Valery Rozov. Interview for Mountain.RU Russian Extreme Project History Amin Brakk B.A.S.E.-climbing expedition Mountains and BASE jumping "Russian Extreme Project" Expedition to Greenland "Russian Extreme Project" Expedition to Greenland

"Russian Extreme Project" expedition members:
Valery Rozov
Denis Provalov
Alexander Ruchkin
Alexander Odintsov
Vladimir Kachkov
Sergey Krasko.

First five - took part in ascent, Sergey Krasko - ensured safety landing spot.

We'd heard and known a lot of Patagonia , but the things that we could see eye to eye surpassed all our hopes, I mean practically everything: the mountains, weather, sceneries, style of ascent...

* * *

There was a good beginning of the expedition. We were really fast to get the gorge, to obtain a climbing permit and to make a reconnaissance of the area. For the third day of our trip we had solved all our problems and checked into the logistic: Bonnington route (Bonnington-Whillans, 1963, first ascent) from the Valle del Silencio, literally the Valley of Silence .

This route on the Central Tower is the most "simple" on Torres del Paine (if this word can be applied, for example, to Myshlyaev's route on Mt. Ushba South summit). I planned: after reaching the top I would descend to the main wall, then make a B.A.S.E.-jump, fly and land on a morine pocket I found to the right from the lake, (by the way, it appeared practically unique place for landing).

Seemingly the task would turn out to be relatively simple. The weather was so-so, sometimes windy. “But this is Patagonia ”, - we said to ourselves and courageously set off.

Now the story began....

In two hours we reached Japanese Camp where were held up on the way by rangers. It will be observed that trekking in these places is rather popular and also the system of comfortable tent camps is well-developed.

There are not crowds of climbers in these corners and they had been well informed about our expedition and impatiently waited for us. But instead of god-speed and wishes of successful ascent, they declared that were thoroughly enlightened on the subject and our plans not only to climb but also to jump from the summit. As we had not received the permit to jump they said «You permit is cancelled» and suggested to descend and receive new permit allowing to climb and jump. That meant no less than 10-12 km downwards plus two hours in- vehicle.

We did not want to lose two days at all and I told them: "OK, in this case I will not jump" with a secret hope that they would believe on my bare word. But the guys appeared pretty hep boys, and commanded to descend for a new permit or to leave my parachute. They remained unconvinced.

Denis Provalov and I ran light downwards for a new document. But at the office of tourism I was cut up even more. They announced our permit cancelled and forced us to leave the National park immediately. The situation became to be just dead-end. Continuing to speak about something with the officials, I tried to estimate any variants of our next steps forward with speed of a good processor but understood that the situation was without variants :- (

We had to make a right move immediately. While I was thinking about that the official calmed down a little looking at my disconcerted appearance, and the tension slowly drained from his face. In the result, I signed the note under pledge of not to jump and leave my parachute with the rangers.

All our way up we were in low spirits and reached the team only toward the next morning. Then by joint efforts the brilliant idea came in upon our mind. I took a base stage bag (that base-jumpers use for a parachute pack on approaches), filled it with some dud wrapped it preliminary into a polyethylene for making it believable rectangular in shape and gave this work of arts to the rangers with the words: "This is a very expensive thing, keep a good look-out for it...» - and they let us to pass!!! Everything appeared like in a children table game - stop for two days and then forward run on the squares.

* * *

Base camp was settled below on the glacier with 800 vertical meters up to the route beginning. And of course we got a lot of belongings: the gear, photo- and video cameras, parachute, etc.

First of all we decided to find out approaches seemed non-obvious and to work at the bottom part of the route that we successfully did the next day. And by the way, we hauled up some gear.

But then there was a day of the super windy weather that we could hard even just pass along the path. "It's Patagonia ", - we were trying to think easy.

1-st day, and we set off on the route.

A route like any other, nothing special. It's no big deal: Russian 5 grade. But with two amendments: the intense cold and strong wind. And both of them become to be more serious with getting altitude.

Because of that a leader could not climb fast. The others were very hard overloaded as had to carry a lot besides the usual for such route climbing gear. Well, we did not manage to climb the route for a day.

We found a ledge for sedentary spending the night in a small corner filled up with snow. The morning met us with the sun and stronger wind. Fortunately, we had climbed already all hard pitches and by 17.00 we got the next camp site on the ledge of 15 degrees named in the description as a «convenient b ivouac » :-)

All of us started to make a convenient tent site on the ridge just in three pitches from the summit. I could see another valley and the headwall under my foot where I was going to jump.

Like a hunter I began to feel "Exit" instinct!!! I could not help taking a rope and rappelling.

The summit part of the mountain is rather flat. I found a normal point from the third attempt. It was hardly away from our spending the night site and two pitched lower. I decided to leave the rope not to waste time the next morning.

Tomorrow on February, 23 (M.Ru comment: Russian Defender of the Motherland Day), I was going to make the B.A.S.E.-jump from Torres del Paine if everything went right way!

When I returned the tent had been already pitched, the guys were inside lively discussing something and a stove was hissing. (I frequently notice during such ascents, that from some moment I start to be psychologically non-coplanar with my partners. We have summited, our climb has finished successfully, all of them are relaxed and excited but I start to keep myself close and concentrated or even to be overstung. Because that's not the half of the story and the main aim is still ahead. And the closer the summit is, the feeling is growing. Getting into the tent I had time to notice that I did not like the weather. Then we had a bite and went to beg. Morning levet was expected at 5.00 am . At last we could sleep with our legs stretched out. "It's not too bad in Patagonia ", - I thought falling asleep.

At one o'clock in the morning the first "electric train" hurtled past: so we named the churlish blasts of wind that sounded like a hooting railway vehicles . We found ourselves among continuous rumbling, roaring and inside the tent that was bent under the wind and ready just to burst at any moment or to fly down. We started to put on feverishly hoping not to be undressed the in case of tent's break and our clash with the nature. The rest of that night and all the next day we were shoring up the windwardly side of the tent trying to keep it out of danger of breaking fabric or poles. If someone needed to answer an urgent call of nature and left the tent we had to pull socks up to keep the tent :- ))

Well, the holiday was held on. As we had not taken a lot of food it, naturally, began to come to end. Nevertheless, because of the holiday we let us eat a chocolate and drink an additional pen of tea. "It's Patagonia . - we thought, - Well, we still have a chance". By the evening the storm slackened a little. And we seriously discussed the summit attempt for the morrow.

* * *

Morning. The sun did not appear. Windless!!! We began to descend to the Exit point. I put on hanging on the rope because there was not any ledge there. The wind was getting up. When we were almost ready to make a jump, the wind reached its usual force. Sergey reported me from below that periods of calm alternated with heavy wind gales there.

Not only strong but gusty and omnidirectional at different heights wind is one more special feature of Patagonia . I was staying at the Exit for a really long time practically ready to jump but feeling uncertain what to do next.

I could see the white caps on the surface of the lake below, the risk seemed too high. I thought that I could jump without any problem but could not make a safe landing in predetermined area. It was very cold. I did not have many clothes under my wing-suit.

I started to freeze and be nervous. All the guys were abiding by, and they had the grace not to dog me with their void advices.

It was clear to everybody: either to risk or... We would not have had another bite of the cherry.

It was my choice, therefore nobody hurried me.

I recollected that in moraine's the wind was a bit calmer than above.

The unique plan was to try to fly, reach needed place and draw a parachute maximum low-earth hoping not to be blown up from this a little bit protected from the gale corner by the wind. But I still had doubts about that: could I fly up there?

Usually during such specific jumps, quality of your flight is far away from ideal.

One, two, three - go!... I failed a bit making exit, but the flight turned out excellent. I did not get into the wind impulse and reached planned landing site without problems. Well, what about it? I can tell that I was lucky...

Flight data:
Total altitude difference: 1400 meters,
Time: 57 seconds,
Distance: approximately 2200 meters.
Only three hours later a storm amplifying with every hour began. But the guys in spite of anything had time to descend later on the same day.

* * *

Thus we could meet the real Patagonia - four days of a continuous gale-force wind with snow. It did not allow to go even on the trail. If we had stayed at the summit we would have not had chances to survive.

Everything that we had seen before and named a bad weather by our own standards occurred just a window of good weather by Patagonia 's ones.

We brought away rather mixed impressions of the area. On the one hand, the nature is unusually beautiful with its great mountains, big walls, but conversely, rigid and unpredictable weather, that is capable to destroy any plans and to force any team to bail.

I would like to thanks a million! especially the people helped me to put the project across: Denis Provalov, Alexander Ruchkin, Alexander Odintsov, Vladimir Kachkov.

My jump is certainly team's achievement.

My special thanks to my ground observer Sergey Krasko. Without his information from below and radio communication the jump would have aborted.

Thanks for all your courtesies and support.