SAMAYA x MATTEO DE ZAIACOMO

 

 

In January 2024, Italian mountaineer Matteo de Zaiacomo and his partner Chiara Gusmeroli travelled to Patagonia to realize a shared dream: to reach the summit of Fitz Roy. After a serious injury in 2023, Matteo wasn't sure he would be able to return to mountaineering. But his determination and resilience brought him to the foot of this Patagonian giant.

 

"A trip to Patagonia is an important event for any mountaineer.

 

This wasn't my first trip to El Chaltèn. I had already climbed Cerro Torre via a new route in 2022, but I had never climbed Fitz Roy. The dream of reaching its summit was born of the many adventures recounted by my friends and those I'd read about in books. What made this project possible was undoubtedly the motivation of my partner Chiara Gusmeroli, who dreamed more than anything else of reaching the summit of this beautiful, famous and repulsive mountain.

 

Climatic conditions in Patagonia are highly complex and rainfall is frequent. Warm winds blowing in from the ocean suddenly cool as they pass over the continental glacier, condensing at the first mountain range they encounter. So it's not easy to find good niches for climbing. Walls change every week: a route that was possible yesterday may no longer be possible the next day.

 

I soon realized that ice routes like the Super Canaleta were unfeasible because they weren't in the right condition. The Afanasieff route seemed to be the only possibility.

 

We landed in El Calafate on the afternoon of January 9, took a cab to El Chaltèn and had just enough time to pack our rucksacks for the next day's assault on Fitz Roy. We spent a lot of time thinking about what gear to bring. Being light on this type of terrain is the difference between success and failure. However, we didn't want to give up the comfort of the pleasant hours of the night to recuperate and refuel.

 

The approach was very long, almost nine hours of walking, directly followed by the ascent to a third of the way up the mountain. We found a place to pitch our tent and, after a delicious freeze-dried dinner, spent a wonderful night in this exclusive hotel in the heart of the most beautiful place on earth. Light and compact, our Samaya ASSAUT2 ULTRA gave us a quiet night's sleep, protected from the wind and allowing us to rest fully.

 

The next day, we moved on to the hardest part. We'd been training for months and our Samaya ULTRA35 pack was light enough to climb quickly. During the climb, I felt right at home. It may sound strange, but as I've been climbing on granite for 20 years, every time I find myself with climbing shoes on my feet on the rock, I feel like I'm in perfect harmony with my environment. Chiara felt the same way. We had trained perfectly on the ridges and walls of the Masino-Brevaglia mountains. Obviously, the dimensions of the Fitz Roy are not comparable to those of the Alps. The levels of commitment and adventure are amplified and offered us a continuous and sustained climb. This route is a labyrinth where you risk getting lost from time to time, but which enabled us to find ourselves even far from home.

 

We reached the summit in the evening, tired but happy! The sunset was a blazing red. We hugged each other and admired the magnificent view, letting all the emotions felt during the climb wash over us.

 

The descent from Fitz Roy is almost as complicated as the ascent. We had to descend on the opposite side to where we had climbed. On our way down, we got a rope stuck and had to make an important decision: either abandon it and continue with only the other rope, or climb back up to retrieve it. Climbing back up meant losing time, which was inconceivable as the sun was heating up the snow and everything around us was becoming dangerous and unstable. We abandoned the rope and descended as fast as we could. When we reached the glacier, far from the mountain, we saw the avalanches starting up where we'd passed: we'd made the right choice.

 

This trip was very important to me. I'd made a few expeditions to Baffin, the Himalayas, Kyrgyzstan and Patagonia in particular, but in 2023, a bad back injury made me think it was the end of expeditions. The idea of tackling such big and dangerous mountains again scared me. The route we chose is not the most difficult in the world, but it was tinged with a special meaning: that of being able to believe in myself again and dream of new projects all around the world.

 

I'd like to thank Chiara for this incredible adventure and for believing in me despite my injury, as well as my friends and family. I thank the Ragni di Lecco for always being by my side in my projects. To all the old and new friends I've met along the way, who have made this experience unforgettable. I also salute Samaya , which works in the same direction as mountaineers, with products that are efficient in weight and quality, fundamental pieces of the puzzle, without which it could never be complete."