Excellent trip skiing Argentina Backcountry in August
Here a little story , written from Rob, fanatic backcountry skier of our recent trip in Bariloche, Argentina. Thanks for the post
“My week in Patagonia
I live on the east coast of the US, so I’ve been quite fortunate to ski 7 of the past 9 months across Canada, the US and now Argentina.
It was a great winter for snow in the northern hemisphere this year, and when I saw the storms rolling into Patagonia, I knew I had to keep it going. I spoke with Jorge and 5 days later I was en route to Bariloche, ski touring gear packed and no idea what to expect. I’ll I knew was he had a group of 6 people, from all over, who loved adventure and were willing to fly half way around the world just to slide down snow covered mountains. Exactly the type of crew I wanted to spend a week with. There was no way this couldn’t be great.
22 hours of travel later, I walked into my hostel, and Charles from our group had a bottle of wine open, was checking gear and smiling ear to ear. I was most definitely in the right place. From here, the first 3 of us to arrive set out to Bagaules with Jorge. No small feat with 2hrs of driving complete with dirt roads, river and creek crossings and a snow mobile ride. I knew we were in for something special as we turned off the asphalt and headed toward the snow capped peaks and the rain turned to snow. The next two days were incredible Ski Touring and skiing great lines, drinking wine and eating amazing food. There was so much good energy shared by everyone. Hanging by the fire, drinking wine and playing guitar after a hard day’s ski was perfect.
From Bagaules, we headed into town, synced up with the rest of our group and then headed to the Frey Hut. I didn’t think we’d be able to top the few days we’d already spent at Baguales, but the 4 days we spent at Frey ended up being some of the best days I’ve ever spent skiing.
At dinner with our team the night before we set out to Frey, it became clear that we had an amazing group with so much positive energy. The trip was no longer just about the skiing, but the people and our common bond. We stayed up late, drank lots of wine, traded adventure stories and laughed non-stop.
During our week together, we became like a family. We ate together, slept together, and skied together. Late night dinners and card games till midnight, sleeping side by side in sleeping bags and touring up and descending steep faces, all as a team.
Our 2nd to last day at Frey, we ripped a huge line that brought everyone’s energy level to another level. The snow was deep and light, the clouds broke, and we were surrounded by huge granite spires and walls during our descent, with the hut just barely visible at the base. Everyone was cheering, laughing and smiling non stop when we regrouped. I don’t think my face has ever hurt so bad from smiling and laughing so hard, both while skiing and hanging with the crew at the hut.
The bonds we formed will last a lifetime, and somehow it happened in only a week. It was like time stood still at the Frey Hut and we all spent a week truly living in the moment. I’m so fortunate for my time there and the connections I formed, both with the Andes Backcountry and with the group.
Missing everyone and the Andes already, but excited for our next adventure, as I know we all see each other again.
