Patagonian Chimeras

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High-mountain guides, alpinists, and friends Lise Billon, Fanny Schmutz, and Maud Vanpoulle set out to rewrite the history of Cerro Torre—Fitz Roy’s neighbor in Patagonia—from a female perspective. The film’s illustrated, animated introduction recounts the heavily male-dominated history of this legendary peak, alongside the more personal stories of the three protagonists as they discuss their relationship with mountaineering and their place as women in a world that does not always welcome them with open arms. After spending time in El Chaltén connecting with the climbing community and training on routes and boulders, the climbers head to the mountain face for a three-day ascent, tackling the 800-meter vertical rise of this granite monster. Alternating between ice and rock pitches, they become the first all-female team to reach the summit.