Home > Trip Reports > Agosto 1, Torre Principal via Ref. Frey, Argentina - w/ pics

Agosto 1, Torre Principal via Ref. Frey, Argentina - w/ pics

8/15/08
South America
14443
17
Posted by kam on 8/1/08 12:02pm
Hola, amigos!  That´s all the Spanish I know, and I´m the interpreter between the three of us.

Cass, Skip, and I are in Bariloche, Lakes District of Argentina.  We arrived here last Tuesday at 1.30am (after several hours of hours of hours of flight delay).

With a break in the weather, we left the trailhead yesterday at our usual early start time of 12.01 pm.  We shouldered our skis up 2000 vf. on a glazed ice trail for 10 km en route for Refugio Frey (hut).  About 3 hours into our hike, we met Sapo.  Sapo was lying on his back off the side of the trail with his left foot supporting him against a tree.  His right foot and lower leg were not so good; leg appeared broken from a slip on the ice and turned 90 degrees the wrong way.   He was glad to see us.  His friend had already gone to summon for help.  In fact, we ran into his friend on our way up about 20 minutes before reaching Sapo.  Before going for additional help at the Frey, we wrapped him in three emergency blankets, gave him food and water, and made him a bamboo mattress to keep him off the ice.  Upon reaching Frey, the caretaker had already received word of the accident by radio and was heading down to begin the rescue.  We find out later that he was pulled out by 1am to the trailhead assisted by 15 rescuers.  It all ended well for Sapo.

We arrived at the hut with approaching weather, but it was clear enough to get a glimpse of the serrated ridges above the shelter.  The spires were spectacular.

After staying the night on manky mattresses at the hut (along  with a dozen strangers), we went skiing the next morning below Torre Principal, a needle-like granite spire.  We skied through 10 inches of new snow on low angle terrain.  This was the best August powder we had skied in a long time.

After skiing, we descended our ascent route and trudged through newly fallen snow mixed with ice and rocks.  I slipped and fell on my cushion four times, but lucked out compared to Sapo.  Finally, the only thing we could think about the last forty minutes of our hike out was getting bife de chorizo for dinner.

I took some photographs, but due to technical difficulties I have no way of uploading them.  Sorry, but I will post photos when I return.

Edited to add a few random pics -- more later




Kam, Hopefully the current storm improves the conditions at Catedral.  I assume you have contacted "soulskier"(Jamie) via Telemarktips.  With your relocation to Reno, Jamie would be a good contact seeing he is a Tahoe guy.  El Boliche del Alberto for beef de lomo.  Mamuschka has the best chocolate.  Looking forward to seeing more reports and photos.

We skied Catedral today.  Some spots were about knee-deep.  The powder in the morning was quite light, but it warmed up throughout the day making the snow heavy like at home.  Interestingly, it seemed like the locals don´t care for powder.  We found lots of untracked lines and did not have to compete for the good stuff.  Powder in August is really cool.

Zap, I´m heading out for bife de lomo in about two hours.  My goal is to eat bife every night before leaving.  Need to fatten up for the ski season at my new home in Reno.


Sweet. Dulce?

Good to hear about powder in August, and that you are able to satisfy your taste for bife - at least they won't make you drink schnapps there!

author=Zap link=topic=10750.msg43888#msg43888 date=1217649657]
El Boliche del Alberto for beef de lomo.


Roger that, though I speak for Kam in sayng we´re on a strictly bife de chorizo diet.  It comes raw at Alberto if you don´t specify, coincidentally.  I´m saving lomo for next trip.

My understanding is it going to storm all this week - perhaps up to a meter by Thursday.  We have room at the inn for one more.  All are welcome, first come first serve...



author=Zap link=topic=10750.msg43888#msg43888 date=1217649657]
Hopefully the current storm improves the conditions at Catedral.
  There´s been a good stack up of storms rolling in the last several days and Catedral is now skiable from top to bottom (the lower slopes had no snow cover when we arrived here last week).  Good wind-drifted powder skiing up high yesterday in-bounds with sunny weather! 
If the forecast holds (raging snow storm going on here at the moment), should hopefully be ending the trip with continued powder days! (2 ski days left, off to Buenos Aires on Friday, then back home Sunday).  I´d better depart the internet cafe´soon for dinner as Kam is getting antsy for bife´  ::) 

(Interestingly, most everything seems to run on a much later schedule here...restaurants are often not open ´til after 7 pm with the dinner rush around 9 pm.  Most bars seem near empty until after midnight, but still crowded last night when we left the Irish pub at 5:30 am!).

author=cascadesfreak link=topic=10750.msg43958#msg43958 date=1217965831]
Most bars seem near empty until after midnight, but still crowded last night when we left the Irish pub at 5:30 am!).


sounds like you guys are livin' la vida loca out there!!  i'm hungry just reading your posts...please please please bring me back some meat and chocolate.  :)

Hey I was up at the Frey Hut a couple of months back dreaming about skiing some lines we could see from the windows. How was the snow pack? I saw some AT gear hanging above the window and figured someone was making a few turns. A lot of people told to me I should check out Mendoza for some turns. Are you guys headed their? Does this pick look familiar?
mj

Quite a contrast to spring skiing- I was there in November 2005.

http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=3520.msg14931#msg14931

Speaking of bife, Skip suggested that I name my next pair of skis BIFE de CHORIZO.  I brought a new pair based on a design that would be bife worthy:
http://www.skibuilders.com/gallery/RPP/KKL_0039.jpg

likewise the red pair that I made for Skip which he seems to enjoy here:
http://www.skibuilders.com/gallery/SkipSticks/SkiSticks03.jpg

I´m thinking about dark brown topsheet, black base, and raw-meat red colored sidewalls...  BIFE!

Hey Kam,

Did you check out the painting in the kitchen of the spires at Frey??? Was Maxi and Rupert the hosts? We were there last August/Sept. and had an awesome time. Great spring skiing for us. We had a few weather days but we did quite a bit of touring from Frey. We'll go back for sure. I put together a little slideshow last year of our trip, if you get a coffee break, check it out at:

http://web.mac.com/donnivogs/iWeb/Site/Argentina.html 

What area did you enjoy most for skiing?



author=kam link=topic=10750.msg43993#msg43993 date=1218079883]

I´m thinking about dark brown topsheet, black base, and raw-meat red colored sidewalls...  BIFE!


Maybe some gray marbling would be good. You want people to think your skis have a rich hearty flavor to match the full bodied snow pack we get around here and in the Sierra.

Skip - nice to see you out skiing and not working, even if it you had to change hemispheres to do it.

Enjoy the other side of winter!

I read about the recent avalanche at Catedral.  Hopefully, you were unaffected and will have an enjoyable return to the North.  Remember the chocolate.  ;)

author=Zap link=topic=10750.msg44009#msg44009 date=1218157769]
I read about the recent avalanche at Catedral.  Hopefully, you were unaffected and will have an enjoyable return to the North.
.  Fortunately we didn´t encounter any slides on our trip.  Avy control work seems nill at Catedral for the most part, and not so organized (we skied with our beacons/shovel/probe in-bounds following the big powder dump this week). We weren´t on the mountain on the day of the slide, but saw the crown the following day (looked like it started out of bounds on a wind-loaded ridgeline with the slide running a short ways into the ski area...word around town was a few skiers/riders caught, but all survived). 
Enjoyed great powder and sunny weather on our last Bariloche ski day!  Currently at a hoppin´hostel in the heart of Buenos Aires....catching our return flights to the US tomorrow....

hi chiconstics, i did not notice the painting.  Roberto was the caretaker of the hut this time.  unfortunately we did not get a chance to talk to him much because he was helping with the rescue of Sapo.  when you were there do you remember the cat?  Torta, perhaps? maybe he controls the mouse population?

Zap, thanks for checking on us. we are fine.  though we clued in very quickly how little they control the slopes here, so we skied with beacons and shovels.  upon arrival, my F1 beacon broke.  it has seen over 14 years of use, but luckily we met a local named Zach and he lent me a Tracker.

JimH, gray marbling is a great idea.  consider it done.  what do you think of the following Bife series:

Bife de Chorizo --  this is the big one.  if you like going fast, this is it.

Bife de Lomo -- same technology as the Chorizo, but with less fat for all mountain use.  not as wide as the Chorizo, either.

Bife Angosto -- skinny and short. for those who still believe in neon colors and one piece jumpsuits. ;)

We recently came upon a hiker with a broken leg in GNP.  However, the incredible vistas and powder depicted below take the cake.  I am sitting at my computer drooling...actually waiting for summer to end!  Wow!

author=Stugie link=topic=10750.msg44076#msg44076 date=1218556723">
...sitting at my computer drooling...


I know what you mean -- I can't stop drooling either, so I figured I'd share some images so we can all drool together as one.  Below are two photos: the top one I took from Cerro Catedral, looking southwest toward Cerro Tronador.  The second one was taken while sitting on a rock at the edge of Lago Puelo, a lake south of the small town of El Bolson.  The second photo is somewhat noisy as I had to yank up the ISO to minimize vibrations -- I did not have a tripod with me, so it was a hand-held composition.  If you have an ultra-wide display, such as dual LCD monitors, the photos make great desktop wallpapers. 

Click the images below to view them in medium resolution -- though you may need to resize to fit your display.  If you REALLY want the FULL-RES files (>14,000 pixels wide), I'm happy to distribute, but keep in mind that one of files is well over 140 MB!  Enjoy.


[5865 x 1400 pixels, 5.44 MB, click image to view/download">


[4328 x 1400 pixels, 4.3 MB, click image to view/download">

Wow- I have been drooling over these pics for awhile now... just noticed on the third pic on the first thread, that on the second ridge there seemed to be several slabs that released and propogated quite a ways down slope. That entire ridge looks like it slid- wow!

Glad someone is/ was out there getting some powder, the entire TAY community is jealous.

I would also like to second Stugie's comment- I am also eagerly awaiting the return of winter, despite the amazing weather we have had in the PNW.

Chris

Reply to this TR

5570
agosto-1-torre-principal-via-ref-frey-argentina-w-pics
kam
2008-08-01 19:02:15