After our trip to the Valle de Colorado, Graham and I decided to return to one of my favorite backcountry ski areas in Argentina: Ruta 7 between Mendoza and Santiago.  We stayed in Puente del Inca at Portezuelo del Viento and skied from the road each day (no camping!).

Up to Ruta 7 near the tunel . . . I had looked at this peak a few years before, and have always had my eye on it . . .

Another cool looking line, a bit more up close in this picture . . . we looked it up on a map – Cerro Martienzo, named after a the pilot who perished in a nearby plane crash . . . 7 mile approach from the road and 6500′ climb

Although neither Graham or I thought Cerro Martienzo would be possible in a day, we both thought the other person thought it was possible, and were both willing to give it a try based on that . . . so off we went..  Unfortunately, Graham had inadvertently  left his skins up the valle del Colorado for the mules to bring later . . . made for a long bootpack!

Amazing rocks up high!

And then we made the ridge and were staring Aconcagua straight in the face – a really unanticipated and  humbling view . . . also makes it clear why they “great stone sentinel” is so called . . . an impressive piece of rock to be sure!!!

Summit self-portrait in more Argentine wind

Me on the descent . . . rolled in somewhat mellow, transitioning to super steep next to the ice (a developing theme), but this was the best snow we skied the whole trip, and the longest consistent skiing we had . . . a really cool day!

Graham found a super cool condor feather . . . all-in-all the day only took us 13.5 hrs and we made it back to the car by dark – not bad!

We had a later start the next day and were joined by dogs!

and we ultimately skied the centerline on that peak . . .  bummer was that the snow never softened – pretty brutal skiing!!

Me and Patricio, a great friend from my 2009 trip . . .

The post Argentina: Cerro Martienzo, Ruta 7 appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

The post Argentina: Refugio Frey appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

Graham with Santa Ana behind him

Amazing erosional effects on the walk in

Las mulas con el equipo

Our first night in Las Vegas – finished at dark, barely finding the mules and our gear – wouldn’t have been the end of the world if we hadn’t, but it was nice all the same, if for no other reason than fixing the holes that had developed in our sacks from transport.

Una mula

Our first view of Pico Polaco with the valle del Colorado just around the corner

And then the Mercedario with her glorious south face appeared

El valle del Colorado

Skiing was a bit contrived to put it lightly – the sliver of snow heading up above Graham (on a water run since there was no running water near camp) to the ridge was our first ski line, topping out at about 16,500′

The plateau of Cerro Negro – in past years, all these lines have been filled in and skiable, but there were only a few that went . . . we ended up skiing the “obvious” line in the center, hiking along the ridge to the summit of Cerro Negro at 18,500′

Home sweet home

Our first day, I felt super sick, so just went on a mellow stroll up to the Italian Glacier.  Our beta was that this glacier would be skinnable, but it was instead a super gnarly icefall . . . lovely day to be out for a walk, taking naps in the sun, and exploring for non-silty water sources

The not-so-inviting Italian Glacier

Oh, hello Mercedario . . . the face looked okay upon our arrival , but  got sequentially blasted by the wind until lit looked like a shining sheet of neve . . .

Graham in our kitchen . . . luxury!

Another view of “home” with Pico Polaco in the background

Graham part way up our first run – cool line, even if the snow wasn’t inspirational

view across the valle

Graham struttin’ his stuff . . . perhaps a little bummed he’d forgotten his gore tex

Aesthetic alpine views, amazing color contrasts

Skiing

The next day, we went to recon the potential route to Pico Polaco

We got to scope this awesome line off the Negro massif .. . .  we ultimately climbed and skied looker’s left of the ice/glacier tongue . . . a super aesthetic and unique line

Loving the color contrasts

Mercedario

The rare treat of clear water . . . we did a lot of carrying water on this trip . . .

Headed up our Cerro Negro couloir . . . we definitely returned to this spot just as it was getting dark . . .

Looking happy . . . if only I knew the awaiting pain of a 6500′ climb at altitude

Graham on the tongue

making progress up Negro . . . Cerro La Ramada in the background

Made the ridge!  Built a cairn so as to find the right couloir on the way down!

Me on the top-out of our Cerro Negro couloir, en route to the summit – I think the ridge was around 17,000′

Lovely ski conditions heading up to the summit . . . took a lot of wind out of our sails since Mercedario looked similar from a distance

Summits deserve high fives!  Ansilta Range in the distance

Graham still had energy on top!  Mercedario in the background – I had originally thought this west face just behind him might also be skiable, but it was an obvious sheet of ice

It’s about the down . . . losing light

The ski was pretty sweet actually – good placa snow, nice fall line, amazing couloir walls, and we finished  just before it was too dark to enjoy

Fox in camp the next morning . . . this little guy was responsible for  lost peanut butter, dulce de leche, and other food items that we did our best to protect . . . wily little sucker!

Recovery day in the kitchen

And then the neighbors, Dave McCoy and Mark Angelos with their guides Indio and Coque, showed up

They were living just a little bit larger than us!

Amazing light over Mercedario . . . really a stunning mountain

Graham headed up to the cool glacier/ice line off of Negro

Me on the climb . . . approaching the ice tongue

super trippy to be climbing next to this huge ice/glacier chunk!  We had one tight section, but the snow stuck pretty well, so we were able to navegate it just fine . . . really cool place to hang out (despite the rockfall raining down us for the first bit of the climb . . . by this point, climbing in rockfall was really starting to fray my nerves!)

It’s about the down!  This was a super amazing line – a lot steeper than I thought originally – I really love the perspective in this photo!

Graham . . . and trippy ice formations

Did I mention I thought this ice was super cool?!?

The line really didn’t let up until the end . . . in fact, the apron was some of the steepest skiing

Ultimately we decided our best ski option would likely be Pico Polaco – it looked like it had a reasonably straightforward line on it, and we decided it was worth a try . . . so we carted super heavy packs a few thousand feet up to its base

Graham approaching horrible scree followed by 5th class scrambling with heavy packs . . . a really unpleasant climb!

But then we got to the Polacos glacier, which was one of the coolest glaciers I’ve ever been on!

Graham skinning up – we were lucky there was a ribbon of snow along the ice to make travel much more achievable!

Cool glaicer, trippy cool clouds

Heading up glacier . . . this place was badass!

Graham with Polaco and its ridgeline above him

Pico Polaco – we had intended to climb the line essentially below the serac . . . everyone told us it “never ” breaks and, although this angle doesn’t show it well, you don’t have to climb in the line of fire that long . . .

But the next day, we awoke to this sight – the serac had broken . . . and revealed some pretty shiny snow . . . we could also see that the upper mountain was a sheet of ice, making a summit descent nearly impossible.

Our glacial home . . .

We ended up climbing a cool line with another steep glacier in the middle of it, as opposed to heading up Polaco.  Given the condition of the summit, the hazard on the route, my lungs which were in pretty bad shape, and our lack of gear to protect the route, we decided to leave the summit for another trip.

At the top of our line – lots more snow deeper in the range. . . . maybe we could have chosen a better zone to explore . . .

Looking down on the valle del Colorado and out to Barreal

More cool ice to climb and ski with!

Graham on the descent

Little me, big world

Our line . . . we climbed and skied looker’s left of the ice

Graham skiing down the ice penitentes with a heavy pack . . .

Did I mention how other-worldly this place was?!?

Me skiing the valle del Colorado’s equivalent of “trees”

Looking back up glacier and at Pico Polaco

Negro and the cool line from a few days before

Polaco in alpenglow

Dave, our new neighbor, decided to go out early, and we opted to go out with him and get a ride out of the mountains and back to Mendoza to go check out skiing on Ruta 7

Back in the lowlands, heading out a different route than we came in.  Typical Argentine wind and a 1500′ climb I really wasn’t mentally prepared for!

A welcome sight . . . asado in a few hours!

An old ski club on the road out

Dave and Graham in the Nutibara lobby

Part 2 . . . skiing Ruta 7 area

Up to Ruta 7 near the tunel . . . I had looked at this peak a few years before, and have always had my eye on it . . .

Another cool looking line, a bit more up close in this picture . . . we looked it up on a map – Cerro Martienzo, named after a the pilot who perished in a nearby plane crash . . . 7 mile approach from the road and 6500′ climb

Although neither Graham or I thought Cerro Martienzo would be possible in a day, we both thought the other person thought it was possible, and were both willing to give it a try based on that . . . so off we went..  Unfortunately, Graham had inadvertently  left his skins up the valle del Colorado for the mules to bring later . . . made for a long bootpack!

Amazing rocks up high!

And then we made the ridge and were staring Aconcagua straight in the face – a really unanticipated and  humbling view . . . also makes it clear why they “great stone sentinel” is so called . . . an impressive piece of rock to be sure!!!

Summit self-portrait in more Argentine wind

Me on the descent . . . rolled in somewhat mellow, transitioning to super steep next to the ice (a developing theme), but this was the best snow we skied the whole trip, and the longest consistent skiing we had . . . a really cool day!

Graham found a super cool condor feather . . . all-in-all the day only took us 13.5 hrs and we made it back to the car by dark – not bad!

We had a later start the next day and were joined by dogs!

and we ultimately skied the centerline on that peak . . .  bummer was that the snow never softened – pretty brutal skiing!!

Me and Patricio, a great friend from my 2009 trip . . .

The post Argentina: Valle de Colorado ski exploration (Cerro Mercedario) appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

The walk actually felt a lot like the Alaska wilderness as it transitioned from trails to the wide open river valley up higher. About 6pm, I arrived at Casa Piedra, having decided to walk directly to the second camp since I was feeling strong and already acclimatized. To my utter joy, the muleteers were cooking an asado that night and the whole camp joined in to enjoy classic Argentine fare, spiced up with new friends, some good laughs, a little wine, and some more Spanish practice. The mule drivers were super awesome – full of life and the Argentine spirit I have come to adore.

 

Oh, hello skis

 

Making progress upriver . . .

Does life get better than a full asado in the wilderness? Good times for sure! Mule-assisted travel definitely allows for some luxury!!

Ollie and I killed time by drawing and coloring . . . look closely and you will see his steak, fries, and avocado with wine

Clicking into skis: what a beautiful experience. In that moment, we went from tired-out hikers to focused skiers . . . the day’s efforts immediately forgotten in the realization of, “hell yes, we’re going skiing!!!!” Having not climbed the direct, we of course had some route finding to do to get over to the Polish Glacier, but had enough remaining visibility to do so, and the beta that the snowy ridge would take us directly there. I led down the ridge and within a few hundred feet saw the familiar landmarks I’d memorized from below, knowing we were there. To our joy, the soft snow we’d wallowed in the day before did actually last all the way to the summit, so were greeted with legitimately good skiing from the first turn. At the top of the line, we investigated the snow and found the same consistency we’d experienced the day before, increasing our confidence in skiing the line. It’s a big face, so we couldn’t really put a solid cut in, but were able to test and probe a bit before committing to the rollover and I was feeling pretty good about it by the time we dropped in. With my nerves building over the changing weather and the continued development of the clouds, I finally looked over at the boys and asked, “do you guys mind if I just go for it?” . . . they responded affirmative, and I was off. Oh sweet powder skiing, how I love you. Oh sweet steep skiing how I love you. Oh sweet steep powder skiing on beautiful glaciated high altitude faces how I truly adore you. I really don’t know how to describe the joy that skiing the Polish in the conditions we found was. It didn’t even feel like I was altitude as I made fast and powerful turns down the face, skiing a solid 500m before I stopped in the realization that I’d already made it to the bottleneck and a reasonably safe zone to pull out and wait for the boys to come down. It was as effortless as skiing gets – perfect wind-buff powder with almost no sluff, even above where the angles were a solid 50-55 degrees . . . insane! I enjoyed my perch, watching as snow poured over glaciated features from the boy’s turns above. They skied it a bit slower to actually stop and take some photos, but we were soon together again on the familiar lower face. At this point, we were starting to relax a lot more. We were out of the clouds and wind, back on the face we knew from the day before, and our slope angle was mellowing substantially. We milked the remaining 500ish meters of sweet pow before our short section of “paying the rent” in the hard sastrugi back to camp. When we arrived at the toe of the glacier, elation took over. We had been making regular radio calls to base camp and had appreciated the support and encouragement of our friends at Grajales and so immediately got the radio out and made the call: “Argentina, Argentina! Equipo Quilombo – hicimos cumbre y bajamos esquiando!!! Woohoo! Hooray!! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!” It is an understatement of the century to say we were excited. So much had gone into the journey for all of us. Those boys had spent 2 weeks tent-bound and load carrying from base camp dealing with super shitty weather and maintained a good attitude and spirit of commitment throughout. I had undergone the doubt of walking in alone and potentially climbing and skiing alone, suspending disbelief that such a miraculous union and successful climb could actually happen . . . and here we were together having pulled it off . . . wow. Back at the tent, we indulged in our remaining food, took a rest, and then packed up to begin the descent to base camp. We had to hike about halfway to camp 1, but could then put the skis back on and ski to within a few hundred meters of base camp when the penitentes got too bad.

And then we relaxed a little more . . . look closely to see Ollie in full spread eagle!!! Gotta love that guy

Equipo Quilombo was in full-effect at this point as our packs were full gypsy-wagon style to accommodate the sundry of gear that had gone up in carries and caches before. When we took off skis, I decided to hang back and walk in slowly, taking the chance to let it all sink in. The night sky was full of stars, the breeze a bit warmer and the air a bit thicker . . . all perfect conditions for daydreaming and reliving the wonder of the previous few days. I actually still can’t believe the series of amazingly fortunate events that came together in support of such an incredible descent. I eventually made it back to base camp to be greeted with hot soup and welcoming smiles from our peeps at Grajales . . . so wonderful to come “home.” Anton and Ollie were determined to get to steak asap and actually organized all their gear and left camp at midnight.

I was all too glad to take a nice restful evening and following day at camp, finally leaving after a hearty lunch and morning of socializing at about 2pm. I ran into my Slovakian friends from Vallecitos as well as the awesome muleteers from the asado on the way in, and enjoyed walking on dry ground again . . . not to mention the fact that I like to wander and chat almost as much as I like to climb and ski.

If only I had seen this sign on the way in . . .

Suffice it to say I was completely blissed out on the way out . . . my hike in had been in a whiteout, so I relished in the views of the mountain all the way down, taking photos and gazing up at the Polish, still in utter amazement that I had been there the day before, that we had actually made it, and that it skied that well. It’s always so crazy when your dreams just come true right in front of you . . . what do you do with that? I guess you smile, relish in the feelings of deep and utter gratitude, do some headstands, smile some more, and remind yourself to never forget just how miraculous life is.

The post SOUTH AMERICA – Argentina – Skiing Aconcagua (6962m – 22,841 ft) via the Polish Glacier! appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

November 16th 2009. I am in the middle of the Southern Ocean on my way back from Antarctica on Ski Cruise. I have been in South America for almost a month, getting in ski shape for a few weeks road tripping in Chile and then ski touring the 7th continent, carting insane amounts of gear through more airports and bus stations that I care to remember. My intention was leave Ushuaia and join a group of 4 others to climb and ski the Polish Glacier on Aconcagua. As is the nature of travel, skiing, and well, life, things change – my connection to the original group had disintegrated. I took a minute to do a personal check-in, exercising my commitment to make everything in life as positive and constructive as I can. Do I feel like sulking around South America being bummed out that it didn’t happen? No. Do I feel like walking away from Aconcagua? Well, no. I had already made the sacrifices to be there – I may as well give it a go . . . what did I really have to lose?

So, I continued on my original plan to Mendoza, but decided to spend an acclimatization week in Vallecitos, Mendoza before heading over to Penitentes and into Aconcagua. Originally, one of the guides from Antarctica was going to have time to kill before guiding his own Aconcagua trip and it seemed more appealing to acclimatize and ski with company. As it turned out, he decided to go home for Thanksgiving instead, but I had already gotten my head around the idea and decided to do it as a solo trip instead. Over the past few years, I have slowly integrated solo wilderness travel and backcountry days into my program and I realized I was totally capable of pulling it off . . . so off I went.

Vallecitos turned out to be an awesome experience. I stayed two nights at the Refugio San Bernardo, doing an acclimatization hike to 4200m Cerro San Bernardo and then heading up to Campo Piedra Grande (3600m) and then on to Campo Salto de Agua (4200m) at the base of 5318m Cerro Rincon and 5435m Cerro Vallecitos. I had intended to ski the SuperCanaleta off Rincon, but it was totally burnt out and certain death to enter, so I started looking elsewhere, eventually finding a truly beautiful couloir off the shoulder of Cerro Vallecitos that looked downright delicious.

Csaba at dinner the first night – mmm mmm good!

Sunset from my camp at Piedra Grande – this was such a relaxing night – I went to the creek to get water and just sat there, looking around and taking in the beautiful light . . . then perched at a rock in front of my tent for another contemplation session . . . I have memories of this being as content and peaceful as I’d been in awhile . . . it just felt good to be there.

Leaving Piedra Grande, headed to Campo Salto de Agua which is at the top of the morraine on the left. Cerro Vallecitos and Cerro Rincon (with the supercanaleta just over my left ski) are in the distance.

Chillin with the Slovakians at Salto de Agua . . . intially they were a little antisocial, but we got to be friends more and more each day . . . we eventually had a great re-union on Aconcagua at Plaza Argentina that warmed my heart, having gone from the first day when I could barely get a “hello” to a warm meeting of hugs and cheers . . .

It took me two days of poking around the surrounding areas to convince myself that the run went (it had a pretty choked exit) and that I trusted it enough to jump in and ski it. Where I landed was that the line was a total no-fall zone, period. The reality was that having a partner added a modicum of safety, but the reality is that I had no place in the line without total confidence in both myself and the snowpack. I had also made friends with an Argentine and Slovakian group at camp who would be on the main Vallecitos route and had offered to be my accountability parties. Really though, it was my deal . . .

A view of my my line from below . . .

The day I finally went up was actually the one I had intended to hike out, thinking that I needed to get over to Penitentes if I was really going to go to Aconcagua. But, after two days of nuking winds (having literally been blown over at the col), this particular morning was calm and beautiful. I had to give it one last try. So, up I went. I had a skin track and bootpack up the glacier to the col and made good time (considering the altitude), transitioning to the super-sonic trail from there to the summit . . . summer routes are rad! The wind didn’t abate nearly as much as I’d hoped, but the reality was that it wasn’t really a hazard as I would just get blown into the hillside ultimately landing on the trail . . . I could handle that concept, was warm enough, and had energy so I kept going.

The Argentine crew on the way out of camp. These guys had been super great entertainment at camp. Acclimatization leaves a decent amount of downtime, so we definitely had some good chatting, mate, picada-eating and laughing sessions

Looking down the line, feeling pretty good

One last look back up before I went around the corner to camp and out of sight of the line . . . full of emotion, mostly adrenaline leftovers!

Stay tuned, more to come!!!!

The post SOUTH AMERICA – Phase 3 – Argentina – Vallecitos! appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

Words excerpted from an email written 11/5/09

Yesterday afternoon, standing on top of a big mountain under a bright blue sky with about 4000 ft of descent below me, I thought to myself: ¨for whatever it is that lets me be here doing this, I am so grateful.¨ I was in the upper Cajon de Maipo, the canyon of the River Maipo about 3 hours outside of Santiago with some of the most amazing mountains surrounding me: 360 degrees of aesthetic, steep, heart-stopping, awe-inspiring, lung-busting, dream-creating skiable terrain. The sun was overhead, giving us the first real views we´d had in the canyon, and the wind was gusting to remind us that we were in the Andes. At the bottom of the run were the Termas de Colina(hot springs) which flow from the depths of the nearby Vulcan San Jose (5856m) and had, the day before, offered some pretty therapeutic soaking indulgence. If I had to design heaven, I think I would make it look a lot like that place.

But, let me back up . . . because in order to get to such a heavenly place, the nature of travelling is that there are many unknowns to overcome, whims to follow, and ideas to bring to fruition. Where I left off was at the beginning of what became a full-on urban adventure of trying to find a vulcanizacion (tire repair) on a Sunday in a country in which everything shuts down on Sunday. I still can´t believe we found it, but I have learned that asking taxi drivers for directions at stoplights in big foreign cities will generally yield the desired outcome . . . sure enough, we had a fixed tire about 2 hours after undertaking the challenge. Next came finding the Plaza Londresand Les´s hotel so we could kidnap him to take him skiing again . . . this was much less graceful and made me about go postal as I was driving in circles, navigating one-way roads, trying to read tiny street signs, and dodge innocent pedestrians . . . I think it took us over an hour to find this place . . . and then he wasn´t even there! Anyhow, we survived Santiago, and eventually gave up our search, got some amazing food in Bellavista, and then found Les anyhow, escaping the city for good around 8pm . . . it absolutely amazes me how long urban assault can take!!! Oh well.

Sweet success of tire repair shop finding! Good times for sure

We drove south in search of San Jose de Maipo and the small ski area of Lagunillas where there is a Refugio Suizo run by a classic Swiss-turned-Chilean mountain guide. Scott and Erica had discovered the place a few weeks before and highly recommended we check it out. So, we did some pretty decent suspension of disbelief, driving up what was indicated to be a closed road (but which had plenty of traffic on it – seems like such signs are more suggestions than rules in these parts!), into the mountains where there were lights on in only one building. Thankfully that one building was our refugio and, although Fritz wasn´t there, we got him on the phone and he gave us permission to stay. Sweet. We got up the next morning and rallied the rental up the ski area . . . turns out that the adrenaline fix for the day would come from the approach to skiing, but if you´re gonna pay for the 4×4, you may as well get your money´s worth, right?¿? Our skiing ended up being a long ridge walk to find a series of 300 ft descents with whatever snow was left. It was a super cloudy day though, creating a super dramatic effect the expansive valleys surrounding us. Plus, we got to scope some more super big mountains . . . I am utterly shocked at how much insanely beautiful terrain there is easily accessible from Santiago – that place may have the best backcountryaccess of any city in the world . . . bold statement maybe, but likely not untrue. Anyhow, it was nice to be out in the cold windiness and to be in a new place. We headed in after a few hours and were treated to the joy that is meeting Fritz. Truly a personality! Amongst other things, he suggested we check out the Refugio lo Valdes further up the canyon and suggested a place to ski once we got there . . . so off we went.

Good times in Lagunillas – Lacy, me, Les
Extreme! Les and Lacy . . .
We arrived up valley to Refugio Lo Valdes in the late afternoon and decided just to hang out. It was pretty nice to chill after being on the go so much, and especially after the day of urban assault. There were some cool people there too, including a passionate Chilean yogi who insisted that we do a yoga practice . . . it was pretty funny actually . . . !

Our beautiful little line of wonderful snow and interesting terrain . . .
Lacy looking for the entrance – dramatic country!
And the lovely soak . . . life is good
So, that takes me to Wednesday – my fly day. I had decided that I could ski until 3pm and still allow myself enough time to get to the airport, return the rental, sort and re-pack all the gear, and make my plane on time. Of course, in true KO style, that turned into a 3:30 departure as the valley we had hiked up continued to unfold and entice us further, ultimately topping out at the peak wherein I had my ¨moment¨ . . . The run started out as a nice steep chute, transitioning to rolling drainages, then to a super long couloir with an apron of perfect corn, culminating with easy turns down the valley and back to dirt. Runs like those are truly the reason I ski, and I was so happy to have had a super sweet day to end that phase of the trip with! Since we skied longer than anticipated, there was no more hot springing, and barely enough time to get food . . . as it was, I found myself in the all-too-familiar mode of rushing to the airport, pushing it perhaps a little closer than I should, but having plenty of time as long as everything went pretty well . . . and thankfully it did!

Andy and the boys . . . Refugio Lo ValdezFind the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor
Les and I on the skin . . . upward we go, following the river valley to see what we can find . . .
And what we found was incredible
Les dropping in . . .
Lacy following . . .

On my way down the road and toward the car . . . ready for the race back to Santiago and to the airport! What a day, what a pleasant surprise, and what lifetime of ski inspiration! So, after a whole night of travel and no sleep, I made it to Ushuaia the next morning . . . I have clean clothes and a clean self, and am interested to see what this portion of the trip has in store. I learned last year not to get too excited, lest the boat not actually sail, so I am taking it in stride this year. It has already been great to reconnect with folks from last year, and tonight´s welcome dinner should offer even more . . . bring on the hugs and smiles!

The post SOUTH AMERICA – Phase 1 – Chile – Santiago and the Cajon de Maipo appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

We left Wednesday morning at the crack of noon (I will never understand why these things take so long!) and ran into Les at the first camp at about 11,500 ft. Actually, we almost missed him as I did not notice his tent behind the rocks and he did not initially see me waiting for Lacy to come around the corner, but we did manage to meet up and after some conversation, decided to just camp there instead of trying to go further. We had a lovely night, did some catch-up and moved up to 13,700 ft the next day.

This camp was perched right at the base of the face we would ultimately climb, so Les and I went for an afternoon ski to about 15,700 ft, with the idea being to acclimatize for a summit push the next day. Well, what we found was an awesome refugio up there, and so decided make a weather call (winds were really high) and consider moving up to both make the summit day shorter and give Lacy a better chance of getting higher (this was his first time above 15,000 ft). Plus, an additional acclimatization day can never really hurt!

So, waking up to super high winds again, we spent the day making water and then moved to the refugio Friday afternoon. Although it is more my style to go lighter and have longer days, the views from that elevation were staggering, and it was pretty sweet to watch the sunset up there and then to listen to the wind rock the refugio all night long . . . with nuking winds at 6am when we woke up, we decided to give it an hour to see if they may abate, and thankfully they did!!!!

Goodness gracious – I love the high alpine!!!!! Check out the beautiful lines in all directions . . . a happy moment indeed

So, off we went. According to the guidebooks, this mountain is easy . . . and it is from the climbing standpoint (we were able to use the summer trail for much of it). But in my personal opinion, going to almost 18,000 ft is never easy . . . it is soooo taxing . . . I feel like an old person in a mall, walking very slowly and taking a lot of rests on almost flat ground We did have some blue ice to contend with up high (which had the potential to make the ski interesting) as well as continued high gusts of wind (that blew both of us over at least once!) to keep things interesting and remind us that a big mountain is a big mountain, even if it is easy. Les and I eventually made it to the summit and had some amazing views of the high Andes (wow!!!!) that defniitely makes the mind wander to future trips . . .! A few silly photos later, we walked a bit to get to snow and skied from as high on the summit plateau as possible! Just as we dropped in, Lacy had reached the top of the main face about 1000 ft below, so we were all able to ski together . . . perfect timing! The ski was pretty fun actually, with super stunning views around and plenty of places to avoid the blue ice . . . the nice thing about high winds is that they plaster the snow on to things! We had a quick stop at the refugio to get our gear, then skied down to the 2nd camp to get my tent, and then down to the third camp to get more gear we had left (not really coordinating a trip definitely yields un-needed weight!), and then started the 1500 ft climb back to Valle Nevado, happy for successfully having executed the trip with all the randomness of it all, and thankful for our safe ascent and descent! I was particularly happy as I was worried how I would do at that altitude over a fairly short acclimatization period, but it went well and with a little food and water I was back to my normal high-functioning, sane, logical, calm, collected self . . . er, back to however I am when not up high, which I guess is probably not most of those things!

Yeah for summits!!!!

What’s the fun of walking uphill all day if you can’t be a goofball!?!?

Let’s go skiing . . . all three together again – perfect timing! Lacy making it look easy

Lacy again . . . long run! Conditions were ideal though – nicely spaced sastrugi with perfect windbuff to turn on!

We made it down (route in the background), packed up, skied out, and started the walk back . . . vis closed in, making us super glad to have taken advantage of our window . . . psyched!!!! Les making it look fun

And the gear explosion! We were all pretty content for a great trip, and ready for some of the good life in Santiago!

 

Only bummer is that we came back to a flat tire, but more on that to come!!!!

The post SOUTH AMERICA – Phase 1 – Skiing Cerro El Plomo (5,424 metres – 17,795 ft) appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

———————————–

Well, I finally made it to Chile after being delayed 2 days from work, and missing my plane! But all is well that ends well and the reason for that happening has definitely become apparent! Anyhow, I got here on Monday, met Lacy, rented a car, and drove straight up to Valle Nevado to tour around the outskirts of the ski area. We found a super sweet steep coolie to warm up on and had a great afternoon, looking around at all the big mountains. Perched at 10,000 ft, the ski area is a great place to scope big lines and look around at some pretty immense potential! Between that first day and our following day exploring a little further and going a little higher (up to just over 13,000 ft), I could not stop staring at Cerro el Plomo. The largest mountain in the area at 5424m (17,790 ft), with a super skiable face on it, I have to admit I was drawn. But whatever, I was not sure that Lacy and I were really set up for a mini-expedition and he does not have much big mountain experience, so I was hesitant to put such a plan in action. So, down we went . . . and then, as I was skiing along enjoying my lovely corn turns, I saw a guy skinning up with a big backpack. As potentially one of the most social people on the planet, I of course had to stop and say hello . . . well, long story short, it turned out to be my friend from Las Lenas 2003: Les Manley! Not only was it Les going for a ski, it was Les going to ski Cerro el Plomo. So, naturally, the wheels start turning. He was headed out solo and into having partners, and having the third person to our duo seemed perfect . . . so we skied away with a loose idea that we may be out to meet him the following day, but everything was up in the air. As we left, Lacy had the classic commnent, ¨you are the only person I can think of that would run into somebody you know in a closed ski area in South America . . .!¨

I couldn’t pass up the Starbucks we found last year either . . . was too funny then . . . sometimes you gotta do things for old-times and tradition’s sake!

Finally out of the city and into the mountains!!! Oh the potential of the Andes!

Lacy coming up the ridge . . . beautiful day, so content!!!!

Back at the base with our line just above me . . . we were psyched to have skied the most legitimate thing we could spot from the base area . . . a great warmup for a 2pm start!!!

Santiago may be smoggy, but it makes for nice sunsets!

Next day was a bit overcast and windy, but we headed out for a longer tour . . . was good to get up higher!

Lacy on our mini summit

Me coolie skiing!!! Yeah

Lacy getting extreme for the photo . . .

 

Lacy loving the apron turns!

A happy reunion with an old friend – Les Manley! I was surprised and stoked for sure!!!!

 

To be continued . . .

The post SOUTH AMERICA – Phase 1 – Chile – Road Tripping in Santiago appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

So, Ushuaia . . . it went sort of like this: show up assuming there would be 2 days until leaving for Antarctica, meet tons of new great folks, get on boat to Antarctica, find out boat is broken and may not go to Antarctica, keep skiing locally, go SCUBA diving in the snow, find out boat isn’t going to Antarctica, find boat that is going to Antarctica and form new group with permits to ski, hang out in nice hotels waiting for boat that is going to Antarctica to go.

Adrienne skinning up the Martial Glacier, Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel below

Adrienne chuting . . .

Making new friends . . .

Checking seas in the Drake Passage – 30′ forecasted . . .

Boarding the Orlova to head to Antarctica – clearly it would be an understatement to say I was excited . . .

Only we didn’t go, so we spent the day with our group on the Martial Glacier . . . Andrew, the man in charge

On the day we ultimately would find out the ship wouldn’t sail, Adrienne and I went SCUBA diving – why not, right?!?

Since we had a week for the next boat to sail, we skied pow . . .

And we skied some couloirs one valley over from the Martial

Everything behind Glen was our playground . . .

Our last day ended up being an exploration up the Canon de Ovejas and back down the Martial – lots of unkowns, but we had a blast!

Dave on the way up . . . Canon de las Ovejas below

Dave and Glen on the other side, ready to ski!

Glen above our run

Walking down to the bar and pick-up!

Dave and Christian celebrating with artisan beer!

The morning we sailed, we spent walking the coastal trial in the provincial park, to mix it up a bit!

And then we went to Antarctica . . .

 

The post Argentina: skiing Ushuaia appeared first on Kellie Okonek.

Well, the best way to sum up our last day is by pasting the email I wrote soon thereafter:

The remaining days on the border went well and Scott and I had the chance to ski a bit more classic Andean alpine terrain . . . holy couloirs!!! I would love to go back to that area in the future and am so thankful for the opportunity to get to know it.

Special permission needed for the Bro assault of Chilean mountains

Getting out of the truck we hitched to the tunnel, and ready to ski!!!

Super pscyhed after our run . . . happy for sunshine, adventure, and a safe completion to our exploration of the area!

Scott finishing his run – the area we skied is just above him . . . good times!

The post Argentina: Our last day on the frontera . . . ciao Ruta 7 appeared first on Kellie Okonek.