Spring thaw delights - part 2

Continued from Selai's blog...

Watching Selai fall through the ice bridge and up to her chest in water was one of those "oh shit" moments, much more so than sitting in the car while Alistair gently spun it into the armco earlier in the week.  I sprinted across the top of the beaver dam, well sprinted is a relative term as I was wearing snow shoes and the top of the dam is full of twigs and logs designed to trap snow shoes and with about 100mm of water spilling rapily over it.  By the time I had cleared the dam and some intervening snow covered bogs Selai was out of the river and giving me a strong thumbs up that she ws alright.  When she turned and began walking briskly for the lodge and road end I figured that she was better to keep walking than to wait or me, so I returned to the camp site.

Back at camp they had the tents up and a fire going.  The site selected was very sheltered and the temperature a balmy 7 degrees.  Far to warm for so much snow and we had to shift our tents before retiring as the snow base had transformed into a paddling pool.  I elected not to tell the others about Selai's incident as the obvious rising rivers were already causing enough concern.  Despite a cramped tent I had my best nights sleep of the trip (although there are rumours I was the only one to sleep so well).

Heading back in the morning we had to decide whether to use the beaver dams again, or try the route that the army had used, but about which we knew nothing.  After a brief team discussion we elected to use the probable army route and indeed the army decide to retreat about the same time as us and we soon met up with them. This time there were no beaver dams and the river was fast and a bit over thigh deep. However the army decided it was there mission to get us across with dry feet and in a a major joint NZ/Argentine team exercise, we built a very suspect log bridge.  

Second to cross the bridge was a somewhat overweight army skier who tried to pull himself across, sliding on his belly with his pack on his back and alpine touring skis still on his feet.  Less than half way across he slid off and it required the quick action of a couple of comrades to prevent a drowning.  With safety, if not dignity assured the captain stepped into the river to hold the water logged skier's radio out of the water.  Hopefully we have a video of this to post.

Our own crossing was relatively unevetful as we added a second log.  There was also an easier place to cross, that half the army group used.   Still - it was a great piece of PR from a bunch of really nice guys.

Ross

falling through ice!

yesterday 7 of us set out up the valle de lobos on snow shoes (raquettas).  ali-b chose to ski-tour and the beaver dam proved to much so he was left to entertain himself on the nearside of the river.  we set off for the refugio and were welcomed by the spanish military who had the potbelly burning inside and cleared a space for us to hunker down out of the wind and eat our lunch... the following is an excerpt from an email after leaving the refugio .....

we found a camp spot, then ross and i headed back down the wind blown valley, leaving the others to set up camp.  we crossed a big huge swamp rather nervously, ross put a crack right across the ice bridge for what seemed to span the entire swamp and each shelf moved independently of each other as i stepped across.  we fell through the ice toward the end, but was only shallow and the ice chunks managed to keep us mostly off the soft bottom.  we found the beaver crossing and parted company.  ross watched while i crossed back and stayed on the river bank to watch as i tried to cross the 2 dodgey ice bridges.  i had a walking pole, which i used to test the ice before me, it just kept getting softer and softer!  as i edged nearer to the far  bank more and more water was pooled on the surface of the ice.  I drove down on the pole to test the ice once more and went straight through!  at that point I could see that the ice was bubbled and soft right the way through to the water!  i knew i was standing too close but before i could step back a big chunk gave way underneath me, and i just kept falling further and further, all in slow motion it seemed?!  by the time i hit the bottom i was waist deep in stinging ice cold water!  my first thought was 'get out, now!'  my second thought was 'the camera!' i sort of flayed a bit and tried to gain traction forward to the far bank but the ice was being ripped away in front of me by the current, so i leant back on the ice behind me and hoisted myself up just praying it would hold me!  thankfully i got myself up and quickly scooted across the remaining part of the bridge to the other side.  i realised then that i'd dropped ross' pole, and tried to retrieve it.  i was conscious that i really needed to keep moving towards home to avoid getting too cold,  but i edged out to get the pole and once again the ice began to give way.  so i left the pole and carried on.  by the time i made it to the second bridge ross had come down to the first bridge - i'm not sure if he had better luck with the pole!  as i crossed i fell through again, but it was shallow and only one leg went through.  

i recovered myself and set back out aware that i now really needed to get back to shelter and warmth.  due to the melt it was difficult to retrace our steps an it felt at times like i was almost aimlessly wandering across the plain!  i knew which direction i needed to go in and that if the shit hit the fan i could always walk out to the road, so no big deal just a bother really!  i stopped and took a few pics of a rather cool bivy, but i don't think they'll be that great due to my wanting to keep moving so as not to cool off too much.  after about 40 mins i made it back to base where ali-b was waiting.  thankfully he had some dry clothes, so i quickly changed and the fire was burning, so we had a beer - one of the sweetest beers i've ever had!!

ciao

selai

First rest day

We have declared today a much needed rest day after skiing for seven of the last 8 days.  The need for the rest day was becoming increasingly apparent as we struggled to stay awake until dinner.  

Well it is almost a rest day, we went dog sledding this morning. There are several large kennels near Ushuaia housing 50-100 dogs each.  Snow in the valleys is getting pretty slushy but it is still quite a neat experience being pulled through the forest by a team of twelve dogs.

 Leena's progress at downhill skiing has been most impressive.  She came on the trip intending to focus on cross country skiing and saying she would not be downhilling "At All".  However on her last day she conconquered both the top lifts, skiing the blue and red runs with confidence and style.  Rumour has it that she had a good sleep before dinner, but she was first up this morning and out for a full days museum and art exploration.

This afternoon we will be packing for a two day tramp and leaving early tomorrow.  With snow on the valley floor we will need to hire snow shoes (or Rackets as the locals call them), but have checked out conditions with the locals and found a suitable track and target camp site.

Ushuaia is growing on all of us.  In summer it is a frantic place, full of impatient gringos heading for Antarctica, but at this time of year foreign tourists are rare and everyone seems to forgive our lack of Spanish and work hard to communicate.  So much so that we are still not practicing our language skills enough.

Spring has arrived today and temperatures are heading into the low teens.  It is positively hot after the snow of earlier in the week.  Part of the hot is caused by the heavily subsidised gas prices.  All buildings seem heated to about 25 degrees or more.

Ross

Admiring the View

Keri admires the view off the back of Cerro Castor.

Leena & Murray survive Ross’s Ski lesson

Leena and I, keen to test ourselves further on the slopes of Cerro Castor, enlisted the assistance of campo padre Ross Bidmead to advise on and correct our skiing technique. I being happy at some speed but not with height and Leena with height but not speed made for some interesting challenges for both Ross as tutor and us as the trainees.

First up was the introduction green run from the top of Telesilla Cuadruple (chair lift 4) provided general comments of approval from Leena, who had not yet coasted its tree lined powder. Next on the list was a repeat of the previous with an excursion down a step section of the blue trail (14), which Leena handled with some capability but for myself I had to bail as a fear of heights combined with landing myself on a largish patch of steep ice forced a climb up to the top of the green.

To be continued...

Muzza (Murray)

Ali B continues: The group decided to take the easy option and eat in at the hostel restaurant. After waiting until 8pm when the restaurant opening, we trooped on down and had very attentive service as we were first to arrive for the “tourist” sitting. We enjoyed an excellent dinner and dessert for most, although the Tiramisu was disappointing. By 10pm, heads were nodding, so it was time for the check and off to bed. Me include. Bye for now.

Ali B Crashes - And not on the ski field!

We had a good dump of snow overnight and left full of expectation in our two cars. The first leaving at 8:30, and the second leaving at 8:50.

At the permanent police check was a sign words to the effect of "snow chains are obligatory". The police said nothing except to confirm we were from New Zealand and tell us to turn on our head lights. So with our studded tyres we were away.

The snow deepened as we topped the pass and continued down the other side. It was a careful and uneventful drive. Then only a few kilometres from Cerro Castor Ali B let the car drift a little too far to the right and ran off the edge of the hard tarmac (hidden under the layer of snow). Driving back onto the hard surface there was a twitch and Ali's rear wheel drive reaction failed to help control the situation.

The result was a tango, with a gentle pirouette finishing with a kiss of the armour guard with a touch of Latin American bite! On the opposite side of the road facing the right direction (i.e. we'd done a 180 degree spin).

As we were sliding,

• Ross was thinking: Shit, there goes the insurance bond
• Erena was thinking, as we watched the Armco getting closer & closer: ‘crap, I hope we don’t roll!’
• Matt said: Ah, looks like we’re crashing....
• Alistair was thinking: Crap!

Fortunately there road was clear of traffic, and the speed was low. The only damage was to nerves and a small dent to the rim of the passenger rear tyre. Phew!!

Authors: All the occupants.

Match stick snow sliding

I put myself out there today and tried to slide across snow on two match sticks, along with keri, lena and muzza at a x country field nearby!  For a person who is accustomed to sliding on snow sideways this was a serious deviation from the force.  But the comedy that ensued had even the field dogs laughing at us, so I think it was well worth it (by 'us' I mean 'me').  I can now identify with how Obelix feels when Dogmatix laughs at him?!!  Much to my personal dismay I was keeping company with followers of the downhill match stick order, so they unfortunately appeared to take to this ridiculous excuse for a sport like ducks take to water.  I reckon I was within earshot of Keri for a total of 2 mins of the 4 hr expedition!  Under Lena's expert tutelage, my second circuit lap improved markedly, managing tofall over only twice, until the last 100m where I quadrupled my fall total!  Muzza reveled in the fact that at last he could slide over snow faster than I!  Not, however, without kissing snow too (he he heee!)!

Sooooo, in summay.  x country skiing:  mucho funny cos falling over doesn't hurt when you're only going 2km's/hr!!  And it's a great way to see the country side!  For all the less-than-graceful-descents into the snow, I still really enjoyed myself and you get a good work out, so I'll definitely blazing another x country trail in the time we have left in the land of fire!          

 
It's snowing outside!!


selai

And from the lazy bastard of the day...

And from the lazy bastard of the day (well yesterday actually)...

Ali B has spent the day chilling out. Catching up with emails, washing etc etc and the ultimate of holiday chores, having a shave!

And despite rumours to the contrary, I did move from the chair in the lounge. Headed into town when the cleaners arrived to do find some cash, doing some shopping and indulge in a hot chocolate – only to discover it was laced with caffeine so I’ve spent the afternoon on a caffeine high.

Actually, it has been the first day in at least a month, if not two, that I have spend a day doing “nothing”. It’s been great day. And the evening is shaping up to be great too. As Selai has just said, “it’s going downhill fast, and we’re not on skis!”. But isn’t that what holiday’s are about....

A male perspective

It's nearly midnight as I start to write this - we have adapted quite well to Argentine time. 

Cerro Caster turned on a huge range of conditions, from rain and slush at the botton to fresh deep powder at the top.  At first we had clear mild conditions and I spent time playing ski instructor to Murray.  This seemed to go quite well for a while and he progressed quickly to the green runs.  However things got a tad challenging when the mist came in on Murrays first run from the top on what proved to be a red run, rather than the expected blue grade. Finishing the run, it seemed a good idea to stop for a Choripan and vino tinto at the on field sushi bar where we are becoming regulars.

My last run was intended to be a quick blast from top to bottom, but as I ascended the snow got heavier and fluffier.  The run down seemed like it was through 5 cm of fresh untracked powder, although I was definitely on the main piste, skiing between the marker poles which were the only reference points in the white out.  I never saw a soul on the way down, but I did come across two pairs of skis abandoned in the middle of the run.  I suspect their owners had just given up and desided to walk down.

Tomorrow we are expecting moderate snow to sea level, so will probably abandon Cerro Castor for a day and check out the small field within walking distance of this sea side town.

Ross

Estancia Harberton

windblown lunch. wooden seat sculpted by local Beavers
Very posh nosh tree shot, Muzza!
Selai manages to soil all of Muzza's efforts to be artistic by sticking her hand through the tree. she thought that was far choicer

Day 2. And how about your own personal BBQ cook for lunch. Choice!

And it was equally cozy & comfy on the inside when the breeze got too much. We where even served a sushi sample from the chef whose Ushuaia restaurant featured in the local Cuisene & Wine magazine

And from a lower cafe, the view up the second highest chair. Crowded eh? Great snow too. It was easy to make your own new tracks all day long in the fresh power snow. Choice!

Here are some random photos from the first couple of days skiing. The first day was a bit onimous with snow showers greating us. But it got better as the day wore on and the clouds lifted.

















Day 2 was clear skies and still no wind. Here's Alistair at the top of the second chair admiring the great views.

The view across to the top chair. Note the proliferation of ski lines from the vast crowds, not...

final ruta!

we made it to the end of the road through tierra del fuego, parc nationale!

average GI Joe day!

evidence of the average snow day.
action shot of muzza attempting to escape the one-armed snow terrorist!

folks, me again! and i'm glad to report on a girls only day today!  we drove to the end of all roads, 'usted esta aqui final ruta 3.'

Sin our all-american GI Joes, we were actually afforded the time to take some photos!!  sooo we enjoyed a stroll through swamps and bays, and bush and over boardwalks - and we took lots of photos!!  we started in dry enough weather but it consistently degenerated over the course of the day - seeing us end in the pouring rain.  of course the dirt road in provided us with plenty laughs and close calls with beech trees due to driving on the wrong side of the road, but i'm here writing to you so you can gather we made it in and out intact.

we caught up with the GI Joe contingent this evening over mas vino tinto, and secured photographic proof of the positively average ski field day, so we again feel well pleased at our better judgement and sizeable photographic journal for the day.

i'm sure one or two of the larger Joe ego's will feel obliged to make their day sound overly fantastic, but i have it first hand that camp father morhped into something between a snow terrorist and instructor.... poor muzza!

x
selai              

we made the brave decision to hire cars and head out on road trip trip today. We were not disappointed, though probably not for your usual touristic reasons.....

Of course, eventful enough for our nominate drivers (ross, ali-b, selai and matt), was coming to grips with the right hand drive, the 'relaxed' and somewhat inconsistent argentine road rules (although i feel the term 'rules' may be overly formal in this context), and driving on the wrong side of the road, let alone what lay ahead of us.

having negotiated our way out of town we set out onto the open road where we all made a mistake in thinking the driving would get much easier, nt having to worry about who to give way to and what not. wrong. The funds for roading here are slim, if not non-existent and the metal spiked tyres that almost all vehicles have here mean that its like driving through a mine field. we are now beginning to understand why ushuaians drive ALL OVER the road! they are merely choosing to drive the path of least resistance. enough said.

after certain amounts of phaffing about trying to find the turn off the main highway up to estancia harberton, we were in for a treat following snowy metal roads featuring wondering wild dogs, quaint (broken) wooden bridges and some pretty awesome scenery, we made it to harberton. but not before sighting a beaver dam, much to my delight ( a kid in a candy store comes to mind!). brilliant!

haberton. -was closed.

nice (closed) museum full of fish bones (and by fish i mean whales - some of the heads stood taller than us!). the method of rotting the flesh off the bones of these marine mammals involves covering the bodies with tarps and letting what bacteria persist in the harsh climate do their work. and a small village consisting of a (closed) cafe, and a restuarant, and seemingly its single inhabitant was sighted chopping wood.

we found a campsite to light a fire and boil a billy for lunch and take in some of the resident beaver handy work - so destructive!! after a windblown lunch we set in for a rally drive home. much to the delight of camp father, we drove onto a crash scene. snow+slick tyres=sliding off road into ditch. camp father quickly donned his camp hat and repaced it with his action-man cape. it was all on. pretty soon we were hooked on to the ill-fated car and up to our knees in the snow pushing as action-man worked on jolting the vehicle up out of the tree it had come to rest on and out of the snow. ali-b did some handy work with the snow shovel and pretty soon we had the thing nearly clear of the ditch. victory! after some much broken comms, we had her neatly popped out onto the road, apparently undamaged, sweet! action-man quickly switched caps, although choosing his possum-bourne helmet instead, we tore off down the snowy road and away home.

so. a little less touristy than most would anticipate, but a successful day nonetheless. well done team!

selai

day 2.

cruisey day today. i think basically we're all too shattered to comment! lena and murray put in a good effort on the learner slopes (although none of us can comment, we didn't see hide nor hair of the for the day).

today, keri and selai take the jackass prize for today with a spectacular collision (for no apparent reason whatsoever). selai managing to take keri's legs out from underneath her in a 'caring' embrace at high speed! enough said. although, alistiar did managed to take out the capitano once again and, i admit, i may have sniggered and recovered a bit of pride in the act of seeing the skiier-spectacular cast in the snow again (he he!!) props to ali-b (he he, did you see what i did there?!!!)

oh - and we've moved. write this down: hostal del bosque. Magallanes 709 - (V9410AMO), Ushuaia. tel/fax: (54-2901) 430777

www.hostaldelbosque.com.ar

reservars@hostaledelbosque.com.ar

c

selai

snow days

our first assault on the hill was a mixed bag....

under descending cloud and snowing conditions, i'm sad to report we lost a comrade in battle today. Camp father, ross, on the first run on the first day came a cropper in the low vis conditions off piste, and took a hit to the right shoulder. having finally made it to the bottom of the hill, the field staff assessed ross and sent him on his merry way to hospital for xrays.

the field was choice as! no crowds, fresh lines on offer right throughout the day and the weather and vis improved as the day wore on. and so much more terrain to explore!

we look forward to tomorrow and i'm sure many will hear personal accounts, but i can assure you, it was choice! the views are inspiring and the skiing terrain will make you giddy (or perhaps thats the wine?!)

caio

selai

Ushuaia - Too much party central

Arrived here last night in a fairly jet lagged state and were greeted at Freestyle Hostel by the Rastaman in great Kiwi English. Wonderful range of music throughout the evening and a very laid back style to the place.  However things degenerated as the place partied until after 4 this morning.  No one got much sleep and breakfast was a subdued affair.

It was snowing  when we woke and we drove out to Cerro Castor in a moderately heavy snow shower..  The field itself is huge and the snow in god condition with a fresh 5 cm overnight.  Unfortunately I fell at the top of the first run and wrenched my shoulder.  So I've spent the afternoon practicing my Spanish at the local clinic and then wandering around checking out accommodation options.

Hopefully the shoulder will respond to a good dose of vino tinto.

Ross

Ross

The Ushuia crew tske on Buenos Aires

Survivors of the main course.

1 night in Buenos Aires

We made it.  With little (or no) resistance from customs we passed unnoticed into the Buenos Aires rainy day!

Our first evening we spent beating local pavements and we wound up in a local restaurant feasting on great hunks of grilled meat (beef, lomo (lamb) and pollo (chicken)) - served on platters.  Each supplied with a carving-come-serving knife, we were at liberty to hack into the ample protein supply as deemed necessary!  the wine (traditional malbec seemed appropriate) and side serves of salad and chips helped settle us into the evening.  A free Tango dance display and melodies sung by local crooner made it a more than agreeable night!  Matt and Erena were so taken by Ruben the crooner, they threw some American money about and purchased a CD or two!!

This is a shout out to Dunedin peeps, there is meat here for Africa!!  Everything else is a side dish - you MUST come here!!!    

Airports

Our group of 8 is now assembled at Auckland airport.  We are looking forward to the skiing,hoping for good weather, but planning lots of side trips if the weather gods don't behave.

There is a bit more trepidation for most of us about the Tango classes tomorrow night in Buenos Aires.  Still  - hopefully if we make fools of ourselves there will be no reports in the blog and no videos on you tube.

There is a bit less enthusiasm about the 14 hour flight.  While it may be over the Antarctic, we are unlikely to get a view.

Ross