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Topic: Sept 10-11, 2011, Yerba Loca Valley, Chile (Read 1301 times)
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tabski
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Posts: 83
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Just got back from two full days in the Yerba Loca Valley in the Region Metropolitana, Chile. The valley is a natural reserve with a long but extremely beautiful 17km from the carpark to the glaciers. About 13k up is Piedra Carvajal, a small stone shelter where my friend Seba Rojas and I spent the night.
I visited this valley two years ago with E. Sargent and we skied Cerro La Paloma during a trip of three days. This time Seba and I came to check out skiing near aother big peak in the valley, Cerro Altar, and only allowed two days. Pressed for time, we left the shelter at around 3am and a nearly-full moon negated the need for headlamps. Just as the moon set, the sun began to rise; an exquisite alpine experience.
We ascended to a col south of Cerro Altar where a meter of new snow slowed our progress to a painful crawl. We made a high point of around 15,700' with spectacular views to the Rio Olivares region in the interior of the range. We descended back towards camp, skiing exceptional powder considering the late season and high elevation.
We collected our camp and began the long exit consisting of about 10km on thin snow and another 3km in shoes. Its one of the most meager snow years in recent memory but the skiing and the alpine ambience in the valley is still indescribable. Tumbling glaciers, frozen waterfalls, huge relief and elevation, and a lifetime worth of ski terrain. Yerba Loca - I'll be back.
Cerro La Paloma from camp.
Near our high point.
Olivares region. Cerros Federacion and Picarte in the middle, Nevado Juncal in the back.
Seba dropping in.
Exit pain/pleasure.
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Jason_H.
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Posts: 764
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Oh man, beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
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Marcus
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Posts: 2236
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Awesome Drew -- La Paloma looks amazing. Sounds like you're making a lot out of the marginal season down there.
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davidG
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Posts: 723
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Jeez, that's nice. Any of that hold for mid summer?
Any knowledge of January wildflower show and wildlife?
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"Maybe we should ban hikers from anywhere that there is a potential threat to surface water?" [courtesy Newtrout, 2011]
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Zap
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Posts: 1615
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Beautiful terrain and just north of the ski region of the Farellones.
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all mtn
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Posts: 311
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ah, the dream. lucky you. I started doin B/C in the Sierra's (Mammoth, of course). the lower part of the one pic looks similar to Convict Lk. But the peaks in the back resemble a kind of Rockies look, being thicker as opposed to more pointy. I gues it offer both !
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prestonf
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Posts: 102
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Awesome. Those mountains look impressive in your photos, so I'm sure they're even much more so in person.
I live a little north of Mammoth and was also seeing a resemblance to the Sierra, especially in the walk out through the small, scrubby brush. Safe travels!
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andyrew
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Posts: 214
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Thanks for sharing. Brings back memories of tromping around those mountains as an exchange student in Santiago. I had quite the epic trying to traverse the Sierra de San Ramon on foot early winter. It was unique that we started and ended the traverse on public transit.
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