The last few meters...
Do Condor.
Tô exausto.
- I saw Max down there. When I was going down I saw his flashlight, and he was going up. Then everything went dark, and he vanished.
- Max!
There's no sign of Max. And we think we've just see his light from down the valley. So, I'n really worried.
So, Im' going down the valley and see if I can find Max. Fingers crossed, he's ok, but it's really really cold out here right now, and really windy.
And he've been out for 14, 15 hours now. I'm worried. I'm gonna go and see if I can find him.
- Minus 25.
- Max!
- Suzie, did you meet Max?
Suzie, did you copy me?
- Not a good choice for a route.
We climbed lava towers throughout the day. Now its 11PM and I'm back to camp
Its' very cold, so everything frozed. GPS frozed. Radio frozed. I'm highly dehydrated.
So, from here on we're going along to Pissis. Well, this guys are organizing our kit and resting.
Pissis is the third highest in the continent and one of the easieast to aproach. I mean there is a road going there and apparently there is a path uphigh.
It's gonna be my last pick in dry Andes, believe or not.
Well, my strategy to get there is... I don't have a clue. The motorbike can get higher, get at least to 5,100 and I can get there in three hours.
It make a hell of difference going on a motorbike.
I'm leaving the poor bike here, alone. I hope it doesn't feel too cold.
- Where do you think Maximo is?
- I have no ideia.
- I don't know.
- Pissis!
I'll make the aproach. There's a lot of "Penitentes".
- We're at a thermal water place, relaxing for a bit since Max decided to climb Pissis alone.
At least we'll wait for him at a nice place. I wonder how Max is doing, at Pissis.
- Last meters of "Penitentes", I'm reaching 5100m.
And I thought I could get up to here on the bike.
- Hey Max…you wanted to go. You'll be facing -30 degrees.
- Almost 5800m, a lot of wind.
I'll set up the tent… and melt snow.
10:00 PM.
Everything froze.
It's about -26C.
And the wind is worse as well.
Let’s see how tomorrow goes.
- At least we can track him down, since he's alone, and that's very dangerous.
- I have been waiting to climb Pissis for a long time, so the cold is not gonna make me give up.
It's cold!
7:00 AM
the wind slowed down
I'm a little warmer.
I'm at a steep snow ramp.
Look at the view.
5:00 PM.
I'm reaching the motorbike…
I'm happy.
- The champion is here!
- How did you know where I was?
I was trying to find you guys. No internet or anything.
How are you? - Good, how are you?
- My helmet is on. - I know.
- Come on, we have barbecue.
- So we just left the dry Andes finally. I just managed to climb all 6000 meters in the dry Andes, it's amazing to me.
When I climbed Pissis, I realized that actually happened. Apparently I was the first guy to climb every sigle 6000m in the dry Andes.
- They gave a contact from someone else, it's like their toll free line.
We have to call and find out what we need to cross this private mining area so we can climb the mountain.
We don't know how we'll have access to this area, it is one of the largest mining companies in the world and they are very restrictive regarding the entry of outsiders.
We just met a miner who works there, and he said that it is very difficult to access the mountain crossing the mining area.
Yes, "Toro"is what we are missing in San Juan area. We're climbing all of America's 6 thousanders. Ok...
He recommended us to go to another mountain, first, and then…
We need a doctor certificate because the problem is not to climb the mountain, he says they doesn't care what we're doing in the mountain.
He cares about while we drive on the road, if something might happen to us while we drive through the mine site.
- We need a doctor certificate just to cross… - Yes!
- I never saw rain in this place, and just when we're about to climb the mountain.
- I've never heard of rain here in Barreal before, I've never heard of rain in Fiambala before…
and we have it for the first time so, it's like this trip is the trip of firsts.
We are at 3.200m on the way to Mesa.
Because the approach is so long, its very long, actually, we hired some mule drivers and two mules to cary our stuff.
And that is how we gonna start approching in the central Andes. This mountains in central Andes are very long.
- How soon can you take our equipment? - We can do it in an hour.
- Hey, how ar eyou? - You can go ahead and we'll bring your stuff to you.
Approaches are hard and long, and endlesses. So, from here on we gonna cross a few valleys.
And finally stablish our track in a valley called Rio Colorado.
And from than on we have four days of walking and climbing towards Mesa.
- My Hand! - Give it to me.
- How to use a fire starter.
Now blow on it
Give me some more paper.
- We are approaching our first camp at Cerro La Mesa... And we left all of our stuff with the "arrieros"... the mule drivers...
And so we’re waiting for them to come from up there.
- It will be dark in one hour. And there’s no sign of them up there.
It's 7:45 PM, it's gonna be dark in 15 minutes and the mule drivers didn't arrive, for some reason unknown.
We have no sleeping bags, we have no tents, we have no pots, no food, no nothing. We gonna have to spend the night here.
At least we have fire, and we are digging out some sort of a cave... so we can sleep.
- We're almost out of food, we just brought snacks for the trail to reach the camp.
There is only half of a person's sandwich, and my sandwich, it's almost nothing.
We want to keep climbing but we're afraid they will not show up.
Sun is set ready...
and the rain got worst.
Yeah, I know, pretty awful.
We gonna love each other tonight
This time, I will climb it.
I just need the tent.
I need it to go up.
But this time, we're doing it.
Let's stay here for as long as it takes.
11:00 PM, the wind is worse, 25, 26 below zero,
Everything froze.
We'll see tomorrow.
- Hey, any news?
So he didn't find anyone?