Adventure filmmaker Leo Dickinson and publisher Ken Wilson have spent 37 years searching for the truth about the controversial first ascent of Cerro Torre. Would meeting Cesarino Fava at a recent conference in Lugarno, Italy finally provide some clues?

“What’s this conference trying to achieve?” I asked on arrival.
“The truth,” replied Marco Grandi, the organiser.

And the truth lies in the detail of what happened back in 1959 on Cerro Torre. It was the classic epic - two men battling against the elements to climb the most beautiful peak in the world, only for the brilliant ice climber Egger to die descending from the summit.

Cesare Maestri, a formidable Dolomite climber, had been lured to Patagonia by Trento climber Cesarino Fava - where they were joined by the Austrian Toni Egger. On the 28th January, 1959, these three left their snow cave at the base of the mountain. Fava claims to have climbed with the other two to the Col of Conquest in one exceptionally long day. From there, it took Egger and Maestri another three days to reach the summit. Anxious for their safe return, Fava had given up hope when he spotted a shape collapsed at the foot of the route. It was, he says, Maestri, who explained Egger had fallen on the descent.

Their ascent was proclaimed as “one of the greatest achievements in alpine history,” but doubts quickly spread among those with a detailed knowledge of the mountain. In 1976 Jim Donini and team were supposedly “following history” when they climbed to the Col of Conquest and the summit of Torre Egger. But “history” showed just 300m of pitons, wedges and five bolts, cumulating in a huge abandoned gear cache. Then nothing for the next 1500m where Maestri had said that evidence would be found to prove their claim - a claim that included drilling a total of 60 bolts - 30 bolts on day two alone.

The search for evidence continued; while making Werner Herzog’s film “Scream of Stone”, cameraman Mario Fulvio landed on the summit of Cerro Torre by helicopter. With a 200m rope he’d abseiled down the North Face (just imagine that!), determined to find any relic of Maestri’s climb. He found nothing. Yet, repeating the exercise down Casimiro Ferrari’s 1974 West Face route he found ropes and pitons in abundance.

Finally, last November, Rolando Gariboti, Ermanno Salvaterra and Alexander Beltrami climbed the line of the claimed route in tremendous style. Finding no trace of previous passage on the upper sections, they believe they were the first up this route, and were controversially nominated for the Piolet d’Or. This caused a real stir - was the 1959 route being erased from the record?

Just like the rest of us, the Italians are more than curious to find out the real story, which led Ken Wilson and myself to a conference hall in Lugarno to come face to face with Cesarino Fava. As we entered he was helping to erect a 4m high model of Cerro Torre with Elio Orlandi. Both looked serious.

As the conference started, Roberto Mantovani, the chairman, presented a condensed history of Cerro Torre. Then the famous montaineer Kurt Diemberger, who has never even been to Patagonia spoke about ice conditions and giant meringues. I told my translator to wake me up if he mentioned Cerro Torre. She didn’t wake me until Ermanno Salvaterra spoke. Like most climbers, he had started out by believing Maestri, but over ten years and several expeditions he’d simply changed his mind.

Fava took to the stage and did what he’s best at - starting a charm offensive. He’s good. The audience laughed. Here was a poor boy from a family of ten who emigrated to Argentina. It took at least 15 minutes to mention Cerro Torre, but by then we knew that Toni Egger was exceptional and that Maestri was the spider of the Dolomites.

Ken Wilson parried with a brief history of his combative interviews with Maestri, but the real star was Daniela Chiappa. With immense serenity and humbleness he explained that he wasn’t worried if their ascent of the West Face in 1974 wasn’t regarded as the first ascent. He didn’t mind - what he wanted was the truth about the 1959 route. Nobody else could have said that. It was as disarming as it was simple, but Fava remained unmoved. Whatever anyone expected to happen wasn’t happening and never will.

Towards the end Ken asked two questions: one about the time it would take to insert 60 bolts and the other to confirm that he, Fava, had reached the Col in one day from the cave. The bolt question woke up Kurt who admitted he knew nothing of the details and couldn’t believe the time it would take to insert so many bolts. Four hours later it was wrapped up, but there was no conclusion to draw. Having not spoken with Fava for 34 years since he visited our camp in 1971, I decided to engage: “I completely disagree with everything you say but I think you are very courageous coming here tonight.”

He had a question back for me: “Do you believe Mallory and Irvine reached the summit of Everest?” I smiled and said that as an Englishman there is nothing I would like to believe more, but on the evidence that exists it’s improbable that they climbed past the second step.”

“Ah Dickinson - that is where we differ. I believe they did reach the summit. My heart has a good feeling for their success. You are negative and do not believe.” Of course he is right on the sentiments but wrong on the detail.

I then asked him if I could take his photo pointing out the highest position that he saw Maestri and Egger reach. We wandered over to the superb model. I was two feet from Fava - our eyes locked and he pointed. I tried desperately to read something into his composure. There was nothing. No hint of truth or untruth. No wobbling, no hesitation, no doubt - Cesarino Fava was on the Col of Conquest. It rattled me badly as I pride myself in reading body language. I’ve interviewed Greg Child, Chris Bonington, Peter Habeler, Heinrick Harrer, Anderl Heckmair, Eric Jones, Reinhold Messner, Doug Scott, Joe Simpson and Don Whillans. All have told stories their way - sometimes there is spin and gloss - other times humility and humour, but never anything remotely like Fava’s blankness.

Later I asked Marco if the conference had turned out as he had expected. His response didn’t need translation - no. “What were you expecting?” I asked. “The truth,” he admitted. “But Ken and I have been searching for the truth for 37 years, what makes you think you’ll get it so quickly?”

Kurt then mentioned that now he had serious doubts about Maestri’s claims - drilling 60 bolts on the ascent would just take too long. I was incredulous. “You mean you only just discovered this - you never read this before?” “Nobody told me,” he said.

“But surely Kurt you should have known the facts before coming here?” “Nobody told me,” he repeated. All this would have been funny if it wasn’t so completely ridiculous. I was reminded of Alice and the fairy Queen: “Who knows the truth about Cerro Torre­­?”

Back in the UK I discussed it with a psychologist. She reckons the 1959 team are displaying clear signs of a syndrome known as “dissonance”, as are some of their supporters. Here, people’s well-entrenched views lead them to distort ambiguous evidence so that their original attitudes are supported. It could explain how Fava wobbled me when he pointed to the Col of Conquest, believing 100% that he was there. It was no longer a lie. It’s conditioning. In his mind I am the one who is wrong.

This is a follow up to the main article in Summit 41.

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