This New 5.10 in the “Yosemite of South America” Belongs on Your Tick List
Over the past 30 years, Cochamó Valley in Chile has gradually been accumulating fame as a climbing destination, and for good reason. Picture a roadless, tropical Yosemite Valley in the center of the Chilean Andes, with dense conifers, 3,000-foot-tall granite domes, and a total lack of crowds. In Cochamó, hand-drawn topo maps still reign supreme and lack of Internet forces a wide-awake, off-the-grid lifestyle. It’s paradise on Earth for adventure climbers, especially those who love multi-pitch trad routes in untarnished wilderness. Just last year, the conservation organization Conserva Puchegüín completed a $78 million fundraising project to purchase more than 328,000 acres in Cochamó, which are now protected from any future development.
But while Cochamó has its share of flashy first ascents, like Hayden Jamieson, Jacob Cook, and Will Sharp’s Picaflor (5.13+; 1,000ft) in 2024, it’s not exactly the most accessible destination. There’s no hospital, no gear shop, and no rescue team. Yet even if you’re prepared to survive self-sufficiently in the backcountry, you’ll find very few Cochamó routes easier than 5.10c. With so much unclimbed rock and first ascent potential, why should Cochamó’s beauty be limited to certain grades?
Thankfully, that’s changing, one route at a time. The most recent case in point? Filo Estatico (5.10+; 1300ft), a multi-pitch line established on February 15. This new climb offers gorgeous views and engaging climbing in Valle Trinidad, where Cochamó’s first three routes were established in 1998. The trad line climbs the west ridge of Cerro Ojo, a sub-peak just south of Valle Trinidad’s tallest mountain, the 3,925-foot Cerro Trinidad. Seven 5.10- to 5.10+ pitches, plus a 5.5, 5.7, and 5.9 bring you to the top of Cerro Ojo, with stunning views of the valley below.
German climbers Lando Peters and Nico Rolinck, who established the 10-pitch Filo Estatico last month, say that the line features “everything Cochamó climbing has to offer,” from cracks to high-quality face climbing. They first spotted it across the valley, squinting through binoculars to identify the splitter finger crack that became Pitch 8, the crux. But the excitement starts much lower.
“What especially stands out is the second pitch, which has these curved splitter cracks at the top and a nice crack roof in the middle,” said Peters. “It’s not that hard, but it’s super fun to climb.” The route takes a standard double rack with one #4 cam and a few extra micro-cams. Pitch six requires a 70-meter rope, unless you want to simul climb it.
Before heading up Filo Estatico, make sure to book your campsite reservation at La Junta campground several months in advance, before it sells out. Plan a full day to hike from Cochamó to La Junta, then another day to hike out your food, climbing, and camping gear to the Valle Trinidad bivy sites, which do not require a reservation. When you wake up in Valle Trinidad, you’ll only need to hike 15 minutes on foot to find the start of Filo Estatico. To descend, you can rappel down the face of Cerro Ojo via a neighboring route, Homo Santa (5.11a).
For more beta and general information on climbing in Cochamó, check out Mountain Project and Cochamo.com, which serves as an online guidebook.
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