The Ups and Downs and Traveling

TOP OF CERRO CATEDRAL, ARGENTINA
I DON'T KNOW HOW THE POINTS WORK BUT I KILLED IT
SUNSET FROM HOSTEL 1004 (Looking towards Cerro Catedral over Lago Nahuel Huapi)

I wrote this 2 weeks ago but have been busy skiing and enjoying Bariloche. I have a few more that I will get up soon.

It is hard to believe that in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been that I would have down days, but the last week has been tough. Catching a cold started it off, followed by a lack of snow for almost 10 days, compounded by Portillo having no snow and extremely warm temperatures for the next few weeks. I got down looking at the rest of my trip with the possibility of getting less than 20 days of skiing in 2 months due to the conditions. I had to make reservations in Portillo a few weeks ago for my anticipated stay August 21-28. If I were to make it there it means leaving Bariloche where they are getting snow for the next week and a half for Portillo’s 26 inch base and 50 degree weather. I was so down. Why, why, why do I have to leave the snow fall I came down here for? No snow anywhere else worth going but I have to leave. Pour information and the inability to make a good decision based on anything concrete was making me crazy.

Trying to take charge of my situation I attempted to ski last Thursday but was stopped when the 2 buses to Cerro Catedral were both so full that it left 15 of us at the bus stop. With a Spanish class at 2pm (or at least I thought, turned out to be 4pm), I did not want to buy a full day pass for 3 hours of skiing. I retreated to the hostel to study Spanish before class. Further upset by not getting to the mountain I was convinced to ski on Saturday; A decision that I immediately regretted exiting the gondola in a freezing fog that blanketed the entire mountain. We had some coffee and waited for a few hours until it cleared then we spent 4 hours skiing 3 runs all with the population of Bariloche on the ice and windblown snow in the fog. It is the worst day I have had in South America by far.

Not knowing if I could get my money back I made the decision to go to Portillo. After all It is the ski area that originally brought me to South America. After weighing my options I asked Portillo for my money back with the anticipation of them telling me to go fuck myself, but I would ask anyway. Everything turned around when they gave me most of my $700 USD back and I could stay in Bariloche and ski the seemingly endless snow for the next few weeks.

In an hour I went from my lowest point on the trip to well above average!


My friend Ben showed me this video of a group of Soloman skiers touring and skiing the crater of Volcano Puyuhue, Chile. It is amazing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3kRO_hbWOU

<><> LTD
Matt/Todd