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On the cover photos of Agostino Chiarucci, Camilo Rada, Tommaso Lamantia
BOLOGNA-A mountain two kilometers wide, with a northern slope characterized by granite walls a thousand meters high, while the southern one by a wall of ice and mixed. The Cerro Nora Oeste, a peak still unexplored and never climbed into the Campo de Hielo Norte glacier in Chilean Patagonia is the goal of the Grignetta Spiders Paolo Marazzi and Luca Schiera leaving for Chile. The expedition is supported and valued by the Italian Alpine Club, thanks to funds from the Ministry of Tourism.At the same time, the Ragni group thanks the technical sponsors for their support to the activity of their climbers:Rock and Scarpa experience, Scarpa, Camp and df Sport specialist.
"With the support of Luca Schiera and Paolo Marazzi, the Italian Alpine Club confirms once again that it wants to promote and enhance the great expeditions, expression of the mountaineering of the beginning that shows that you can still explore and find new horizons”, the words of General President Antonio Montani.An exploratory mountaineering venture that will last at least four weeks, explain the Cai. The actual expedition will start from Lake Colonia which will be crossed by boat to bring the necessary material to a base camp sheltered from the wind.Come on here, for at least three weeks, attempts to climb will begin.At the same time, a documentary film will also be made, the direction and photography of which will be curated by the mountain guide and photographer Giovanni Ongaro (also a member of the Ragni Group) and Andrea Carretta, a mountaineer transplanted to Patagonia.
"This is the fourth time that Paolo and I go to Campo de Hielo Norte: a fascinating place because there are many mountains and walls and it is still partly unexplored. The Cerro Nora Oeste we had seen from afar in 2020 while between the crevasses we were looking for the way to another mountain, at that moment we never thought that one day we would want to try to climb that seemingly repulsive wall.In reality the Cerro Nora has a southern slope that we have seen, of mixed and ice, and a granite wall to the north a couple of kilometers wide and at least 800 meters high”, explains Terra.“Physically and mentally we are ready, we have to see if the weather and mountain conditions will be favorable“, continuous.
A partially unexplored glacier. The Campo de Hielo Norte is the second largest glacier in the world, excluding the polar ones. It is located in Chilean Patagonia, between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Cordillera.A large expanse of rock and ice that develops from north to south for about 120 kilometers with an extension of 4,200 square kilometers. An area on which still unexplored and unknown mountains rise. Couple in wall.Marazzi and Schiera are among the most important Italian mountaineers and climbers in activity.For more than ten years they have often been in pairs on walls around the world.The two climbed and opened routes from the Karakorum to the Garhal
The Campo de Hielo Norte has always been in their ambitions:over the years, with different attempts, they explored and climbed several glacier mountains. The first time, in 2019, with the ascent of Cerro Mangiafuoco, a mountain located in the center of the glacier, that the two climbed along a beautiful and difficult wall of 400 meters. Then in 2020, Schiera and Marazzi accompanied by Giacomo Mauri entered from the south to reach a peak seen only from satellite images.Starting by boat from the fjords of Caleta Tortel, the two set out for 90 kilometers on the glacier, but could not find a way through the crevasses. In 2022, Schiera and Marazzi entered from the north and headed south with skis and sleds.The two then climbed a rock wall.