Patagonian Chimeras

Lise Billon, Fanny Schmutz, and Maud Vanpoulle, high-mountain guides and friends, aim to retell the history of Cerro Torre—Fitz Roy's neighbor in Patagonia—from a female perspective. An illustrated, animated introduction covers the peak's heavily male-dominated past, while the three discuss their relationship with mountaineering and their place as women in a world that does not always welcome them. After connecting with the climbing community in El Chaltén and training on routes and boulders, they tackle the 800-meter vertical rise over three days, alternating ice and rock pitches to become the first all-female team to summit.