In the month of October 2024, I reached out to my social media friend and talented creative, Santiago Cifuentes to do an expedition in Chile. At the same time, my friend and award-winning filmmaker from LA, Ethan Glanger, reached out saying we should do something over New Year. It was right then and there that I knew we had a special opportunity to create something special, especially considering we three are all outdoor/expedition filmmakers.

I have had Marmolejo on my mind for a while because of its significance being the southernmost 6000m peak in the world. I have always been attracted to the remote mountains and environments and Marmolejo is almost as remote as it can get for the Central Andes. I knew that I would need to find support from locals, gather a team, find brand sponsorships, and document the experience if I truly wanted to do this mountain and the surrounding environment justice. Not to mention, my drive toward outdoor filmmaking has skyrocketed in the last year and I was itching to push the limits of what I could do and work with a team that I can trust. Now, I have the opportunity.

Marmolejo (6108) is just a big mountain. It is very remote and is situated at the very end of the Cajon Del Maipo in the Central Andes which is home to some of the best climbing in the world. The starting point is at 2300m (7500ft) and follows Valle de Engorda until you get to the tip of the Cajon Del Maipo. There are three camps: Base Camp, Camp 1, and Camp 2, and then summit day. My team and I, with our guides, were fully autonomous besides Mule support for the trekking days in and out of base camp. This means we had ~60lbs packs while climbing which was exhausting, especially if we were filming the entire process and going out of the way to capture the moments.

This mountain has taught me many things. This team has taught me many things. Before this, I had never really worked on a film with other filmmakers on an expedition nor tried anything as remote as this. But learning to trust the guys in every way is really what made it all come together so well.

The film came together with the support of brands like Paka, Epidemic Sound, and Vallon. They supplied us with equipment and a budget to not only make the film but also have social media deliverables. I get asked a lot how this trip came together and it was because of the strong relationship I and the team had built with the brands while also engaging the connections we have made because of social media. Santiago managed to help us get Capital Travel for basecamp support on Plomo and also the help of local guides James and Cisco for Marmolejo. James and Santiago had done peaks like Ojos Del Salado together and so we were in trusted hands.

We are now in postproduction for the film, but for now, here is a visual story of one of the most remarkable experiences of my life.

(Left to right) Cisco, James, Santiago, Ethan, and I leaving basecamp with fully loaded packs to begin the climb.

I am starting this post after already summiting Cerro El Plomo (5400m) which will be posted soon if you want to check that out! In there, I go into detail not only about Plomo, but also about Santiago, Chile as a city, and the dynamic of Ethan, Santiago, and me as a team. So, this post starts with us meeting our guides James and Cisco the day we left the city to begin our Marmolejo Expedition. These guys are young legends having bagged many technical 6000m peaks in Peru and Bolivia and big walls in places like Yosemite, Patagonia, Cochamo, and more.

Driving through the Cajon Del Maipo.

After arriving at our starting point, we had to organize all the equipment so that we could put our heavy packs on the mules and just take our summit bags as we trekked to base camp. It was a family farm with all types of animals and the dogs were adorable. The equipment we had mules take to base camp were things like technical equipment, tents, cooking equipment, food for the next five days, extra clothing, and batteries. Basically, everything that we need for the expedition but we do not need for the day of trekking to base camp.

We began our very long trek to basecamp, I will say it was around 15km but with 1200m of elevation gain to base camp. It was very hot! Summer time in the andes is brutal with the strong UV from the sun at high altitude.

(Left to Right) James, Santiago, Cisco, and Ethan

Our first objective was a river crossing. Shoes off, face the current, and crab walk. The water was not too cold at this low altitude. Let’s just say it gets a lot colder so we could not complain at this point.

Santiago crossing the first glacial river.

Further up the valley, we started going up. The green began to vanish and what was once an alpine meadow turned into rock and dirt. The mountains revealed their jagged rocky formations as we passed under them. It felt like we were entering another world.

Ethan eating a snack while the group stops at the last little touch of green. We drank straight from the glacial river. Life-changing.

Saying goodbye to our mules after they dropped our heavy equipment at base camp. The mules are super fast so we still have a long way to base camp.

Entering moraine and glacier land. So many small river crossings. So cold. Marmolejo (right) and Loma Larga (left) are connected by a col. Base camp is nestled in the right corner near the col.

Honestly blown away. Most people have no idea that Chile looks like this. Such remote beauty here.

Finally, we arrived at base camp after almost 11 hours. We were all hungry but we needed to set up first. James and Cisco are chefs in the mountains.

(Photo by Santiago) We went to sleep with an incredible sunset. A great first introduction to the Cajon Del Maipo. Through the night, the walls around us released rockfall at least 20 times. Scary stuff. But we still slept fine after the tough day.

(left photo of BC by Santiago) We woke up to a bright blue day. Clouds and a storm are supposed to come in later in the day so we plan accordingly to get to Camp 1 before the worst comes.

Santiago making breakfast.
In the top middle of the image is what we like to call “The Death Grunt” - the crux of the route. 1,000m of about 45º climbing. Because of the late and heavy winter in the last season, we decided to take the opportunity to crampon up and ascend the couloir to the right of the Death Grunt. It is steeper on some parts but much safer and more convenient. The hardest part about the climb? It is probably the 60lbs packs on our backs. Carrying camera equipment is tough but so worth it.

Santiago and James looking up at the steepest part of the couloir. Still a long way to go.

The group took a break after a little while. Really fun but tough climbing. The Cajon Del Maipo in the back is opening up the higher we go and revealing the giants around us.

(left) James and Ethan and (right) Santiago and Cisco making their way through the mixed scree/penitentes. This was the most inconvenient part of the route.

We took a break after the couloir. Now, we have to connect back onto the right by traversing a heavily exposed rocky section. The next part takes a lot of mental fortitude and trust.

We crested the traverse and are back on the normal route.

We followed the right ridge up to Camp 1. Less than 20 minutes away.

Now overlooking the back side of the col into the Northern side of the Andes. Our view is blocked by the clouds but nonetheless beautiful. Endless valleys and hidden giants.

Arrived at Camp 1. Santiago taking a first look at Marmolejo’s North-Western glacier.

The snow began to fall but did not accumulate. The storm blew by fast and the sun began to peak through the clouds revealing the incredible scale and texture of the surrounding area.

(Photo by Santiago) Me snapping photos of the massive North-Western glacier.

I got to take some of the most dramatic photos ever. Crazy shadow and light in high altitude after a storm in the Andes.

Day 2 ended with Marmolejo revealing itself for the last 10 minutes of the sun. Wow, it’s big and far away.

We woke up to amazing conditions. Nevado Piqueñes (6000m) with its massive glaciated slopes looming behind. The entire Andes to the North opened up and it was magical to wake up to.

Packing up the tent with Marmolejo’s Black Pyramid in the background. We have a short but tough day to move up to 4900m (16,000ft).

The team looking out at the magnificent and endless Central Andes. Legendary peaks are starting to crest the horizon.

(Left) Santiago being photogenic. (Right) me looking across the valley to Nevado Piqueñes.

The team making their way up to Camp 2.

Made it to Camp 2 (high camp). Every day felt like a summit in and of itself. The views got better and better as we mentally prepared for the difficult summit push in the night.

Loma Larga (left) and Cerro El Plomo in the clouds off in the distance (right).

James and Cisco on the first glacier.
Our next objective was to scout out the first glacier. Because it is only at 4900m, the heat from the day melts the glacier and the wind causes the snow to rise into penitentes. Sometimes these penitentes can get up to 2m (6ft) in height and are impossible to cross. But the glacier seemed to be in perfect condition to cross for our summit push the next day.

Good conditions means all smiles from James and Cisco.

(photo by Santiago) Taking some photos before the sun begins set and enjoying the wild beauty.

Summit night began at a wake-up time of 3 am, which is not bad in comparison to other mountains. The reason for this because the sun rises behind Marmolejo keeping its North Western ridge completely without light for the majority of the climb. So, in order not to become really cold, we decided to start later in the morning.

From high camp, we have a 4,000ft push to summit at 20,107ft which is big for a mountain of this altitude.

It was all building up to this. The anticipation, the nerves, the excitement… all of it. For me, the last time I tried a 6000m peak, I got turned around at high camp because of the wind. This stuck with me for a while and I guess some of the “summit fever” carried over which I hate to admit but it was true in a sense. But the amazing thing about my team is that we always keep each other grounded. They reminded me that everything building up to this moment has been just as amazing if not better than the summit. We were all together sharing this moment and getting up and down to safety is all that matters, no matter the summit. Having this reminder caused a change in me from caring about the summit to caring about my team. I wanted to serve, help, support them, and capture their story and experience. With that, we were ready to attack the first glacier.

Ethan, Santiago, and James roped together on the first glacier. Snow conditions were perfect and you could hear a pin drop the wind was so silent. Today was going to be a good day.

The first glacier, although relatively flat for the first mile, immediately sloped up causing an ice fall which we had to naviagte. Thankfully, the glacier was more tame than ususal and we actually had a fun time navigating the seracs and crevases.

Loma Larga began to reveal itself as the sun began to rise. This was a handheld long exposure which I am very proud of.

The guys took a break after the first glacier.

At this point, we were all roped up together which made it difficult to capture footage of this climbing period. I asked James if I could un-tire from the rope so that I could freely move around and capture my team. Trusting me with my awareness and experience of glaciers, James allowed me to cross the second glacier as a team.
This was much tamer and did not have any deep crevasses, if any. Also, because of its higher elevation, penitentes were also absent, making it way easier to walk on.

Un-tying from the rope led to some of the most special moments for me. I got to capture my team climbing with the scale of the surrounding mountains as the sun came up. This section before the black pyramid was honestly the most spectacular for me out of all of my expeditions into the high-altitude places of the world.

Above us was the black pyramid, the final push to the summit. Looks small right? Well, we still have 3,000ft of vertical gain until we summit. But the team is feeling strong and our pace is perfect. Good weather is still holding strong.

(right to left) Santiago, Ethan, and Cisco making their way through the mini crevasses. Loma Larga is behind with Marmolejo’s shadow towering over it. I took a lot of photos with this composition. Truly special and incredible to me.

Every shot and lighting condition felt so unique.
The climb was getting steeper. By this point we are higher than our acclimatization peak Cerro El Plomo.

The crevasses were starting to shrink. The higher up on the mountain, the less snow and ice can accumulate because of the powerful winds and low humidity.

Ethan and Cisco making their way up. The second glacier is done. Now what’s left is the 2,000ft black pyramid to the summit. If you can see on the right of the ridge on our route at the end of the glacier is high camp.

Looking North, Tupungato (6570m) reveals its iconic South face. Clouds are starting to come in as the humidity rises from the heating up of the glaciers, typical in the Central Andes.

Santiago making his way up the black pyramid. The loose scree is not as bad as expected but each step gets tougher and tougher with the ever-increasing altitude.

At this point, altitude was getting to everyone. The seconds turned to minutes and the minutes became hours. So close to the summit yet so far. 100ft of gain felt like a marathon in itself. Ethan had experienced some altitude sickness on our acclimatization peak: Cerro El Plomo. So, we were all a little nervous about how he would feel while ascending this giant. Although being in pain on every part of his body, Ethan powered through with the watchful eye of Cisco and James. This is why you need knowledge from experienced guides. Balancing how much you can push someone in altitude while also being conscious of how much you should push them. Ethan was on a fine line and James and Cisco knew exactly the right pace for him to make it up safely while also keeping the rest of the team on a good schedule with the unpredictable weather.

(Left) Summit view of Tupungato and Nevado Piqueñes. (Right) I congratulated Ethan on pushing through the pain.

But after almost 10 hours from high camp, days of climbing, and months of preparation, we summited the southernmost 6000m peak in the world: Marmolejo. This was a euphoric moment for the whole team and all of 5 of us made it up. The weather was perfect and the wind was not too strong.

The view looking North from the Chilean side all the way to the Argentinian side.

The glacier to the East of Marmolejo was magnificent and grand. The Andes seemed endless and almost every big mountain is visible: Nevado Del Plomo, Polleras, Juncal, Piqueñes, Tupungato, Aconcagua, and so many more.

Team photo from my camera set up on a rock.
Beyond grateful to have gone up with this group of guys. All such talented individuals and beauitufully unique and personal in their own way. Blown away by them even more than I was by the view.

(Photo by Sanitago) Cisco, James and I on the summit. Ethan’s boot is barely visible behind me.

The time came for us to head back down after being on the summit for around 30 minutes. Ethan’s blood-oxygen was really low and any more time on the summit can cause a lot of problems. Even if we descend the black pyramid, we are not free from safety as the weather can change rapidly and even the second glacier has seen deaths from hypothermia.

Wind started to pick up a lot but it was manageable. The views just get better and better as the dramatic and intimidating clouds move in.

Now on the second glacier, the temperature was rapidly changing. The UV of the sun hitting the glacier made the heat unbearable with warm layers. But when we took off layers, the sun would hide itself again behind the clouds and the wind would rise making it very cold. The point of the game was just not to play so we powered through in the heat with our summit layers on. Also, because of the heat, the glacier’s small penitentes start to become slush and unpredictably soft in specific areas. Crossing these glaciers was annoying, strenuous, exhausting, and just added time to the already 10-hour day ascending.

It took us 5 hours to descend but eventually, we arrived at high camp. All of us just fell on the rocks because of the exhaustion. My head was pounding from dehydration and hunger. But we made it. Mission accomplished: we summited and got back down safely.
We did not even want to think about the next day. We just soaked it all in. Ethan, Santiago, and I had an incredible and deep conversation about all of our attitudes toward the project, the team, and climbing in general. No matter the mountain, no matter the objective, the team and my people come first and they deserve to come first. As a Christian, God is first and so with the implication that He is first, those made in His image (everyone) take priority over all else in the world.

The next day, we had to descend from camp 2 at 16,000ft all the way down to the starting point of our trek to base camp. It was about 9,000ft of descending and 20 miles. It was not as exhausting as I thought because the more we descended, the more oxygen we had and so the day flew by and powered through it with no problem until we got to the final river crossing. Oh, man…

Because of the warmth of the day, the glacier melt caused the rivers to significantly rise in height and power. We do not have footage of photos of this moment and so it kind of became a group memory that only we can fully imagine. James decided to go first and almost got swept away. I honestly have no idea how he made it by. So, from across the river, he tells Cisco to form the Eddie Line. Basically we all stood in a line facing the current holding each other down by our backpack straps and walked from one side to the other. Of all the things that happened, this was by far the most scary for the group not only for ourselves but also for the thousands of dollars of equipment that we carried on our backs along with the priceless memories captured from the journey. We were all a little shaken after that. We made it back to our starting point and all had a good celebration and an exhausting car drive back to the city to end the trip.

Cerro Marmolejo (6108m) - Climbing the Southernmost 6000m Peak in the World

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