Interview: Alberto del Castillo
Patagonian Mountaineer, CEO Fitz Roy Expediciones

Alberto del Castillo

By Nana Chen - In November last year, I finally made it to Argentina for a reunion with friends I had met in Jaisalmer. While staying with them, they introduced me to Patagonia expert mountaineer, Alberto del Castillo. The 43-year-old mountaineer and a father of three is the CEO of Fitz Roy Expediciones & Patagonia Aventura SA. A native of Buenos Aires Province, Del Castillo grew up hiking on the sierra hills of Tandil and prefers steep mountains to skyscrapers. Today, he runs a successful expedition and guide company that includes some of the best-trained mountain guides anywhere. What’s more, he’s possibly the most sought after for his expertise in the El Chaltén area. When not looking, I found his name everywhere, from Patagonia maps to trail names to government websites. Alberto Del Castillo is the one to go to for information on El Chaltén. I was lucky enough that he could fit in an interview with me, and a translator this month.

Nana: To start with, please tell us how you became interested in mountaineering.

Alberto: I started when I was 14 years old on the Hills of Tandil in Buenos Aires Province, my mother’s hometown.

Nana: What has kept you interested in and passionate about the mountains? What climb or route would you never grow tired of? What pulls you back to the mountains? Do you do most of your climbs with a partner or alone?

Alberto: Wilderness is what keeps me close to the mountains, to be alone or with friends on pristine landscapes where I feel at home as a primitive man. I love Patagonian Mountains and the Patagonian Ice Field the most… a place where we feel only like visitors, a place too rough to be there for more than a month.

Nana: Please tell us how an amateur mountaineer differs from a professional. And at what point did you consider yourself a professional?

Alberto: Professional climbers are the ones who climb for money or receive financial help from sponsors, whereas professional mountain guides are the ones that make a life of mountain guiding. I consider myself a professional because I developed the first trekking & climbing company based on El Chaltén, in the Santa Cruz Province. The company has now more than 30 employees. I have developed new trekking circuits, new classics climbing routes where we lead our clients, and of course because I make a living from this.

Nana: In many Internet searches and publications relating to the Fitz Roy Mountain region, your name comes up. In fact, on my flight into El Chaltén, I sat behind three Italian climbers who, as it turned out, flew all the way to Patagonia to search for you before going into the mountains. Can you tell us why you’re so sought after?

Alberto: Maybe because I was the first mountain guide and climber to make El Chaltén his hometown more than ten years ago, when El Chaltén wasn’t popular at all, or was just popular for other climbers. For many years, I was the only contact person in town, the one always ready to help my colleagues.

Patagonian Ice

Nana: What’s been the most frightening situation you’ve encountered? What happened and how did you get out of it? What should climbers do when faced with a dangerous situation?

Alberto: As any mountaineer, I have been in many frightening situations, from crevasses accidents, fallings, avalanches and so on. The stories don’t matter, really. What matters is learning from such experiences and trying to avoid similar situations in the future.

Nana: Please tell us what you would consider responsible mountaineering.

Alberto: Mountaineering means freedom to me. Everybody is responsible for himself and his climber’s partners. I don’t like people who take risks without thinking about the consequences. I don’t like people who put other lives at risk.

Nana: For someone new to the sport, where should they start? Do you have any advice for them?

Alberto: Go slowly at first. Learn with people with more experience than you.

Nana: What climb should every mountaineer do once in their lives? Why? What makes it so special?