Haley’s Historic Winter Solo on Cerro Torre

In early September 2025, Patagonia delivered one of the season’s most remarkable climbing stories. Colin Haley, the American alpinist whose name has long been tied to the granite spires of Chaltén, became the first person to complete a winter solo ascent of Cerro Torre.

Haley chose the Ragni Route, a line as legendary as it is feared. He set out on September 6, crossing the bergschrund alone, carrying just what he needed to climb and survive. The opening ice pitches went quickly, some climbed free solo, before he began self-belaying higher on the mountain.

The climb was a slow wrestle with Patagonia’s winter conditions. Haley reached the Elmo, his high point from 2023, only to realize daylight was fading. At one in the morning he was forced to stop, digging into the icy face to bivouac three pitches below the summit.

The following day brought the crux. To push through the headwall, he had to crawl into a crevasse so narrow it forced him to strip down his load. Helmet, spare jackets, gloves, even part of his rack – left behind just to squeeze upward. Hours later he clawed out of the rime ice, battered but moving again.

When he finally stepped onto the summit, it was close to 10 p.m., the full moon spilling light over the Southern Patagonian Icefield. He had little gear left and no safety margin, but the climb was complete: Cerro Torre, in winter, alone.

The descent was far from simple. A rope jammed and had to be cut; storms threatened as he rappelled down the spire. Yet after a week away, he returned to El Chaltén safe – exhausted, but carrying a piece of Patagonian history.

For Haley, now 41, the ascent is more than just another line in a long career. He has traversed the Torres, partnered on new routes, and attempted Cerro Torre countless times. But this climb, he said, “might be the most special one.”

And for alpinism, it’s another reminder that even in an era of big expeditions and fixed ropes, there remain bold, solitary achievements that redraw the edge of possibility.