October 19, 2005, Volcan Lonquimay,Chile
10/19/05
South America
2180
1
We crossed the Andes at Paso Pino Hachado,1884 m. You first clear Argentine customs which took a bit of time seeing we have a rental car. We had all the correct papers from the rental car firm in Bariloche but I spoke to numerous folks who did not and they were refused entry. This is a problem that you can not talk your way thru, either you have the right documents or you have a nice drive to the border and back. Our language skills were a bit lacking but a Polish border person took us under his guidance and cleared the process. It was the first time being Polish paid off. We then crossed the snow covered slopes and entered Chile. It certainly was appealing to stop and ski but it probably would be hard to explain to the guys with guns. Chilean customs went fairly quick and we surrendered our dried fruit.
We noticed a significant change as we entered Chile. The road was paved, had gutters and guardrails. We were on the Green side of the mountains and it reminded us of western WA. We stopped in the town of Lonquimay and stopped in the central plaza for lunch. We found the road to a small ski area but it was not on the volcano. We returned to Lonquimay drove thru the longest tunnel in South America and spent the night at Hosteria Suizandina in Malalcahuello. The price is 35,000 CL pesos for a double with an incredible breakfast buffet. There are thermal springs at a nearby resort but the price was 12,000 CLP which was too high for us. The prices are high in Chile but we were ready for a good bed, shower and food.
At the hosteria,we met Jean Luc, a French ski mountaineer who has toured throughout the Andes, Europe and the the Himalaya. He provided an incredible amount of beta for the remaining tours. Just meeting him was worth the price of the room.
The next morning, we pigged out at the breakfast buffet. It was sunny and we drove the 9km gravel road to Corralco ski resort on Volcan Lonquimay. This is a new facility with a couple of lifts. The last part of the road to the lifts was blocked by a snowcat but I managed to drive around the cat and bypass the 2km volcanic sand hike and reach the snow at the base of the lift. While we were putting on the skins, we saw dust billowing up the road and knew the sheriff was coming. The resort SUV drove up to us and an unfriendly voice asked me what I was doing. In my best gringo English I pointed to the volcano and motioned our intention to ski it. He then spoke perfect English and asked why I drove around the barrier. Naturally, I followed someone and assumed it was OK. After a few exchanges, no problem.
It was a sunny day with a nice breeze so the skinning was pleasant. We passed around the ski area on climbers right to the top of the lift. We then ascended the ridge on climbers right, the southeast ridge. The approach is very obvious. We skinned up about 3000vf and then packed the skis and began the booting process. As we booted along the ridge, I noticed someone had skinned the ridge a few days ago,hmmm. The wind was quite strong along the ridge and I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure Jill was still standing. After another 1000vf, we reached the summit rocks. Naturally, the views of all the surrounding volcanos was outstanding. There are so many volcanos in Chile that only access limits your dreams. The top 300vf was crusty but once we rolled off the ridge and into the enormous south bowl the conditions improved. We barked our way down 2500vf of corn . We descended next to the cliffbands and rolled skier left and rested at the top of the lift. The snow became heavy through the ski area down to the car. We took the skis off 30 feet from the car. A 4000vf run for a couple of senior citizens felt good, especially with Jill still coughing from a recent cold. As we drove back down the road, the snowcat operator was sitting in his cat and moved it to open the road and avoid the detour. What a great day. Lonquimay should be on your list if you plan to ski volcanos in Chile.
Zap & Jill
More photos here: http://zapjillski.smugmug.com/gallery/1030685/1/47798232
We noticed a significant change as we entered Chile. The road was paved, had gutters and guardrails. We were on the Green side of the mountains and it reminded us of western WA. We stopped in the town of Lonquimay and stopped in the central plaza for lunch. We found the road to a small ski area but it was not on the volcano. We returned to Lonquimay drove thru the longest tunnel in South America and spent the night at Hosteria Suizandina in Malalcahuello. The price is 35,000 CL pesos for a double with an incredible breakfast buffet. There are thermal springs at a nearby resort but the price was 12,000 CLP which was too high for us. The prices are high in Chile but we were ready for a good bed, shower and food.
At the hosteria,we met Jean Luc, a French ski mountaineer who has toured throughout the Andes, Europe and the the Himalaya. He provided an incredible amount of beta for the remaining tours. Just meeting him was worth the price of the room.
The next morning, we pigged out at the breakfast buffet. It was sunny and we drove the 9km gravel road to Corralco ski resort on Volcan Lonquimay. This is a new facility with a couple of lifts. The last part of the road to the lifts was blocked by a snowcat but I managed to drive around the cat and bypass the 2km volcanic sand hike and reach the snow at the base of the lift. While we were putting on the skins, we saw dust billowing up the road and knew the sheriff was coming. The resort SUV drove up to us and an unfriendly voice asked me what I was doing. In my best gringo English I pointed to the volcano and motioned our intention to ski it. He then spoke perfect English and asked why I drove around the barrier. Naturally, I followed someone and assumed it was OK. After a few exchanges, no problem.
It was a sunny day with a nice breeze so the skinning was pleasant. We passed around the ski area on climbers right to the top of the lift. We then ascended the ridge on climbers right, the southeast ridge. The approach is very obvious. We skinned up about 3000vf and then packed the skis and began the booting process. As we booted along the ridge, I noticed someone had skinned the ridge a few days ago,hmmm. The wind was quite strong along the ridge and I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure Jill was still standing. After another 1000vf, we reached the summit rocks. Naturally, the views of all the surrounding volcanos was outstanding. There are so many volcanos in Chile that only access limits your dreams. The top 300vf was crusty but once we rolled off the ridge and into the enormous south bowl the conditions improved. We barked our way down 2500vf of corn . We descended next to the cliffbands and rolled skier left and rested at the top of the lift. The snow became heavy through the ski area down to the car. We took the skis off 30 feet from the car. A 4000vf run for a couple of senior citizens felt good, especially with Jill still coughing from a recent cold. As we drove back down the road, the snowcat operator was sitting in his cat and moved it to open the road and avoid the detour. What a great day. Lonquimay should be on your list if you plan to ski volcanos in Chile.
Zap & Jill
More photos here: http://zapjillski.smugmug.com/gallery/1030685/1/47798232
Wow, so many memories coming back, Zap, this is so fun reading your report...some thoughts:
When we skied there, we camped in the Paragua (your "Monkey Puzzle" trees I assume) forest and were serenaded by the wildest screams I've ever heard while camping. Scared the shit out of us as we tried to sleep for the night. Turned out to be a version of a fox (or so we deduced from the fuana section of one of our guidebooks). But in that surreal forest, in the dead of night, it could have been the Loch Ness Monster.
There was no ski area at the base, only a single rope tow that gave access to the pleasant little knoll (a pimple on the side of the Giant really) at the end of the road. The military fired up the tow on one of the afternoons we were in the valley and we enjoyed the sight of camo-clad soldiers honing their technique on a sunny afternoon. There was a refuggio in the Paragua forest directly below the ski route and the area reminded me in a strange way of Bunny Flats on Mt Shasta. It was a pretty quiet and beautiful place.
The ski descent from the summit was indeed devine.
One last memory: the hot springs...what a fantstic rest-day activity - to seek out the hot springs of the countryside. We enjoyed Tinas (hot tubs like personal bathtubs), pool sized spas, and au natural bubblers on sun drenched slopes. No where other than the Eastern Sierra could rival the body-mending selection of rarified waters.
When we skied there, we camped in the Paragua (your "Monkey Puzzle" trees I assume) forest and were serenaded by the wildest screams I've ever heard while camping. Scared the shit out of us as we tried to sleep for the night. Turned out to be a version of a fox (or so we deduced from the fuana section of one of our guidebooks). But in that surreal forest, in the dead of night, it could have been the Loch Ness Monster.
There was no ski area at the base, only a single rope tow that gave access to the pleasant little knoll (a pimple on the side of the Giant really) at the end of the road. The military fired up the tow on one of the afternoons we were in the valley and we enjoyed the sight of camo-clad soldiers honing their technique on a sunny afternoon. There was a refuggio in the Paragua forest directly below the ski route and the area reminded me in a strange way of Bunny Flats on Mt Shasta. It was a pretty quiet and beautiful place.
The ski descent from the summit was indeed devine.
One last memory: the hot springs...what a fantstic rest-day activity - to seek out the hot springs of the countryside. We enjoyed Tinas (hot tubs like personal bathtubs), pool sized spas, and au natural bubblers on sun drenched slopes. No where other than the Eastern Sierra could rival the body-mending selection of rarified waters.
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