First Trad Climbing Guidebook in Chile
Donation protected
Chilean climbers aim to release the first big wall climbing guidebook of the Chile with the ALFALFAL sector as their starting point. So, why are we chosed?
- Alfalfal is the closest and most accesible big wall sector to Santiago's airport ✈️.
- We print and NO trees and water is used .
- Our modular guidebook eases updates, sharing and multi-pitch carry .
- Waterproof pages .
- We re-bolt so you climb safe.
- Environmental experts work with us so you could come back in decades and still awe of the beauty of nature ⛰️.
- And more (and less)!
CONTEXT
Chile is one of the global epicenters for climbing and as of the year 2024 it still lacks a local climbing guidebook for its towering walls.
Torres del Paine, El Avellano, Cochamó, Pirquinco, El Manque, Alfalfal, La Zanzi, San Gabriel and Taira among many others, encompass the primary locations for multi-pitch and traditional climbing in Chile.
To date, our work has allowed us to:
- Re-bolt 142 climbing routes in Alfalfal.
- Research 30 sub-areas & 300+ routes in Alfalfal
- Launch a FREE ACCESS digital climbing guidebook with 10 sub-areas and 180 routes.
- Work with environmental experts, local organizations and government to do things consciouslly.
With this work, we have been able to recover route names, difficulty levels, first ascensionists, necessary climbing gear, length of routes, number of bolts, and the condition of belay stations.
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HISTORY
Anahi Giorlando is a Chilean climber who spent years gathering information about Alfalfal, one of the largest and most emblematic climbing areas in the Metropolitan Region.
Fighting against the common belief that "sharing information leads to the closure of climbing spots," Anahi continued her investigative work independently.
She forged connections with local climbers, reached out to the first developers of the area, and climbed as much as possible. She believed that, in the future, this knowledge could truly contribute to the better development of climbing as a sport in Chile.
Meanwhile, Matías Velasco was climbing and photographing the same locations, hoping to one day delve into detailed research to narrate the story of this eccentric sports community.
He traveled from north to south, capturing images and stories of various locations and historical figures in Chilean climbing.
In the year 2021, they crossed paths while climbing in Alfalfal, and almost immediately realized that the valuable information compiled by Anahí, combined with the unpublished images recorded by Matías, formed the perfect blend to create the first guide for big wall climbing in Chile.
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OUR GOAL
We believe that knowledge should be accessible to everyone.
Understanding the history of climbing empowers us in the places we visit, helping us comprehend their nature and fostering conscious sports development around it.
In other words, an empowered community aware of its sports history can bring about real changes in the places it inhabits, potentially improving:
- Access.
- Impact on the environment.
- Visitor safety.
- Sports and cultural development.
- Historical record keeping.
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CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN
Independently, both have managed to gather a significant amount of information in their free time, allowing them to start creating the first climbing guidebook in Chile. They are using Alfalfal as their starting point.
However, today they want to dedicate 100% of their time and energy to this project, providing updated, accurate, and effective information for all climbers in Chile and around the world.
This campaign aims to fund the second stage of the project, "Finish the investigation of 400+ single pitch routes & publish the first copy of the book 2025. By contributing, you will be helping with the following key points:
- Maintenance and exploration of the missing single pitch routes in Alfalfal. (400+ total)
- Hardware to replace old or damaged belay stations.
- Development and printing of the first actual climbing guidebook of Chile (release schedule 2025).
If you came this far, thanks and if you want to share this with your climbing community we will appreciate it.
You can know more at our Youtube and Instragram.
Organizer
Matías Velasco
Organizer
Garibaldi Highlands, BC