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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    285

    TR: Imagining Argentina

    The last time I skied outside of Japan I was barely into the second decade of my life (and my third is now sadly drawing to a close). So with no first hand experience, planning a trip to Argentina was an exercise in imagination. People say we have it pretty good on the snow front in Japan - would I be disappointed with South America? Would I be lost in language confusion as Andean peaks laughed at me from above?

    Well, I am happy to report that my imagination failed me - Argentina was more than I could ever have hoped for. Bariloche had no shortage of snow, and I arrived in town even as the end of the storm of the winter was coming to a close. Even better, I was fortunate enough to meet up with two perfect partners - Klar from Germany and Chris from Utah. Klar's knowledge of the area derived from four winters in the area, and Chris's tireless marching and trailbreaking enabled me to realise a trip I hardly felt I deserved. Here are a few (too many) photos from the trip, iphone and camera with broken lens all mixed together.

    Some city stuff to warm up for the real fun. Not the main reason I travelled to the other side of the world but seriously good fun nonetheless, and great to catch up with old friends who had fallen permanent victim to Argentina's pull.







    They even have the old Marunouchi line



    Anyway, back on the plane. That's better.



    First day was wild storming and all resort lifts were closed, so we skinned up for some tree skiing. Snow was super heavy if super deep, but to ski through old growth trees heavily bearded in lichen made the day enjoyable... like Japan, and yet not quite. Next day it went bluebird and we took on the resort. Some light hiking led to good turns, but it was a little busier than I was used to...

    So the next day under the guidance of Klar we hopped on a bus, got off, staggered around hopefully for a bit and found a hiking trail. Hiking trail though it may have been, it was still more of a bushwhack than most "real" bushwhacks I had experienced until then. Little did we know what was to follow in the days to come...

    View from halfway up. I've seen worse. Includes one free man from Utah.



    So I had an image of some more tree skiing to come, and let me tell you it was looking pretty sweet. The snow had lightened up nicely and there was no competition for many miles around. But as we came closer to attaining the ridge, I began to think more interesting skiing might be available.



    I was not wrong.

    (klar photo)




    Testing



    It's good



    Very small, happy speck



    Klar



    Off to the next line



    Getting steeper



    And then back to the original zone. My day in the sun.

    (klar photo)


    (klar photo)


    Chris doing his best Euro impression



    Klar in a hurry



    It was a good day so we decided to try for another. This time we got a car, drove around the base of the mountain and tried to find some spot where we could get through the ultra-dense woods. This creek bed was the best we could manage



    Skin track didn't take long to get ugly...



    Plenty of interesting-looking stuff in the surrounding area





    The skinning didn't get much easier (for me at least) even after getting out of the forest... slippery top layer led to endless sliding back and misery. But before we knew it we were skiing again. Checking the entrance:

    (klar photo)


    Ugly pano shows the potential just a little further up the ridge



    Klar:



    Me a little lower down

    (klar photo)


    Next time taxi was the chosen transport. Our driver was a little confused at our directions "drive us to the end of a small trailhead in the middle of nowhere" but soon got into the swing of things. Approach was the usual mixed bag of bushwhacking/treeclimbing and some regular skinning.

    Surveying a possible entrance



    Our very own North Face model...



    ...gets involved



    opens it up



    A long happy run



    and the exit started off in awesome style. Never could I have imagined crossing a debris field to be this much fun

    (klar photo)


    But then it got pretty horrific. The valley narrowed to a steep gorge with waterfalls and fast-flowing water. All rock surfaces were coated with a thick layer of impenetrable ice, and all snow areas were but floating islands supported by bamboo stems. In the end we found skiing directly over the bamboo whilst grasping onto anything that looked like it might hold to be our best method... there was some spicy downclimbing as well. Amazingly, we got out without incident but I wouldn't necessarily recommend the route. Finally coming upon the trail that traverses the valley floor was one of the happier skiing moments of my life.

    Happy to be in one piece and waiting for our pickup. Somehow we managed to exit the mountain at pretty much exactly the time that we had said we would.



    There were other days and other hikes, but that's all for now. Where will I head to next?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Raht neer da beech
    Posts
    1,125
    Snow looks niooooce. Great trip KoM thanks for sharing, keep the summer stoke alive.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    livin the dream
    Posts
    5,761
    AMAZING TR. Thank you so much for making my summer blues so much worse.

    I guess i was in Argentina for the low tide.

    Those first two shots look like Bari... but after that I don't recognize any of it. Where were you guys?
    Best Skier on the Mountain
    Self-Certified
    1992 - 2012
    Squaw Valley, USA

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Big Sky
    Posts
    1,500
    Wow man, awesome TR. What great conditions! Some of that alpine stuff looks like AK, and the woods look like the East. Ahh someday...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    NorCal
    Posts
    2,573
    Sickness!!!!! Nice TR and great pics.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    N side, Terrace, BC
    Posts
    5,144
    Great TR and awesome photos from down there. Seeing a dusting of snow on the peaks round here 2 days ago got me yearning big. Thanks for a little fix

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Southern NH
    Posts
    4,286
    And the SA hits just keep on coming! Best SA TR so far! Awesome terrain and looks like you found the goods. Great trip!

    This felt good:


  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Sweden
    Posts
    253
    How will I ever be able to stay home another summer?

    Thanks for the stoke!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Vanity Fair
    Posts
    2,720
    great skiing with you, you definitely hit the lucky week. thanks for being such good and trusting company through all the bamboo and creekbeds
    Ich bitte dich nur, weck mich nicht.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Ottawa, ON
    Posts
    1,257
    Nice TR kingofmyrrh. I was also nice to have bumped into you at the hostel. Your sense of timing and location was definitely great.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    June Lake
    Posts
    2,625
    Stoked Argentina delivered the goods!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    285
    Quote Originally Posted by MadPatSki View Post
    Nice TR kingofmyrrh. I was also nice to have bumped into you at the hostel. Your sense of timing and location was definitely great.
    Oh Pat! I completely forgot to message you after getting back. Apologies for that but console yourself by knowing you are in good company. Anyway, you know where to come for any Japan needs and questions you might have.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    denver
    Posts
    1,863
    Wow. I'm now jonesing.
    I can't believe you are a rando racer because I look so much better in Lycra than you.

    People who don't think the Earth is flat haven't skied Vail.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Vanity Fair
    Posts
    2,720
    k.o.m. finds himself some sluff.. (i might have gone a little bit overboard with the photoshop )



    more of my pictures here.
    Ich bitte dich nur, weck mich nicht.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    GWS, CO
    Posts
    395
    Sweeet photos! Thanks for the awesome stoke!

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Between a rock and a soft place. Aberdare and The Brecon Beacons, Wales
    Posts
    3,207
    Muy bien

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Carbondale
    Posts
    12,478
    Nice shots, looks like an epic trip.
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Ottawa, ON
    Posts
    1,257
    Quote Originally Posted by kingofmyrrh View Post
    Oh Pat! I completely forgot to message you after getting back. Apologies for that but console yourself by knowing you are in good company. Anyway, you know where to come for any Japan needs and questions you might have.
    No worries kom, I came back last Thursday and realized I have a few of emails address from people I bumped into from Esquel to Pucon that I haven't sent out...a bunch of pictures on film to pick up and sort out. Can someone say mąs rolls...

    Like you said in another SA TR thread eariler, some many places, so little time. This was year 4 (2 wks at a time) for me in SA, 13 areas...they are also other continents to skisits. Japan is there somewhere on the list. I'm tying to get my head around being back here now...too soon to time about the next trip, let alone the destination.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    9,356
    wow, amazing and I am jealous.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    33,546
    Well worthy TR.
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    In the shadow of the moon
    Posts
    2,696
    Just what the doctor ordered: a sweet trip and an excellent TR!

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    285
    Quote Originally Posted by nickwm21 View Post
    AMAZING TR. Thank you so much for making my summer blues so much worse.

    I guess i was in Argentina for the low tide.

    Those first two shots look like Bari... but after that I don't recognize any of it. Where were you guys?
    It was all within 30~40 drive of the town centre. We were reasonably adventurous in terms of attacking the forest, but in actual location - not so much. Most of these places you can see (well the mountain at least if not all the actual lines) from Cerro Catedral ski resort. Klar's blog which she links to in this thread has more location details.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    285
    Quote Originally Posted by klar View Post
    k.o.m. finds himself some sluff.. (i might have gone a little bit overboard with the photoshop )



    more of my pictures here.
    Thanks for showing the shot where I am surviving the sluff not the one where I got washed away! Oh and thanks very much for finding my hat!

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Denver, Co.
    Posts
    1,422
    mommy

    ..

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    snow country, Japan
    Posts
    906
    Do we have another unemployed amongst the ranks KOM? Nice work!
    パウダーバカ!!

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