Tupungato Volcano: Recovered video shows climbers before 1985 accident

Unreleased Super 8 footage has surfaced showing the final moments of Argentine climbers Guillermo Vieiro and his apprentice, Leonardo Rabal, before their fatal accident on the Tupungato Volcano in January 1985.

The footage, which lasts over a minute, was recovered from a backpack that had been buried under perennial snow for four decades. The backpack was spotted by climbers in 2024, and its contents were eventually returned to the family in February 2025.

The silent video captures the two climbers at the summit in the Mendoza region, resting before beginning their descent. The recording shows Rabal taking notes and Vieiro panning the camera across the surrounding snowy peaks, documenting the successful summit before the tragic fall.