Exclusive: This climber just pulled off the biggest free solo of the year (and it’s not Alex Honnold)

A hiker traverses the rocky landscape of Torres del Paine National Park. Located in southern Chile, the park was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and is home to four different ecological environments: Pre-Andean scrubland, deciduous Magellan forests, the Patagonia Steppe, and the Andean desert.

Two tents light up under a starry night sky in Salar de Surire. The Chilean Natural Monument, which sits 13,776 feet above sea level, is mostly made up of a large salt flat and a group of small saltwater lakes.

An ice climber moves through a glacial cave inside Torres del Paine National Park’s Grey Glacier. Visitors to the region can also spot a rocky nunatak, a piece of land that divides the glacier and creates an island in its middle.

A group of hikers trek through the grassy plains of Torres del Paine National Park. Because weather can change quickly in the area, visitors need to be prepared with both sunscreen and a warm, waterproof jacket.

A skier soars down a steep slope at the Nevados de Chillán Ski Resort, formerly known as Termas de Chillán. Visitors to the resort can explore adventurous backcountry routes created by past eruptions of the three nearby volcanoes.

Bright stars shine behind an antenna at La Silla Observatory outside Chile’s Atacama Desert. The observatory has been at the forefront of multiple scientific discoveries, including finding planets outside our solar system and studying the explosions of massive stars.

A climber ascends a challenging wall in the Andes Mountains. Alpine, free, and sport climbing are popular in Chile, where there are nearly 2,500 miles of mountain ranges to explore.

Two campers get ready for a summer evening at the La Parva Ski Resort. At the bottom of Las Águilas Telesilla, the resort offers year-round adventures for visitors, including a campground with water and electricity.

Cloud rolls over a narrow peak in Chile’s Lake District, a region packed with snow-capped volcanoes, sparkling lakes, and ancient forests. Most visitors begin a trip in the district by flying to the city of Puerto Montt and diving into the nearby natural landscapes from there.

A kayaker glides through otherworldly icebergs on Grey Lake in Torres del Paine National Park. The waters are fed by Grey glacier, the largest one in the southern Chilean park.

Snow flies off the back of a skier at the Portillo ski resort in Chile’s Valparaíso Region. Its snow-covered slopes have drawn U.S., Canadian, Norwegian, and Austrian National Ski Teams for summer training sessions.

Lava bubbles up at the 9338-foot summit of Villarrica volcano around 400 miles south of Santiago, Chile. Eruptions and thermal activity at the volcano have been documented since 1558, including recent seismic activity in 2014 and 2016.

Tenacious visitors dig out a tent during a storm on the Cordillera Darwin, a mountain range in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego’s southwestern region. Though a portion of the range falls in Argentina, the majority rests inside Chile.

The sun sets on a backcountry skier at the top of a mountain near the town of La Parva, just east of Santiago, Chile. The town and nearby ski resort offer both winter and summer activities to visitors.

A skier carries his gear through a cloud on a mountain peak in Chile’s Lake District. In the southern portion of the country, the region is home to multiple ski resorts that open volcano-created trails to winter-loving visitors.

Hikers walk across the Valley de la Muerte sand dunes in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The valley is close to San Pedro de Atacama and is mostly made up of unique rock formations and vast dunes.

Light shines down on the towers of the Mirador Base in Torres del Paine National Park. The national park is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including South Andean deer, red foxes, and condors.

A professional freeskier shoots off a peak at the Nevados de Chillán Ski Resort, which runs a project promoting responsible backcountry skiing. Participation in the program is free, and skiers are asked to check in with the office to sign a safety contract and submit their medical information.

The Milky Way shines over the Atacama Desert. The northern Chilean region is known for its clear skies and excellent stargazing opportunities.

Steam rises from the Villarica volcano, which stands in the Chilean Central Valley. Unlike many other volcanoes, Villarica has a persistent lava lake, or a collection of molten lava, in its crater.

Two hikers travel along the shore of Laguna de Tuyajito in the Atacama Desert, the world’s driest non-polar desert.

Kayaks loaded with gear sit waiting for paddlers to ride them down the rushing river to Torres del Paine National Park’s Grey Lake, which is fed by Grey glacier in southern Chile.

A hiker pulls a sled though the Southern Patagonia Icefield, which covers over 5,000 square miles of snowy, icy land. Building the ice sheet, storms bring rain and snow to the area in large amounts—the equivalent of 6.5-36 feet of rain—each year.

Two kayakers paddle past La Portada, a natural archway off the coast of Antofogasta in northern Chile.

A mountaineer ascends a snowy peak in Tierra del Fuego, a group of islands separated from mainland Chile by the Strait of Magellan.

A woman backpacks through a field of daisies in Torres del Paine National Park. Hikers on the 52-mile circuit through the park will pass grasslands, glacial lakes, and snowy peaks.

A lone kayaker glides past an iceberg on Grey Lake in Torres del Paine National Park. The park is inside the Patagonia region, which encompasses the southern portion of the Andes mountains and nearby deserts and grasslands.

A bold visitor climbs up the rocky side of a small waterfall—one of the falls within the popular Siete Tazas, a series of seven natural pools connected by their respective waterfalls.

A skier jumps off a peak at the Farellones Ski Resort near Santiago, Chile. The relatively small resort, which was founded in the 1930s, maintains runs that are ideal for all-level skiers and families.