I haven´t found the time to share some ski stoke, being too busy skiing or dealing with shitty computers or, ahem, running from the carabineros. But here I sit in Santiago, getting ready to head to Las Lenas pretty soon, so I have to give you something from Chile.
When I arrived in Santiago three weeks ago at 2 AM I had zero plan, no place to stay, no idea where I was going. I consulted the snow forecast and headed to Termas de Chillan. When I got there it was pissing rain. When I left the next afternoon it was pissing rain. Off to Portillo.
When I got there on Sunday, I quickly learned that they hadn´t had snow in at least three weeks. Super hardpack off of Roca Jack, which was as thrilling a ride UP the mountain I´ve ever had, and only a small bit of soft snow off of the other pama, Condor. Forecast called for clouds the next day. I deliberated over a Carmenere, decided I was sick of travelling, and chose to stay.
The next day...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...elportillo.jpg
52 cm total over night. What a decision. For an hour during lunch I had the double on the left side of the hill all to myself. Only a few hundred feet of vertical, but the snow was skiing almost knee deep. There was zero visibilty so it was total Jedi-skiing - seeing doesn´t matter much in that kind of snow.
By the time it was done snowing on Tuesday I think there was over 80 cm. And wow was there avalanche danger. I saw ski patrol trigger about half a dozen slides in and above the ski area. Here´s what it looks like when a massive avalanche hits the lake.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ey/lakerun.jpg
Turns out that an avalanche took out the Roca Jack lift for the third or fourth time this season (they plan for these things), and they didn´t find, unbury, and reassemble all the pieces for the whole week (they take their time with these things).
I had to content myself with traversing off of Condor going further and further skiers left to get fresh tracks. Rock on.
On Tuesday the snow was wetter and skiing more like 6 inches in most places. But they opened Plateau earlier and there was plenty of fresh to be had. They still weren´t opening Gargantua...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../gargantua.jpg
...or any of the chutes under Plateau.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ateauchute.jpg
Notice the nice slab that had already triggered.
Tueday night it rained a bit and ruined most of the snow, but hitting the mountain at 9:15, it was just me and a ski patroller hitting Condor (the discotheque stays open until 4 am, but I ain´t no punk bitch). I decided to head skiers right and go just outside the ropes where it looked like no one had skied yet. I found a nice stach of 8 in deep snow and hit that for a couple hours - until the previous night´s drinking caught up to me and I took the rest of the day off.
Can anyone guess what happened Wednesday night? More snow. This time they opened up Plateau earlier and it seemed like the endless day of skiing. Also open was some of the section underneath the Plateau chutes where there was now knee deep powder. That afternoon the sun finally started to peek out for the first time all week.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../Imagen062.jpg
Friday was bluebird and myself and a couple of my new snowboarding buddies decided to hit the stash. All day.
Some pictures.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../Imagen080.jpg
My track skiers right.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../Imagen093.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../Imagen094.jpg
We just kept heading right and getting fresh.
Here´s one of the crazy Aussie Johno.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../Imagen096.jpg
I left on Saturday after six straight days of skiing, five of them freaking fantastic. I love Portillo in the snow. I just wish they would have opened Roca Jack back up.
Sorry if the pictures are too big. I don´t really have control of the picture size (maybe biglines does it automatically?), but hopefully you can read this OK.
I´ve also hit Pucon, Termas de Chillan, and Valle Nevado/Colorado, but that´s for another installment. Skiing in August rules. Cheers.
