Mammut Athletes Catch The Wave Effect

Mammut Athletes Catch The Wave Effect
Josh Wharton, Whit Magro link-up 3 historic peaks in Patagonia
Boulder,CO (March 8th, 2011) Mammut Sports Group, providers of high-quality Swiss gear and apparel is proud to announce that two of their climbing athletes, Josh Wharton and Whit Magro along with climber Nate Opp have established a new 3 peak link-up in Patagonia called The Wave Effect. After a very dry month earlier in February, a second period of clear weather recently allowed for the climbing of routes that are often too exposed or ice-covered for free ascents.
Magro, a Mammut athlete who lives in Bozeman, Montana commented, “The Wave Effect was a 5 day odyssey for us…. We kept faith in the forecast and never stopped looking forward, one summit at a time.” The idea of linking Desomochada, Silla and Fitz Roy was first conceived by Patagonian mountaineer Bean Bowers, but the 3-man American team took Bower’s vision 1 step further by completing the link-up using 2 new routes on the 1900 meter 5.12+ climb.
Starting their 5 days of fast and light climbing, the 3 established a new free route on Desomochada now known as Brass Parrot (5.12+), which links two earlier lines known as El Condor and Golden Eagle. 300 feet below the first summit, the 3 men established a sketchy bivy for the 2 man tent and single sleeping bag that they shared. The next day, fighting poor visibility, the team broke a new route between Silla and Fitzroy that they called Vertical Current and completed the 3rd ever ascent of that tower. Following another exposed night of bivy, they woke to a whiteout on the shoulder of Fitz Roy and followed the California Route for 5 hours with Josh Wharton freeing every pitch.
Coloradan Josh Wharton, who left for the Patagonia expedition fresh off his 2011 Ouray Ice Fest win commented, “I’ve been lucky enough to do a fair number of big alpine climbs in my life, and this one certainly enters my top five! I feel very lucky to have pulled it off after many years of waiting for the right conditions, and especially enjoyed sharing it with Nate and Whit.”
Utilizing Mammut’s Revelation ropes, the new Zephyr harness and the ultralight Moses carabiners, Wharton and Magro expressed gratitude at Mammut’s continued support and quality gear that helped them accomplish this extraordinary alpine rock climbing milestone. Both athletes will spend some time at home in the Rockies before embarking on their next ventures.
About Mammut Sports Group
Based in Switzerland, Mammut is a leading manufacturer of
all-season alpine gear, apparel, and footwear. For more information on all Mammut Sports Group apparel,gear, athletes, and brands, contact Mike Welch at 800.451.5127 ext. 106, or log on to: www.mammut.com. For media inquiries, contact Alycia Cavadi at 617.262.5559 or alycia@momentummediapr.com. Follow Mammut Sports Group opn Twitter and keep up with Mammut athlete news on Facebook, too.