Matt Van Biene: Chalten Portraits

Recently, while browsing through Instagram, I noticed about a half dozen images by Matt Van Biene–climber portraits taken in El Chalten, Argentine Patagonia. The black-and-white portraits, shot very close to the climbers, caught my eye. I sent him a quick message stating that we were interested in showcasing his work on alpinist.com.

Joel Kauffman: A longtime climber in El Chalten, Joel is admired by his peers for his calm demeanor and gentle wisdom. He has ingrained himself in the local climbing community, arriving earlier and staying later each year. We joke that Joel is becoming more and more Argentine, as he casually sips mate waiting for the perfect weather window. With a string of impressive first ascents in the range, he defies the notion that you need to be “chomping at the bit” to get any climbing done in Chalten.

Jonathan Schaffer: “Jonny” lives simply, runs a small business in Durango and saves his pennies to head south during the winter. His humble wit and sense of humor are matched only by his impressive climbs and first ascents. Over the past few years, Jonny has ticked off many of the peaks in the Chalten Massif, mostly sniffing out new terrain, and then returning to town triumphant to cook a massive celebratory meal for all to enjoy.

Josh Huckaby: What can be said about this fine sailor? After a lifetime of climbing, surfing and being a skipper, Josh started his Patagonian career in his forties. Still going strong with a string of first ascents, rare summits and epic stories to tell, “Cap’n Huck” has become an inspiration and sage to us younger whippersnappers amid the fangs of the Andes.

Coleman “Troutman” Blakeslee: To those who have had the pleasure of knowing this man, nothing more needs to be said. To those who have not, you’ve probably heard whispers of the fabled Troutman around a campfire somewhere. From Baltimore roots to climbing legend, “Trucha” is establishing himself as a regular in the Chalten community, and we all look forward to his humor and excitement when staring down these fierce mountains.

Tobias Wolf: I had the pleasure of getting to know Tobias, sheltered in a cozy cave while a two-week storm pummeled camp in the Valle del Frances of Torres del Paine National Park. He moved on to Chalten soon after the storm cleared, and we met up again there. A family man from Dresden, Germany, and a notorious climbing machine, he quickly concentrated on the hardest free climbs in the range. His drive and focus belie his friendly and helpful nature, which can be glimpsed hidden within the glints in his eyes.

Dan Aylward: Dan is a tried-and-true North Cascades alpinist, hailing from Seattle. He is a real-life MacGyver and is known for his brainy inventions: this year he attached Vibram soles to track shoes for a sort of reverse-crampon effect for approaches. Dan’s first trip to Patagonia was more than a decade ago, there was no meteogram and climbers base-camped up high in all manner of Patagonia weather. It wasn’t until last year that Dan returned to climb in the Chalten Massif; now he vows to come back annually.

Mark Westman: I first met Mark in Camp 4 when he had swine flu and was lying low. For all who know Mark, however, he is anything but subdued. Hilarious and full of stories, he is an encyclopedia of ascent and route beta, especially in his home mountains of Alaska where he is a Denali climbing ranger. It has been a pleasure getting to know Mark. At forty-five and on his seventh trip to Patagonia, he is still as motivated as ever.

Crystal Davis-Robbins: Her first trip to Chalten was when she was in her early twenties, and she fought her way to the summit of Fitz Roy. Since then she has put up new routes around the massif, including on Fitz Roy itself. She has fully embraced the Argentine culture and lives in northern Patagonia with her husband, still frequently seeking adventure in the high Andes.

Sarah Hart: Sarah is part of a small cadre of women who are beginning to call Chalten their winter (austral summer) home. Though her roots lie in bouldering, Sarah has quickly become a proficient alpinist, with five seasons of Patagonian climbing under her belt. Always friendly and with a smile, she is Canadian after all.

Benjamin Erdmann: In climbing, the tribe is small, and we often hear of future friends before meeting them. That was the case for Ben and myself; phrases like “psyche bomb” and “contagious stoke” were used when describing him, and all are true. We first met in his hostel in Chalten, when he had just returned from climbing Cerro Torre; he almost seemed more interested in the crystals he had found, carried up and “charged” on the summit than in the climb itself. A mystic and a gentleman, Ben is sure to return south after another season of farming in Alaska.

Phil Magistro: Phil’s goal when arriving in Patagonia this season was to climb Fitz Roy. A seasoned outdoor educator, Phil has recently thrown himself into climbing, and I’ve seen him throughout the year in familiar locales like Yosemite and Indian Creek. Phil is relatively new to alpinism, and when he got his chance to climb on the North Pillar of Fitz Roy he took it and successfully made it to the top of the route. Content with the mission, Phil occupied himself in town with keeping morale high and enjoying the finer things that Chalten has to offer like tango lessons and tasty ice cream.

Whitney Clark: Whitney began climbing in the Cascades and the Sierra. She has climbed extensively throughout the most beautiful ranges in North America. Patagonia was a natural extension, and I caught up with her after she had just arrived from a climbing binge in the Cochamo Valley of Chile. Her job as a nanny, she says, allows her the perfect balance of work, play and climbing time.

Brette Herrington: Brette had her first season here this year. When she is heading into the hills, her pack is bigger than she is, but that doesn’t slow her down much. Familiar with hard rock climbing, she took those skills to the granite spires of the Fitz Roy massif. Highlights include climbing the North Pillar of Fitz Roy in a day and completing the first female free solo of one of the world’s best 5.11s, Chiaro de Luna. It was the second-ever free solo of the peak, and the only female free solo of a tower in the range.

Marc-Andre Leclerc: Marc once said that he tries to ruin every picture he’s in with a goofy face. It’s probably more of a compulsion than anything else, and if you knew young Marc, it would make perfect sense. All kidding aside, Marc is one of those individuals who was born to climb. This season, alongside Colin Haley, he climbed the first ascent of the Reverse Torre Traverse, a new route on the North Face of Cerro Torre and a solo ascent of Cerro Torre’s Corkscrew route. Basically, Marc has turned one of the most challenging mountains in the world into his home crag.

Mikey Schaefer: A name synonymous with first ascents, mind-blowing rock routes and Patagonian climbing, Mikey Schaefer has called El Chalten home during the austral summer for at least a decade. There are some who don’t watch the weather, but simply wait until Mikey starts to pack up to know when to head to the hills. Today, he has new routes on at least every peak of the Fitz Roy massif. Friendly as always, he took a few gracious moments to step in front of the lens.

Cody Scarpella: I had the pleasure of repeating some of Cody’s routes in Trout Creek, Oregon, before meeting him in his current home of Boulder, Colorado. Running into him in Chalten was a pleasant surprise. Cody has honed his rock skills over the years; between construction work and nursing school, he somehow found the time to take a trip south and apply his talents to one of the larger arenas of the world.