CreatripTeam

American climber Colin Haley (41) completed the first-ever winter solo ascent of Cerro Torre in Patagonia in September. Patagonia’s winter runs from May to October, and only three winter summits had been recorded before; none were solo. Haley chose the Ragni Route, which allows for more ice climbing and suited solo tactics. Winter ascents of Cerro Torre are notoriously difficult due to avalanche risk, harsher weather than Alaska, brittle ice from extreme cold, short daylight hours, and limited services in towns that make approaches harder. Haley had attempted winter solo climbs of Cerro Torre in 2013 and 2023 but turned back both times. In September 2025 he left town on the 4th, started from base camp on the 6th, reached the summit at 10 PM on the 7th, and returned to base camp at 6:15 AM on the 8th. He described the winter solo ascent as the sum of all climbing skills—ice climbing, mixed climbing, rock climbing, snow travel, big wall techniques, high endurance, survival in extreme cold, ski mountaineering, and even mountain biking skills.
(isPatagonia: Patagonia is a region at the southern tip of South America shared by Argentina and Chile.)