October 24, 2005, Volcan Llaima,Chile
10/24/05
South America
3994
2
After Volcan Chillan we drove west to Chillan, then south on the Pan American Highway to Los Angeles and spent the night at Hosteria El Rincon. This hosteria is beautifully landscaped and run by a German couple who raise and cook most of their own food. Our room was 22,000 CLP including breakfast. The next morning we drove south to Temuco, then east towards Volcan Llaima.
We arrived at the small ski resort of Las Araucarias at the base of the volcano. We noticed a couple of bunks through the window of the main lodge, and Jill went in and convinced the caretaker to rent us a room (for 15,000 CLP). We were the only guests (unregistered and therefore unofficial) and we had the whole lodge including the kitchen to ourselves. We spent the afternoon sunning on the deck next to the ticket counter and later in the lounge, hoping that the weather would be clear tomorrow. Our room had some great creaking floor boards, but there was no one around to be bothered by them. They fired up the wood-burning boiler so that we would have heat and hot water.
The next morning was Jills 61st birthday. We put our skins on within 10 yards of the lodge and began the upward process. It was partly cloudy with fog/clouds rolling in and out all day. At the top of the ski hill the volcano was clearly visible. We followed some climbers boot tracks and headed for the left ridge of the volcano. The approach was very straight-forward and the snow surface was perfectly smooth. Visibility varied throughout the climb and we put in GPS waypoints periodically. After about 3100 vf we encountered icing slopes and decided to pull the skins. We were still about 1500 vf from the summit but it was time to enjoy the corn. The descent was probably the best corn snow that we have ever experienced. It was perfectly smooth with one inch of cream on a firm surface from the top to the bottom. Wow!
Volcan Llaima is definitely worth a visit, and you may get lucky and be able to stay at the ski lodge. There is also Refugio Llaima on an adjacent gravel road, but we did not drive up to it.
Next stop will be in Pucon for Volcan Villarrica.
Zap and Jill
More photos here:http://zapjillski.smugmug.com/gallery/1033819/1/47950403
We arrived at the small ski resort of Las Araucarias at the base of the volcano. We noticed a couple of bunks through the window of the main lodge, and Jill went in and convinced the caretaker to rent us a room (for 15,000 CLP). We were the only guests (unregistered and therefore unofficial) and we had the whole lodge including the kitchen to ourselves. We spent the afternoon sunning on the deck next to the ticket counter and later in the lounge, hoping that the weather would be clear tomorrow. Our room had some great creaking floor boards, but there was no one around to be bothered by them. They fired up the wood-burning boiler so that we would have heat and hot water.
The next morning was Jills 61st birthday. We put our skins on within 10 yards of the lodge and began the upward process. It was partly cloudy with fog/clouds rolling in and out all day. At the top of the ski hill the volcano was clearly visible. We followed some climbers boot tracks and headed for the left ridge of the volcano. The approach was very straight-forward and the snow surface was perfectly smooth. Visibility varied throughout the climb and we put in GPS waypoints periodically. After about 3100 vf we encountered icing slopes and decided to pull the skins. We were still about 1500 vf from the summit but it was time to enjoy the corn. The descent was probably the best corn snow that we have ever experienced. It was perfectly smooth with one inch of cream on a firm surface from the top to the bottom. Wow!
Volcan Llaima is definitely worth a visit, and you may get lucky and be able to stay at the ski lodge. There is also Refugio Llaima on an adjacent gravel road, but we did not drive up to it.
Next stop will be in Pucon for Volcan Villarrica.
Zap and Jill
More photos here:http://zapjillski.smugmug.com/gallery/1033819/1/47950403
After reading your report I'm inclined to think the upper slopes of the mountain are in perpetual bad form.
On our tour of the mountain we found the upper 1,000 VF to be some of the most technical skiing of our whole tour. Huge cauliflowers and mushrooms made simple skiing impossible and survival turns where the name of the game on the rime-covered upper pitches. It was not very pleasant skiing, but it was doable.
The reward? The view down into the cauldron from the top; huge plumes of wispy, noxious smoke billowing skyward from the obviously very active volcano.
We, too, found the skiing below the crescent-shaped rock band, which conveniently delineates the poor skiing of the upper slopes from the simply spectacular lower slopes, to be some of the better corn of the trip. Could it be just the right blend of elevation and exposure? Like the SW chutes of Adams?
On our tour of the mountain we found the upper 1,000 VF to be some of the most technical skiing of our whole tour. Huge cauliflowers and mushrooms made simple skiing impossible and survival turns where the name of the game on the rime-covered upper pitches. It was not very pleasant skiing, but it was doable.
The reward? The view down into the cauldron from the top; huge plumes of wispy, noxious smoke billowing skyward from the obviously very active volcano.
We, too, found the skiing below the crescent-shaped rock band, which conveniently delineates the poor skiing of the upper slopes from the simply spectacular lower slopes, to be some of the better corn of the trip. Could it be just the right blend of elevation and exposure? Like the SW chutes of Adams?
Your memory of the upper slopes is still very applicable. The rim covered ridge is still there. I used the binoculars to get a closer view of the surface on the upper slopes and it did not appear skier friendly. The lower slopes were perfect.
Zap
Zap
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