Volcano Villarrica from the guide shop
Kay and I in the Parking lot before the climb
Less than half way up
K-Korn and I on the Summit ready to roll, he has such an adventurous spirit
Some sort of thug pose with a sense of accomplishment back at the base
2,874 meters is all that stood between the sea and the summit of Villarrica. We started from the ski area base, approximately 1,000 meters leaving 1,800 for us climb the old fashion way. For those who need conversion the summit is approximately 8,600 feet and we climbed 5,000 vertical to reach it.
Getting picked up at 7:30am we were outfitted at the shop, that has an amazing view of the volcano from its front door. Packed in a van with a couple from Hong-Kong, 3 Uruguayan girls (partied until 1:30am or later the night before), Kay and I, 3 guides and a driver. Oh, and all of our gear in a van that was not made for this.
Reaching the base through the tree lined road as the sun is bursting through and illuminating the snow covering every limb, we knew that we picked the perfect day. All geared up, skis and boots on my pack, we start our hike passing the chairlift that will not be used by us today. Kay, Rodrigo our guide and I climb through the ski area and make our way to our tracks from the day before in the gully. We cross the gully and hike the line under the chairlift that remains closed, Justin appears on the other side of the gully throws his hands in the air, gives a yell and takes 4 awesome turns in fresh pow before disappearing into the gully. With Justin checking in on our progress from Ski Pucon we climb.
The sun warms us as we hike through a windy section, almost blowing over a few times we reach a ridge and we are wind free the rest of the trip. My pack is feels heavy. As we zigged and zagged up the mountain the views of Pucon and Lago Villarrica become more dramatic as the 4 surrounding volcanoes begin to show themselves. We make good time over a flattish section before the final climb that took much longer than anticipated. Every last difficult step is worth it when you reach the summit and see 360 views of the magnificent Andes Mountains. The active volcano is belching out smoke and steam that whooshes as it rises past me. The sun over the lake beams down like a spot light reflecting its light across the valley and up to us.
After the hugs and congratulations Kay, Rodrigo and I head back down a short icy section to our skis and boards in eager anticipation of an awesome decent. The snow is as good as it get’s on this volcano and we ripped it as hard as our tired legs would let us. Each turn is a thrill mixed with pain; a good hurt that reminds me that I earned every single turn. 7 hours up, 35 minutes down.
There are places were the snow is 6 inches deep and soft mixed with some wind blown and the spectrum in between. The video on my facebook page describes the trip down better than words. Not much video on the way up, hence all the writing. 2 of the 3 Uruguayan girls made it to the cafeteria at Ski Pucon for snow angels and hot chocolate the other made it half way to the summit with the Hong-Kong couple.
Enjoy the rain hangover from Sea-fair with some sun and snow. The only thing that could have made this experience better would have been the Blue Angels buzzing the volcano while on the summit.
<><> LTD
Matt/Todd
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