metres later that all the bolts had been removed from the climb, so followed a nervy down climb of the slab. The heat was something else, must have been mid 30s and trying to climb a slab in that heat is not fun, my feet were in agony and I was chalking up every other move as my hands were so sweaty. We eventually did a couple of single pitches before taking the impressive cable car (which starred in the moonraker bond movie) up to the summit. Views were fantastic over all the bays with little islands out in the Atlantic and the skyscrapers mixed in with sprawling favelas (slums). Behind the city was mountainous forest and the famous corcovado mountain with christ the redeemer statue on the summit. Quite a panorama.

Day 2 was a bit of a none starter as a result of the party the previous night but we managed to swim in the very cold atlantic and took a stroll along copacabana drinking cocunut milk out of small holes made in the cocunut. I loved the beaches. They were full of Brazilians playing sport or exercising all day long. Playing football, volleyball, futevolei (a mix of the two) running cycling or working out on the amazing workstations that line the coast. Worringly there was a display of how many violent murders there had been along th beaches in the last 4 years with a large outline of a dead body plastered on the beach, last count was just over 24000, can you believe that?! Decided the beaches would be avoided at night.Strange though as during my whole stay you never got the impression that this was a dangerous city.

The next day 4 of us planned to climb Corcovado mountain via the classic K2 route. Unfortunately although we had prepared meticolously the night before and had got up ealry to avoid climbing in the heat we were greeted by a torrential downpour that showed no sign of easing. Plans changed quickly. I had really been hoping to visit the favelas with a tour (not a good place to wander on your own) and learn a bit more about these settlements to inform my teaching. Unfortunately the tours were fully booked so Kirsty and I spent a rainy day walking around Santa Theresa looking for trams but never finding them. In the evening the rain having stopped I joined the locals and ran all the way along copacabana beach stopping at every exercise station. Got all the way to surfy Ipanema beach and saw the sunset from Aporeha rock. It was a truly special run!

The next day 10 of us went off to climb the corcovado. It would be a hot rock seige on the mountain.This turned out to be an expensive venture. First we caught  a taxi who said he couldnt take us up the hill because it was too steep. Instead he dropped us at the tourist tram which we paid to take us up the hill to the base of the climb. On arriving at the halfway station after arguing with the tram driver that we knew we werent at the top but we really did want to get off here we then had to pay another 18 reais to enter the park. A short walk up the road and under the north face of the mountain we soon heard monkeys. ONly it wasnt monkeys it was all the hot rockers at the base of the climb waiting their turn. The climb looked beautiful with the attraction of the wonderful views over the city. The rock was a rough volcanic rock which was a delight to climb on. Kirsty and I were the last couple to start the 4pitch 150 metre climb which we did in about 2 hours. At the end you scramble up a grassy slope and then hop over the railings onto the christ statue. With all your climbing gear and ropes dangling around all the tourists stare at you in bemusement! Great climb, awesome views and were able to meet up with all the other hot rockers for one final farewll to those who were leaving.

Resisting the temptation to buy a model Christ in all the tatty tourrist shops Kirsty and I spent our last few hours in Rio wondering around the botanic gardens which were fantastic. They had loads of different sections nd species of plants from all over the world, i especially liked the Atlantic forest section (an ecosystem under considerable threat in Brazil) and I enjoyed the Bromelian and orchid garden. It was a peaceful place to get away from the hussle and bussle of the city and a fitting place to end our stay.

We were now due to head north and find some of Brazils best climbing at Serra de Cipo national park.

See photos below
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