Snowboarding in the Mountains of Argentiina
Snowboarding in Argentiina had always been a dream of mine. The high mountains of the Andes seemed to offer lifetimes of ski tours and adventures. Though it never seemed possible that I would travel there the stars aligned in 2013. I had gotten the opportunity to be involved with the Sweetgrass crew while they were filming the movie Solitaire. Soon I was flying south and on a wild adventure for a month.
After 3 weeks attempting to find good snow in Bolivia and hiking around Machu Picchu I boarded a flight in Cusco, Peru. Taking off from the sketchy runway I was excited to explore more of South America. With the conditions being so painful in Bolivia things had no option but to be better for the last leg of the journey.
Making My Way to Las Leñas to do some Snowboarding in Argentiina
My plane landed in Santiago Chile where I walked around for a day before taking a bus to Mendoza, Argentiina. It was chaos getting a bus as Coppa Cup was going on and most buses were full, somehow I was able to find a spot. Riding to the Chile/Argentiina border the bus had to turn around as there was a car accident. It was a wild night drinking with Chileans and attempting to speak in the worst broken Spanish you can imagine.
Once over the border I recovered from my hangover in Mendoza before catching another bus to Las Leñas ski resort. Once there I found out that conditions were subpar as they had a low snowpack. Making the most of our time Ben and I went on a quick ski tour to scope out shots for filming.
Walking around the mountains rose in all directions. There was a lifetime of ski tours as long as the weather was good and the place had a healthy snowpack.
Looking in one direction it was powder covered mountains.
Yet on the opposite aspect it was almost bare with rocks.
First Day Snowboarding in Argentiina
The next day after a bit of a hassle the ski resort was kind enough to give us some lift passes to explore the place. Most of the lifts were down low and didn’t really access that great of terrain.
But the Marte chair was a different story all together. This lift would take you all the way to the top of the mountain and offer massive ski lines in almost every direction.
Looking around at the hike able terrain I knew it would be well worth coming back when the place had a healthy snowpack.
But at the time the snowpack was barely there. A mixture of little amounts of snow and brutal winds had left the place with minimal options for places to ride.
By now Rylan Bell had arrived and we decided to do some resort sidecountry. With a 15 minute hike we would head over to a bowl that seemed to be loaded with snow.
Looking out upon the Andes Mountains I could see that there was some great snowboarding in Argentiina. I was stoked to be there and to explore the Las Leñas area.
While the conditions were pretty dire we were happy to find a slope that was wind loaded. Throughout the day we took a few laps before heading back to our place. There was a storm coming the following day and hopefully conditions would improve.
Ski Touring During a Storm
The next morning the storm arrived and we decided to check out our backyard. Within 15 minutes we made our way to the base of a cirque that offered numerous lines.
After climbing up the ridge line we settled on a nice looking gully. The line seemed to be loaded with snow and would offer a great run.
Dropping in the snow was great but it was white out conditions in more ways than one. Every turn would kick up the snow but it was hard to reference with everything being gray.
With the new snow falling we were excited for conditions to improve. Making our way back to the hotel we knew it was going to be an early morning on the lifts to get first tracks.
Powder Day at the Ski Hill
Waking up the skies had cleared up but the winds still ravaged the mountains. We quickly got our gear ready and were out for first chair.
The first hour went by fast with chin deep snow right off the chair. It was an awesome morning utilizing the lifts and with a little bit of hiking we made the most out of it.
Before long it was time to switch to skinning. With an hour skin track we could ride some bigger slopes above the lower chairs.
Making our way up we could tell that the snow was good but the snowpack was still thin. If we wanted to have a good run we would have to ride sheltered areas.
With a bunch of new snow we checked the snowpack for avalanche concerns. Occasionally we would feel the snow or do a hastily made had pit but things seemed relatively stable.
Once making it to the top of our high point the clouds cleared out again. It was finally time to some snowboarding in Argentiina.
The slope rode amazing and the snowpack was deep. We had called it with the right area and made the most out of the morning.
Later in the day they finally opened the upper mountain and we spent the rest of the day riding around and doing a bit of filming. With each lap we would explore a different area of the mountain
Last Day at Las Leñas
My time snowboarding in Argentiina was coming to an end. It had been a great end to the trip and I had one final morning to get in some turns. I was leaving on a buss at 3 in the afternoon so we went on an early morning ski tour to get some skiing footage.
The clouds were coming in and out but the forecast was improving as we walked under massive spires. We were heading towards what looked like a huge bowl filled with powder.
To access the top of the bowl we would have to climb up onto an adjacent ridge. With our boards on our backs we pushed up the slopes hoping conditions would be much better on the other side.
Once on the ridge we were happy to see that the face looked great. The winds had battered many areas but this zone had seemed to catch the snow. If what we saw was correct these would be my best turns in South America.
Once on the top of our line everyone scattered as this was all about filming. Both Ryland and I had our own lines scoped and the film crew set up in numerous different spots.
Last Snowboard Turns in Argentiina
Being strapped into my snowboard I waited for the call to drop in via the radio. I had thought through the features in my head to get the line just perfect. Soon enough I heard the words “Drop in” and I was off.
This was my best and last run while Snowboarding in Argentiina. While the crew stuck around to get more shots of Ryland riding I needed to catch the bus back to Mendoza.
I quickly said goodbye to the crew and traversed back to the ski resort before heading down to the hotel and packing my bags. Soon enough I was on a bus and on my way to the airport.
A Crazy Exit From South America
From Mendoza I flew into Buenos Aires for the night. Once at the airport I was picked up by a taxi who took me the hour drive to town around midnight. When almost there we stopped by an ATM and when I gave him the money, He said the ATM had given me the wrong amount. I knew he was lying but it was late, so we stopped by another one and I paid him twice being quite aggravated.
We made a deal that he would give me half of it back then drive me to the airport the next day. I took the money and went to my hostel. Once at the hostel the owners let me know the guy was trying to rip me off so when it was time to leave for the airport I left an hour earlier with another (much cheaper) taxi.
After getting my plane ticket at the desk guess who showed up……the same taxi driver. He kept saying “lets go outside” and it was a bit of a heated debate. I thought quickly of what to do and yelled out “I won’t smuggle drugs into America for you”. The whole airport turned quiet and turned our way. He looked around and whispered that the next time I was in Buenos Aires he was going to kill me then walked out of the airport.
Walking through security they smiled at me and gave me the thumbs up. An hour later my adventure in South America was over with and I was flying back to Seattle. 2 days later I was back to riding in the Cascades and finishing off the 10 Highest Peaks in Washington Project.
In Conclusion
The winds rule everything down in South America. While it seems great seasons are few and far between when it is on it is world class. I was very fortunate to be with a solid crew and be able to experience snowboarding in Argentiina. If the stars ever aligned again I would head down to Las Leñas in a heartbeat.
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