Location: Nevados de Chillan, Chile (f/k/a Termas de Chillan)
Dates: August 29 – September 4, 2010
Skiers & Boarders: Ken, Jon and Nick (as well as some special appearances by Claire and Travis)
Photogs: Nick (unless otherwise indicated as Ken, Jon or Claire). I was pissed though as I dropped by good camera off of a climb in Yosemite several weeks ago, so had to roll with my old backup. Oh well.
Weather: August 29th and 30th dropped about 1.5 feet of fresh Andean pow. Skies went bluebird for the next 2 days, with cold temps at night to keep the snow soft. Avy conditions were stable in the surrounding side-country and backcountry. More snow fell on September 2 (about 5-6 inches).
Synposis: Jon, Ken and I were scheduled to head down with CASA Tours to ski and board the main areas North of Santiago (Arpa, Portillo and Tres Valles). Ken and I had done this same trip 2 years prior with CASA with great success (with an abundance of fresh snow, a fun group, good guides and untracked BC-zones).
Last year, Jon, Ken and I were scheduled to head down to Bariloche only to get skunked by horrible conditions at the last minute. Dave, the owner of CASA, was cool to call us several days prior to our flights and give us a heads up on the turn of conditions (a warming spell brought a lot of rain, followed by a deep freeze creating boiler pack all over Patagonia). After discussing alternatives, Dave was supremely cool and refunded our money.
Looking to go back down again this year, we turned to CASA again due to the logistical advantage they offer with transportation, lodging and familiarity with good BC terrain. We were all really impressed with Dave’s flexibility with our cancelled Bariloche trip the year prior.
Once again, the flexibility of the CASA team proved invaluable. We were scheduled to head to the Northern areas again – but based on obvious weather conditions and thin coverage, we shifted down to the South to follow the snow. Large storms were scheduled for Chillan during our visit so the decision to switch it up proved a no-brainer.
Note: This Trip Report is several pages long – just click at the end of each page to continue.
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