I have briefly mentioned the 2014 first ascent of Fitzroy traverseFitzroy3440mNorth pillar7a,C1, 65°3600m by Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell (Big routes going down, part deux). Now there is a movie A Line Across the Sky about the ascent. It is included in Reel Rock 10 .
Fitzroy traverse is very alpine undertaking. Something which perhaps is somewhat out of the norm for both of the protagonists who are world class rock climbers not particularly known for their alpine exploits. That said both have extensive experience of scaling large rock faces rapidly. To pull the Fitz traverse off within limited weather windows of Patagonia, speed is obviously of prime importance. Something that the first ascentionists are very familiar with having both held The Nose speed record and climbed many Yosemite big walls in a day.
- Honnold and Caldwell Make Epic First Ascent of Fitzroy Traverse. Between the 12th and 16th February, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell made the first complete traverse of the Fitzroy ridge. The ridge itself is frankly MASSIVE. They covered 5 kilometres, climbed 4000 vertical metres and encountered difficulties up to 7a. The key to their speed was simul climbing, where both climbers climb at the same time, placing protection between them. The risks are higher because you aren't being belayed in the traditional way, but it means you can eat terrain up and is a commonly used method on longer routes. To give you an idea, they climbed the 20 pitch Pillar Goretta on Fitzroy in 3 simul climbing pitches. Well done guys! Photos Courtesy of: Alex Honnold Video Courtesy of: Next up we have the next episode of Sub Zero, check out the series here: You Won't Believe How This Ice Climber Trains to Scale Frozen Waterfalls | Sub-Zero, Ep. 2. By EpicTV at Youtube.
- NEWSFLASH: Fitzroy Traverse for Honnold and Caldwell. American climbers Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell have made the first ascent of the 5km long Fitzroy Traverse in Patagonia, Argentina. By Jack Geldard at UKC Climbing on 2014-02-18.
- Caldwell, Honnold Finish 5k Fitz Roy Traverse. "Between February 12 and 16, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold completed the first ascent of the much discussed "Fitz Traverse," climbing across the iconic ridgeline of Cerro Fitz Roy and its satellite peaks in southern Patagonia." By Rolando Garibotti at Alpinist on 2014-02-18.
- The Fitz Traverse/La Travesía del Fitz. Aguja Guillaumet, Aguja Mermoz, Cerro Fitz Roy, Aguja Poincenot, Aguja Rafael Juárez, Aguja Saint-Exúpery and Aguja De l'S. By Rolando Garibotti at PataClimb.com on 2014-02-18.
- New Englanders Complete Huge Traverse in Patagonia. New Hampsherites Dana “Mad Dog” Drummond and Freddie Wilkinson have done a superb three-day traverse of Aguja Guillaumet, Aguja Mermoz, and Fitz Roy by its North Pillar. Care Bear Traverse (VI 5.11 A0 by Dana Drummond & Freddie Wilkinson 2008). By Dougald MacDonald at Climbing Magazine.