On 16 January 2012, the climbers Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk made the first fair-means ascent of the south-east ridge of Cerro Torre. On their descent, they chopped about 120 bolts from the Compressor Route, with the effect of restoring most of the original challenge. In a statement, Kennedy and Kruk - who climbed the route in 13 hours - said they decided to remove the Maestri line after arriving at the summit having only used 5 bolts from the original line. Days later, on 21 January 2012 the Austrian climbers David Lama and Peter Ortner made the first free ascent of the same ridge, proving the face is climbable using the purist ethics--without the use of any bolts. Lama described his ascent as the greatest adventure of his life.