Make the impossible possible

A quest for adventure in Patagonia

There are a mere handful of pilots who have ever flown in Patagonia. Usually the wind is too strong, the weather too unpredictable. Aaron Durogati tried it anyway and went to Patagonia with Daniel Ladurner. Together they wanted to climb Cerro Torre – one of the world’s most difficult peaks – and fly down on the tandem.

Aaron launches successfully from the Aguja Saint Exupéry, visible to the left of the wing.

I never travel without a wing. To bring a light paraglider always pays off.

Up they went, rope length by rope length. After 13 hours on the steep terrain their feet hurt, fingers were scraped and cut, heads tired. The wind was very much in evidence. It toyed with the climbing rope, whipping it upwards. On the summit there appeared to be a full-blown gale in progress. Launching a paraglider in 130 km/h winds is unthinkable. Even so, Aaron Durogati looked happy. The view from up there, in the middle of the Patagonian Los Glacieras National Park, is quite breathtaking.

The courage to try something new Aaron had flown to Patagonia with Daniel Ladurner at the beginning of January. The plan: to climb the steep granite needles that punch through the Patagonian ice sheet and, with a bit of luck, take off from the top with the tandem. The Cerro Torre is just about the most extraordinary mountain formation on our planet – all routes to the top are for top-level alpinists only. After climbing on rock, ice and more or less vertical snow sheets they waited on the summit plateau – which Aaron’s research had shown to be suitable for a tandem take-off.

Adventure is Uncertainty Apart from this difficult take-off site, Patagonia is notorious for its bad weather. This bad weather includes the lightning-fast onset of windstorms – up to 200 km/h. Any mistake on the mountain is critical – always. Rescue would take days. Mobile phone reception? Forget it! What drives one on, to go to such an isolated and bleak place with a paraglider? “It is the sense of adventure that excites me so much. To do something that no one has ever done before. Not to know whether I will be able to fly or not. I want to make the impossible possible.”

Enjoy every moment The original plan to climb the Cerro Torre was not possible for the two South Tyroleans – conditions were too unfavourable. Instead, the pair climbed the Aguja Poincenot. Again, 130 km/h winds on top made a take-off impossible but again, the beauty of the Patagonian vista took their breath away. In Aaron’s words: “To stand alone on the summit is one of life’s privileges”.

The next weather window came a few days later. The goal was Aguja Saint Exupéry in the Fitz Roy mountain group. Aaron realised there was a problem: the available surface is very small, too small to launch a tandem from, so he took his solo wing in his rucksack – Daniel would have to abseil down with a friendly rope team.

On the way to the Aguja Saint Exupéry the team had to overcome several difficulties, snowfields included.

Patagonia is not made for flying.

Aaron Durogati

Aaron’s extremely small and rocky take-off spot – one step behind him is empty space.

The white circle shows Aaron’s take-off ledge below the summit. No room for mistakes here!

I’m looking for adventure – for the challenge. And flying in Patagonia is an incredible adventure.

Aaron Durogati

The privilege to paraglide “It was one of the most difficult take-offs that I have ever made”, reflects Aaron. Any mistake could be fatal. “Three metres, that was all the space I had. One step too many and I would be falling down the rock wall.” After more than 15 hours climbing up Aguja Saint Exupéry Aaron succeeded in the impossible: he managed to take off just below the summit. “The flight was stunning. After a turbulent take-off the air was smoother and I could see the Fitz Roy range from a very special vantage point.”

Down below he waited half the night for his rope partner to arrive, reminding him just how quickly a paraglider gets you to the valley floor. “I knew that the opportunity for a take-off would be very small. The flight was one of the best I have ever experienced.” What was the wind like? “I took off in the lee of approximately 40 km/h – it was very sporting. As I said, one of my most difficult take-offs ever!”

The approach to the Aguja Saint Exupéry is long and arduous: more than six hours non-stop.

About

Aaron Durogati Aaron has been a professional sportsman since 2009 and is regarded as one of the world‘s best paraglider pilots: he won the World Cup in 2013 and 2017, and to date he is the only pilot to have won two PWC Superfinals. His exceptional abilities were again demonstrated in the Red Bull X-Alps 2019. As well as paragliding, the South Tyrolian also loves climbing and mountaineering, even better when they are combined with paragliding

Film

youtu.be/don4emZyB2w

Equipment

The team bivouac at the Laguna Sucia under the open sky – no tent, to save weight.

The combination of flying and climbing in Patagonia is fantastic and extremely demanding at the same time.

Aaron Durogati

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