Bariloche

The past few days have been very boring so I am going to keep this blog short. Oh wow, my English is becoming very poor living in Argentina. What I meant to say is that the past few days have been some of the most fun days I have had in Argentina so this blog may run a little long.
As some of you may know, I stayed at a hostel in Bariloche (south western part of Argentina) for the past few days. I was unsure at first if it would be worth going, 20 hours on a bus doesn’t sound like the best way to spend a day, but boy am I glad I decided to go. Bariloche is one of the most impressive places I have ever seen. Let me start with Monday, actually, Sunday.
When we got there (“we” referring to myself and 3 other students from my program) it was about 3 in the afternoon on Sunday. Upon arrival, we looked around the city (which is beautiful) and just hung out. In the process, however, I happened to meet a friend who I hung out with for the whole trip. His name is Phillip and he is from Germany. He stayed at the same hostel as I did and is a very cool kid. He studied in the states for a year and speaks perfect English; he barely even has an accent. After becoming acquainted with the city, Phillip, the 3 other students from my program and I went and rented all of our stylish ski gear (pause for a second while I laugh out loud). The stuff we rented was the most heinously ugly gear I have ever seen in my life. Since I am a giant in Argentina, obviously none of the stuff fit me, and even though they take fashion very seriously, ski equipment is the exception to the rule. We looked so goofy, but so did everyone else so it all worked out.
Monday morning we all got up early and hit the slopes for a day of skiing. The mountain is called Catedral and is located in the Andes mountain range. To say a few words about it, it is absolutely breath taking. I have been to many different places to ski in my life, but this place blows the other places away. The hill is equally as difficult as some mountains out west, but the scenery is nothing shy of amazing. The mountain goes so high up that we literally were skiing down into the clouds. It also over looks other parts of the Andes mountain range and beautiful lakes. I will post my pictures today; you guys don’t want to miss them. From about 9am until about 430pm we skied with only a 15 minute break for a burger. It was so much fun I can’t even explain. The conditions were perfect (about 35 degrees, sunny, fresh snow and no wind) and the scenery couldn’t be beaten. I haven’t skied for a few years (my collage budget doesn’t really allow it), but skiing is like riding a bicycle. After a few runs I felt like I picked up right where I had left off. The people I skied with were very good skiers, especially Phillip who has skied for his whole life in the Swiss Alps, however, I had no issues keeping up with anyone. After an exhausting day of skiing we went out for a nice dinner and then called it quits. It felt bizarre going to bed before midnight in Argentina, but it was definitely necessary.
The next morning, Tuesday, we got up equally as early as the previous day and hit the slopes once again. The day was just as perfect as Monday and the scenery was worth the price of admission. However, as far as skiing is concerned, Tuesday was much different than Monday. Immediately after taking the first gondola to the top of the mountain, a man who worked for the ski resort approached us. He thought we looked like good skiers (goofy outfits and all) and asked if we wanted him to take us to the harder areas on the mountain, free of charge. Since I was with a bunch of experts, of course they accepted his offer. Let me tell you, right from the get-go I knew I was in for one crazy adventure. We immediately took a detour off of the groomed parts of the mountain to the back parts where the snow was untouched and the word “slow” didn’t exactly register with our new guide. He was a phenomenal skier and expected us to keep up with him. We were flying down the mountain dodging rocks, trees, small plants, and other obstacles that were in our way. However, we had to stop every few hundred yards because of how tired everyone was. The snow was thick, heavy and took a lot of strength to maneuver through it. It was the first time since I have been in Argentina that I felt like I got a great workout. We started with about 8 or so skiers on the first run, but after 2 runs we were down to 4. The others either lost us or were unable to keep up. I was able to keep up, kind of, but felt a bit out of control a number of times (and for those of you who know me well, for me to say that I felt out of control is saying a lot). Never the less, we attacked everything the Andes had to offer and were doing relatively well. One kid, Quinn, who has been skiing his whole life in Colorado, took a pretty bad fall. Our guide went down what seemed like a 155 degree drop about 10 feet wide through a rocky area. Phillip followed him and nearly whipped out at the end because of how much speed he collected. I took one look and said “you have got to be kidding me” and took the longer way around. Quinn, however, tested his luck with the drop off. He started off fine, but then missed his speed check (the place where you are supposed to switch the direction your skis are pointed to slow down a bit) and went flying down the rest. After about 2 barrel roles and a good 30 seconds of sliding, he looked up, saw that he had no skis, poles, hat or goggles, and smiled for the 15 or so people on the chairlift above who were applauding his crazy fall. He was fine, but I’m still glad I didn’t let my pride get in the way of making the same mistake he did.
After the infamous fall, we went to the south side of the mountain for some different terrain. Side note: I usually have a really good attitude about everything. I like to keep it positive and try seeing the good in whatever I do, but there was no good in going to the south side of the mountain. It was 30 miserable minutes of my life. I had decided not to rent gear on Tuesday because of how perfect the weather was. I wore my Northface jacket, a sweater, two pairs of pants and the hat I bought. I was doing fine keeping warm until we went to the south side of the mountain. The snow was deeper, heavier, there were more small obstacles to avoid and we only skied on un-groomed parts. Everyone, including the guide, fell on the south side. It was nearly impossible to control skis in that thick of snow and when falling, it was nearly impossible to get up because of how heavy the snow was. I got really wet, really tired and really frustrated on the south side of the mountain, but never have I been so happy to see the bottom of a hill. We had to take a break from skiing after that run because of how tired everyone was, so we parted ways with our guide. Skiing with him was crazy but I am glad I did. As I have learned so many times since being here in Argentina, one can’t learn and progress unless one takes chances and risks. I now feel like I can ski any mountain in the world, but I think I will stick to the groomed areas.
After our needed lunch break we finished up the day strong. The 3 remaining skiers (Phillip, Quinn, and I) met up with other kids from our group who we had lost while skiing with the guide. Although we went back to the groomed areas of the mountain, I don’t feel as though I gave my legs a break. The other kids, who are all good skiers, hadn’t skied as hard as we had and wanted to ski all the moguls. After about an hour, however, we lost a few more skiers. Two were too tired to go any longer, and one was unable to keep up on the moguls. We were down to three again (Phillip, Solone from Montana, and I). On our last run, we all decided that since we were skiing in July, our summer, we should try tanning a bit. I would be so embarrassed if I returned home white as a ghost while all my friends are tan. So, we took off our jackets, sweaters, and shirts and tanned. It was mostly just to take some funny pictures, but it also felt pretty good. Skiing hard takes a lot of work and I was sweating throughout most of the day. We definitely got a few funny looks, but it was definitely worth it.
After our second long, tiring day of skiing we all went out for a nice dinner. It was a very interesting dinner, however. Not because the food was really good, not because the place was really fun, but rather because during the dinner the electricity went out throughout the entire city. It was truly a candlelit affair. When the electricity came back, a couple hours later, it was met by a standing ovation from the entire restaurant. Nobody could leave because it was so dark outside, so everyone had to wait until the power came back. It was very funny. After dinner we all had high ambitions to go out to a dance club, but our bodies were just too worn out from the two full days of skiing. It was another relatively early night, but nobody seemed to complain.
My final day in Bariloche was spent just exploring the town with Phillip. The town itself is very touristy, similar to other popular ski resorts, but the scenery is still incredible. I don’t think I would ever get tired of waking up each morning and admiring the beautiful lakes next to the massive mountains. We walked around for awhile, went to a few shops, took a few pictures and just enjoyed another day of perfect “July” weather. We left at 430 pm and arrived back to Buenos Aires at about 130pm the next day. The bus ride was long, but it actually goes by much faster than one might imagine.
Overall, I don’t have enough good things to say about Bariloche. Even though I spent more money that I can afford, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The experience is one that I will treasure for the rest of my life. How many people can say they skied down a mountain in the Andes while going through the clouds, all the while, overlooking lakes that were so clear they appeared to be giant mirrors? I am truly blessed and am so thankful for this past experience.