Bariloche, Argentina

A view from Catedral Ski Resort in Bariloche, Mid-Mountain
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After finishing up my home-stay, I said my goodbyes to Ana and Leo. Leo was kind enough to drive me into town and drop me off at a local hostel. Being here for 2 weeks already I had seen little sun – maybe 3 or 4 days over that span, if that. This week would be no different as an epic storm moved in and dropped 1-2 meters of snow in the area. At the top of Catedral they had 3 meters – that’s right, over 9 feet of snow. Most of the mountain was closed for several days and so I waited until the right day to show up. By that time only the mid-sections were open and the lifts to the very top were still closed, yet to be dug out. Argentineans… yes, believe it or not, are fairly lazy in their jobs. Now, this is not always the case, but when it comes to the ski areas it’s a reality. I saw it in Las Lenas as well - were they would show up late and take their time digging any lifts out. Also, if there is any wind they close them. Being an epic storm, I was patient but after 3 days even the locals were upset with the staff. Nonetheless, I eventually got on the mountain, and was one of the first people on the gondola when it finally opened. I got some good turns in, but in some cases there was too much snow. The snow was also a little more moist than I was use too, and coming from Colorado I would have to say we are a little spoiled. Any major falls resulted in being completed buried, encased in snow as if being done in by an avalanche (as if I would know).

Ana and Leo, my family in Bariloche for 2 weeks
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So I stayed in Bariloche a little longer than anticipated, but I met up with some friends… Bert from Scotland, who I met in Buenos Aires, and Michael Stencil, a mountain guide from Washington, whom I met through a colleague working at Raytheon (Mark Moorhead). Thank you Mark for the connection… Michael and his family are great, and they welcomed me into their home – even feeding me steak and wine like true Argentineans. I also had a wonderful time chatting it up with Michael about mountaineering in South America.

Last Days in Bariloche...

Snow starts to fall in Bariloche... it would continue for days
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Now being my last day, before catching a bus to Puerto Madryn, the skies have cleared and the sun has now erased the streets of the total mess of snow, slush, and water which inhabited it over the last few days. Many people stayed inside as it was sort of a pain to walk around town. Here are some final pics as I leave Bariloche for good.