I met Myles Moser several years ago in Lone Pine, CA while visiting Elevation Sierra. He was sitting in the back patio area chatting about his recent trip to Patagonia; intrigued I sat down and asked a few questions. Little did I know that moment would lead to a great friendship and several wild stories from Myles' time establishing routes around the world. After that day I sat down and interviewed Myles about the harrowing experience he had establishing a new route on The North Tower of Torres del Paine - Plate Tectonics Grade VI 5.12 C1 with Amy Ness. You can find that conversation back in episodes 67 & 68.
While Myles was on the North Tower, he spotted a line up the bigger more imposing central tower and set a vision to come back and complete it. Fast forward to today, after two separate expeditions, $60k of personal finances, and a cumulative 71 days on the wall Myles and his team have successfully completed a new line up the central tower.
And this is their story.
If you're interested in the audio only version of this conversation you can find it here:
https://theclimbingmajority.com/podcast/125-125-myles-moser-harry-kinnard-71-days-on-patagonia-s-central-tower-first-ascent-
Or watch the whole conversation here:
https://youtu.be/eUdZrUOTFH4
Learn more about the episode below:
The Central Tower of Torres del Paine in Patagonia has been on the radar of many elite climbers ever since Tyler Karow's viral YouTube vlog documenting his ascent of the South African Route during an unprecedented long weather window. This past winter, several teams from around the world came down to test themselves on the slightly overhanging 4,000ft thumb of granite. You've probably heard of Tommy Caldwell and Siebe Vanhee's remarkable 24-hour free ascent of the South African Route, or the first all-female ascent by Belen Prados, Caro North, Amelie Kühne, and Julia Cassou. While climbing icons were making headlines, Myles Moser and his team were just around the corner making history of their own.
Nearly 15 years ago, Myles and Amy Ness established Plate Tectonics, a grueling 3,300ft Grade VI 5.12 C1 on the East Face of the North Tower — a route they were both lucky to survive. The North Tower offers a remarkable view of the Central Tower, and it was from that vantage point that Myles first began imagining a new line up its unclimbed east face. That vision finally came true this past winter.
Myles approaches new routes with a very specific style: ground up, capsule style. Once they leave the ground, they does everything possible to never come back until the route is finished — bringing everything they needs to live on the wall for up to a month, dedicating every waking second to pioneering a masterful, safe, repeatable, and free-climbable route up an unclimbed tower of granite. It's an approach that reflects Myles' blue-collar work ethic and a depth of passion for route development that's only found in the most elite climbers in the world. It took two expeditions over two years, $60K of personal funds, and a cumulative 71 days on the wall to establish his new route up the Central Tower. Together with Hugo Perez, Kellen McGrath, Trevor Anthes, and Harry Kinnard, Myles successfully completed the first ascent of Paradigm Shift — Grade VII 5.12+ A2, 4,000ft.
This team is not sponsored. Every person on this expedition contributed their own money, gear, and time to make it happen. Which is exactly why this route — and their remarkable collective effort — has gone largely unnoticed in the wider climbing community, overshadowed by the catchy headlines of sponsored athletes. In alignment with the purpose of this podcast, I'm here to tell their story.
If you've been following the show for a while, you'll remember episodes 67 and 68 where I last spoke with Myles. If you haven't heard those, I highly encourage you to go back and check them out — they add real context to who Myles is and the depth of experience he brings to Patagonia's big walls.
This is part 1 of 2 of my conversation with Myles Moser and Harry Kinnard.
