The routeline of Los Manos del Dia (5.11, 600m) as climbed by Chris Kalman and Grant Simmons with assistance from Daniel Seeliger. [Photo] Chris Kalman
In mid January, Chris Kalman and Grant Simmons established a new route on Trinidad Central in Cochamo, Chile. (For more info on Cochamo see the Area Profile Alpinist 23). Taking nine days on the climb, they opened Las Manos del Dia (5.11 600m), a twelve pitch route on the southwest wall of Trinidad Central. All but two pitches were 5.10 or harder, with nine pitches of 5.11. The two also received invaluable assistance from veteran Cochamo climber Daniel Seeliger, owner of the Refugio/climber’s campground.
Las Manos del Dia begins with a large dihedral, and the crux occurs near the start of the climb. A huge flake is reached by a splitter finger crack, followed by a six meter undercling with only smears for the feet, finishing with a bouldery crux in the corner. Kalman considered this “the best and hardest pitch of the route,” and graded it at 5.11+.
The dihedral of the lower portion leads to the true vertical, very clean headwall. This headwall forced Kalman and Simmons to use every aspect of their climbing skill set. Like the lower dihedral, it also begins with a hand crack of 5.11-. This crack then forced them to a cave/ledge protruding out of the wall. The route finishes with a technical, bouldery top-out that also goes at 5.11.
“All in all, the route features incredibly varied, but consistently difficult climbing,” says Kalman. Seeliger, a veteran Cochamo climber who also helped open the route, added that the route was “at the least one of the best in Cochamo.”
Grant Simmons catching his breath at the end of the steep and strenuous off-width in the eleventh pitch (5.11+), on his route, Las Manos del Dia. [Photo] Chris Kalman