If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to climb in Patagonia, this shot’ll give you some perspective. You’ve got to be motivated, accomplished and - truth of the matter - willing to suffer a lot more than have fun to get up anything in this land of amazing spires, perfect granite and famed horrific weather. 
Working with our French distributor, Gregory co-sponsored a team of super accomplished alpinists/search-and-rescue team members from France earlier this year who were headed to Los Glaciares Park, better known for its Fitzroy massif and what some call the climbing world’s most alluring peak, Cerro Torre. While those two are the better-known summits there, the surrounding the small village of El Chalten is a sea of world-class climbing.
The team (who took this shot) went down with a goal of making it up multiple established routes in the area. Since they’d be moving fast in short windows of weather (the way it goes down there), Gregory outfitted them with Alpinsto 50 packs, a classic 50-liter alpine-climbing pack in the Gregory line that has a removable bivvy pad and can be stripped of its frame sheet and padded waist belt for the summit push.
However, fan of the Alpinisto 50 might recall there used to a smaller version of this pack, the Alpinisto 35. Given solid demand in Europe and parts of North America for a smaller, well-built, more rucksack-style pack tailored for the alpine world, look for a significantly redesigned and upgraded version of the Alpinisto 35 to reappear this fall.
Check back soon for a more full report on the routes this crew attempted in Patagonia, as well as some more gratuitous climbing shots.
