Patagonia released the full 1968 ‘Mountain of Storms’ film on its YouTube channel.
Before they were magnates of the outdoors, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and The North Face’s co-founder Doug Tompkins were true dirtbags.
And in 1968, they and three friends — now-famous rock climber Chris Jones, U.S. ski/snowboard Hall of Famer Dick Dorworth, and Mountainfilm founder Lito Tejada-Flores — set off on what became a legendary road trip.
The fated quintet set off from San Francisco in an old van with a then-obscure destination: the eponymous Patagonia region.
Along the way, these five friends stopped only to eat, sleep, ski, climb, and surf. To cap off the journey, the men put up a first ascent on Argentina’s Cerro Fitz Roy Southwest Buttress. Today, climbers know it as the California Route.
Best of all, they chronicled the entire adventure on a 16mm Bolex camera. “Mountain of Storms” has inspired and maintained a faithful fan base in the decades since. And this month, Patagonia released the full film free to watch on its YouTube channel. Enjoy!
