Cerro Nora Oeste in Patagonia first ascent by Paolo Marazzi, Luca Schiera

It all started from a photo of a wall we saw in 2017 and then climbed in 2018. Back then from the Cumbre we saw an entire world around us and realised that that world had to be discovered. Cerro Nora Oeste was the epicenter of this vortex. The perfect storm. So we decided we'd climb it; we were joined by Giovanni Ongaro and Andrea Carretta, practically all the way to the edge of the glacier, from there Luca and I continued alone.

Just the thought of climbing that mountain intimidated us, and we shat ourselves when we first caught sight of it. We were in total awe at that wall, a bit like meeting a 'baba'. We were so scared, with those terrible conditions, that we were considered returning home without even giving it a go.

Then we stopped, as if sleeping below it, in a small snow cave we carefully dug out, would suffice to make us feel a part of that mountain, and that evening and during the night something clicked. Our minds saw a line that our eyes had observed until then. Something climbable, apparently without too many objective dangers, feasible in single day. So we set off, early, but we simply couldn't sleep.

Everything flowed and ran smoothly, as if we were diligently following a route topo. Immediately to our left and right there was always something not quite right, but there where we were, the line was just perfect. And so, almost without realising, we were on the summit, enjoying the view across that world of ice and rock. Once again, a few years later. But this time we really felt we were right at the highest point of the Hielo's eye.

The route is approximately 900m, climbs up the west ridge, with the first 300m following a snow gully and then leads to a section of mixed rock and ice. The maximum difficulty is 6a+ on rock and M6+ for the mixed terrain. We decided to call it Zenin; this was the nickname of Mario Conti, who precisely while we began our climb left his home for a walk in the mountains and unfortunately never returned.

All things considered, it took us seven days for the approach, then we climbed the mountain taking advantage of a day of good weather, followed by another two days to return to a more or less safe area, plus one more to get the rest of the gear we had stashed previously. From there, after 10 consecutive days on the trot, finally we had two days of rest, in part due to the bad weather. It's crazy how a tent in the downpour can feel like a room in five-star luxury hotel. After that, once we'd recuperated, another two days of walking were needed to transport our gear to Lake Cologne, from where we navigated with parkrafts down the lake and then the river.

And, like all perfect adventures, this part of the expedition also had its ups and downs, read capsizes in the river, head-on collisions with the rocks in the middle of the rapids and punctures in our raft before finally reaching civilisation. All in all it was an amazing undertaking. A climb that provided us with some unique moments. Put simply, after a long time a dream that finally came true.

by Paolo Marazzi

The expedition thanks: Club Alpino Italiano for its support
Marazzi thanks: Arc'teryx, Black Diamond, SCARPA, Alba Optics, Ragni di Lecco