Gastronomic Big Wall Climbing in Patagonia

Tyler Karow, Imanol Amundarain, and Cedar Christensen head deep into Patagonia, Chile for a ten-day siege on the East Face of the Central Tower of Paine, chasing a team free ascent of the legendary South African Route. It’s big-wall climbing at full scale: hauling, fixing ropes, and committing to life in portaledges thousands of feet off the deck. What sets this ascent apart is the absurdly good living in an otherwise brutal environment—wine on the wall, a mini cast iron oven, and daily baked meals that turn a suffering mission into a strange, floating kitchen. If you love expedition logistics, partner dynamics, and the quiet intensity of sustained 5.12c terrain in one of the world’s wildest ranges, this is a feast worth watching.

Tyler Karow · 37:33

Tyler Karow, Imanol Amundarain, and Cedar Christensen pulled off a team free ascent of the South African Route on the East face of the Central Tower of Paine in Patagonia, Chile in January 2023. Despite their typical vigilance for going light, they opted to splurge on quite a few luxuries including excess amounts of wine and a mini cast iron oven that they used to bake muffins, empanadas, and pizzas daily while living in portaledges. They spent a total of ten days on the wall after an initial two days of fixing ropes from the ground. This 4000 foot line was first climbed in 1974 by a South African team and first freed by Sean Villnueva O'Driscoll, Nico Favrese, and Ben Ditto in 2009 at a grade of 5.12c. This was the second free ascent of the route. Wall Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10qAuYmj0muTtUTgwk5kXl?si=020b03e4fbeb4d7e