South America TR

**sculhane** · 08-19-2006, 05:58 AM

Day 1 – Montreal – Miami - Santiago

Pretty uneventful day, as opposed to Brklyntrayc, there is only one airport still active in Montral, so I couldn’t go wrong there. Made it easily despite huge lines at security, never seen anything like this at 5:00am…

I had the immense pleasure of being seated next to a bunch kids who all seemed to be auditioning to be lead singer in a metal band. The one behind me definitely has a bright future in the R&R industry. Total amount of sleep in the last 2 days: 6.5 hours

Had a 12-hour wait in Miami, so I got a car and drove around. Last day of summer for me until next May

Went to Doral to check it out, this is the famous 18th on the Blue Monster for you golfing mags. That is a scary drive…

Had to check the silicone in South Beach, put the zoom on the camera to work

I'm a Yankee fan now...

Crashed under a tree near the beach like a true hobo to increase my sleep total by another 8 minutes. This was my view, I like the VW camper...

Not much sleep on the plane last night, was really cramped, thank god I'm not 6'4"... In Santiago right now, the weather is nice and there is snow on the mountains... The sun just rose and this place feels like LA, so I can't shoot the Andes right now, this will have to do for now...

Hopefully, my stuff will show up in Mendoza in 2 hours and I won't fall asleep driving from Mendoza to Malargue today? LL tomorrow if things continue to go smooth

Steve

**bklyn** · 08-19-2006, 06:47 AM

Oh yeah!.....

**paedde** · 08-19-2006, 10:03 AM

The next 3 weeks are going to be a nightmare – reports about powder, epic skiing…. While you are skiing I have to work and wait for this job offer.

Too bad that I can’t join you. If I get the job within the week I would still book a flight and join you for about 2 weeks.

Have fun!

**Squirrel99** · 08-19-2006, 11:07 PM

stoked for ya! there's just something about SA...

as for Santi-smogo being like LA- that's pretty spot on to a degree. If you check out the El Golf and Los Condes districts, it will feel a lot like you are in mini-Beverly Hills.

If you've got a day to kill, the zoo is pretty cool- set on the mountainside. The monkeys, well, they're pretty famous for a few pornographic things in Santiago (even my cab driver in Mendoza had heard of, um... 'their behavior')
Ride the tram up to the summit- great views of the Andes, cool ampitheatre and monuments, old Church.

it's hot up in NA right now, cool us off by getting some pow in SA!

**mtnbikerskierchick** · 08-19-2006, 11:12 PM

Hope you have fun there! You should meet up with Kellie!

Are you staying in Malargue?

**sculhane** · 08-20-2006, 08:06 PM

Senor Marte abierto and a great day today (Sunday). Sorry no time for a good TR it's late and I want to sleep...

Didn't it was a holiday in Argentina on Monday, so everything is booked solid and there is an incredible amount of gapers on the slopes... 30 minute wait on Marte with lift lines more undisciplined than France... But I had I private Marte until 11:00 AM when the hordes showed up. Perfect bluebird day with no wind at all. Snow very variable as there is a lot of freeze-thaw going on and the north facing stuff in hard windblown. The terrain here is amazing, but I feel the next storm is going to make this place so avalanche prone, so I think I will head down South after tomorrow towards Bariloche

Paedde, you would be proud of me, I took 40 pics today

Wish I had time to do better, but this will have to do for now... Well, damn pictures are taking so long to upload, that I have time to write some more. This is a cool country
The beef is amazing and cheap, the wine is great, I could become an alcoholic easily here
There are dogs everywhere, I have seen about 10 of them dead on the road
I am 100 times more likely dying on the road than in an avalanche here
Mendoza is a weird airport, they scan your luggage when you exit, which creates a huge jam of people trying to get the hell out
Don't load more than 3 pics at a time from Argentina, I wanna sleep
Fuck it, this high speed internet is about 3K per second, I'll upload them another day. Just imagine for now

My own private Marte at 9:45

This chute got my heart pumping, hard pack windblown... don't fall or you end up in Bariloche...

The same viewed from below, the entrance is the very top ribbon of snow. Funny how things always look harder from below...

**Utarded** · 08-20-2006, 09:10 PM

Scully!!

Endless here. I'll leave this message here in case you don't check your email. Glad to hear you made it safe and sound. I've been on the net as much as I can today making plans and such. We have definitely ruled out Bariloche.

Paedde, if all it takes to get you down there is for you to get that job, we're rootin for ya big time!

...and no, I haven't done Aug yet. I know I'm gambling here, but I won't have time before I go. If, for some bizarre reason, I can't do August in SA I'm screwed. However, it would take a fantastically major malfunction for Aug to not happen (even if we crash enroute over the Andes I'll try to figure out a way to ski. But...no matter what, I don't care how many days we're stranded without food, I'm not eatin any part of Crash55 or Coldsmoke.)

**mtnbikerskierchick** · 08-21-2006, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by skiingislife

no pics are showing up dude.

I think he knows that.

Originally Posted by sculhane

Don't load more than 3 pics at a time from Argentina, I wanna sleep
Fuck it, this high speed internet is about 3K per second, I'll upload them another day. Just imagine for now

We can only imagine for a little while. Please post pics soon!

Where are you getting your Internet access? Did you now you can get it free at the Delta Airlines shack by Innsbruck?

**sculhane** · 08-21-2006, 06:08 PM

Day 4 – 2nd day in LL

Finally got some decent speed internet, so I can post some pics in less than 2 hours... Added pics from yesterday in previous post too

Another great day with perfect blue skies. Unfortunately, the wind started to increase midday and senor Marte was cerrado at around 4pm. I was 5 chairs away from loading when they decided to stop letting people on. Skied many great lines today, the number of 40-50 degree couloirs with 2000+ vertical here is unbelievable. A lot less people here today, biggest wait on Marte was about 15 minutes, and it should be even better tomorrow now that the Argentine holiday is over.

The snow is still extremely variable, there has been a lot of freeze-thaw here lately, so anything that gets hit by the sun, you must time well to have a good time skiing. The North facing stuff is better, very much bullet proof windblown, but still carvable – The consequences of a fall in some of these couloirs I’d rather not think about. This is one place where it would be really cool to have a partner…

Decided to stay here, scored a rather smelly apartment, but only 100 pesos so life is still muy bueno. If the wind stays down and Marte remains open, I might stick around for a while… If anyone is here, it would be cool to ski with someone, I’m in Corinto 718…

Some totally useless rambling while I’m waiting for the pics to load:
- I got my first parking ticket yesterday (don’t really know why). So now I have one from South America for my collection

- Just went to grocery store and bought a big piece of cheese, a bottle of Latitude 33 Malbec, breakfast and orange juice for about 12$. The orange just was the most expensive item…
- Damn 1 liter beers are a serious challenge. Just finished a Quilmer Stout (about 70 cents!) which was pretty nice. That’s probably why there is no one on the mountain before 10:30…

Pics from today:

This is probably why the beef is so good here, to be a cattle is not a bad thing in Argentina

Lines on the other side of Marte (45 min hike). There were tracks in both…

This appears to be about 40 minute hike from Iris, rode with some guy from Sweden who said he was there 3 days ago.

My favourite so far (Frankie I think). You can see the Marte lineup in the bottom. Snow is carvable, but very much bulletproof. Don’t fall…

Useless scenic, but it gives an idea of the possibilities on the front side. Reminds me of the Hobacks in JH, great terrain, but unfortunately pretty much South facing… The snow is still good on top, but mashed potatoes on the bottom.

Steve

**mtnbikerskierchick** · 08-21-2006, 06:23 PM

Nice pics!!!!!!!!!!!

**skiingislife** · 08-21-2006, 07:02 PM

nice, Only three more days

**PNWbrit** · 08-21-2006, 07:30 PM

You lucky sonofabitch!

Two more days until I get out of this godawful summer.

**funkendrenchman** · 08-21-2006, 07:30 PM

Thanks for the update. If you see a guy on Spats or Nordica FFs mounted tele say "hi"..... that'd be Figure Eleven.

**paedde** · 08-22-2006, 02:46 AM

Now I know why people started to let say “don’t like me too much” during my snow safari. To ready this stuff during work is so hard. Take care you lucky bustard.

PS: If I count the pics so far I really think that you have a partner with you. During 10 weeks in the US you had 20 pics and now more within one day. What happened to you?

**sculhane** · 08-22-2006, 05:18 AM

Originally Posted by paedde

Now I know why people started to let say “don’t like me too much” during my snow safari. To ready this stuff during work is so hard. Take care you lucky bustard.

PS: If I count the pics so far I really think that you have a partner with you. During 10 weeks in the US you had 20 pics and now more within one day. What happened to you?

I am becoming a paparazzi like you

**uglymoney** · 08-22-2006, 01:32 PM

Sweet! Keep the pics coming...

**Squirrel99** · 08-22-2006, 03:28 PM

excellent selections (Skier666 start taking notes for next year

)

Human Error

I wonder if those are Kellie's tracks on Entre Rios (paging Basom!)
(typically more of a 2-3 hour slog)

Couloir Manhattan & Manhattan Chico, Soho, Bronx, and B2

Keep'em coming! Great photos

**powstash** · 08-22-2006, 03:28 PM

the act of sliding on a cold white surface is so far from my reality that I can't fathom just how heavenly it would be to do this today.

**sculhane** · 08-22-2006, 04:45 PM

Gracias señor Squirrel, you are a wealth of information...

Another bluebird day in LL, everybody is back in Buenos Aires or Cordoba, so very little waiting on Marte. Light winds too, so it was abierto all day. It is getting really hot at the bottom, therefore the front side is getting very heavy at the bottom. The stuff that is not hit by the sun is starting to have an East Coast feeling. A foot of fresh is really needed, it feels like spring here.

Skied pretty much all the obvious stuff here. The stuff on the Marte side is absolutely amazing, but so dangerous because the snow is so hard and inconsistent. I need to go away before I kill myself, almost fell at the top of Frankie, which was a wake up call to slow down a little.

Going South tomorrow, now that I finally have some first hand information from a local who drove Ruta 40 2 days ago and said it was in very good condition except for about 50 kilometers. So my little shitbox will get a workout, hopefully it will make it to San Martin de Los Andes

Will definitely be back here before I leave if they get snow, skiing this place with good snow would be unbelievable, although realistically, the odds of that are really small. At least, I got to ski it (and see it

)

Argentina tidbits and useless rambling of the day (waiting for pics to load…)
- The water really turns in the other direction when you flush
- I finally understood why I have a sore troth and nosebleeds, sign this morning said humedas 10%. I think Palm Springs was more humid than this when I was there
- I might move here just for the beef, don’t know if I will ever be able to pay 40$ for a good steak back home after this. Endless, you were wondering about Rodizio in Argentina: Every place here kicks Rodizio’s ass for about 8$. Eat your fruits and veggies before coming here though… And bring your own PowerBars, haven’t seen any here.
- Does anyone know what the actual vertical of Marte is? My guess is 2800’

Today’s offerings:

My only action picture (ahem!) so far

Used the camera to see if Sin Salida actually had an exit, and it looks like it does. Didn’t have the balls to try it though, should have taken that pic yesterday... Would be a very long (and scary) hike back up

In the middle of Frankie, you can see rocks falling, which is another concern on hard snow. It seems that the rocks here are very friable, there golf ball size pebbles everywhere at the bottom of these chutes

Sin Salida (left), Frankie (Middle) and one that I don’t know the name of (left). Please correct me if I’m wrong. The one on left is actually not too hard, but the entrance was maximum vertigo for this gringo (see next pic)

Entrance to “the one on the left”, don’t know why but it made me dizzy on top (Marte line up visible in the top middle)

LL parting shot, top of Eduardo looking towards the base and the valley

Off to eat another pound of beer for 8$...

Steve

**GoldMember** · 08-22-2006, 04:49 PM

Nice pics. Snow looks juuuuuuust a little wind affected.

**Squirrel99** · 08-22-2006, 05:34 PM

awesome, awesome pictures! wish I was enjoying a nice cup of cafe con crema at innsbruck about now - instead of work.

thanks for the real time posts!

**comish** · 08-22-2006, 06:17 PM

Seriously, thanks for the posts dude. I know how frustrating LL internet can be so props for posting pics from down there.

At least you are getting to ski the infamous Marte. In my two trips and 20ish days down there I have only gotten 3 half days and thats probably above average.

Wanna bring some Alphajores Havana back to the states for me???

I'm about out of my stash.

**shamrockpow** · 08-22-2006, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by comish

Seriously, thanks for the posts dude. I know how frustrating LL internet can be so props for posting pics from down there.

At least you are getting to ski the infamous Marte. In my two trips and 20ish days down there I have only gotten 3 half days and thats probably above average.

Wanna bring some Alphajores Havana back to the states for me???

I'm about out of my stash.

http://store.amigofoods.com/

No, they can't deliver an Argentina steak, but for alfajores or yerba mate they got a good selection!

**sculhane** · 08-23-2006, 07:08 PM

Pretty intense travel day, 11 hours of rather difficult driving, but extremely rewarding in terms of scenery and remoteness, again in absolutely perfect weather. The Ruta 40 is not too bad, except for a stretch of about 150kms South of Malague, where it’s a mix of 30 year-old asphalt and potholes the size of dinner tables. Of course, this is where the best scenery is… You really have to pay attention for rocks and animals here. The pictures tell the story…

Today’s rambling waiting for the pics to load:

- Today, in addition to the usual 12 dead cats and dogs, I saw 2 dead sheep and a dead horse (!). Should have taken a picture, cause the legs were sticking up in the air like in the Lucky Luke cartoons
- It is so freaking dry here that I drank 1.5L of water and a beer and didn’t even to go to the bagno
- Argentines seem to love their saints, I must have seen 100 home made little chapels, some in the absolute most remote places. Zappa’s Titties and Beer was playing while I stopped at one to take a pic, I hope I don’t go to hell for that

- Chapelco tomorrow, snow will most likely suck as it appears that they are in the same freeze-thaw cycle here. It is summer during the day

Only 3 pics today, Internet real slow here...

That sign was well placed. They could probably put 1 every 2km

The Ruta 40 can be a little rough in spots

Volcan Lanin, and sunset over the Andes. This is the first cloud I have seen in the 5 days I’ve been here…

Steve