# Pantagonia!



## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

And YES I did see my first ever human triggered avalanche. Argentine guy that didn't know what he was doing Just headed into the back country with another guy and no gear. Slab broke above him and he almost rode it out.. got caught in it at the bottom luckily the slide stopped just as it caught him and he was able to get right out...  scary thing to watch.


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## roremc (Oct 25, 2009)

The best trip reports are just pics IMO! 

Looks like you are having a great time!!! Very jealous!


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## RaID (Aug 27, 2009)

awesome pics, another place to add to my "Must ride list"


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## Miguel Sanchez (Dec 25, 2010)

Shredbetties in Patagonia..........


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Very nice Karasene! Psyched you are having a great time. One of these years I am going to put together a summer trip down there. I should have done it when I was much younger.

As for the dude in an avalanche. Gear really doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. It's a last ditch effort to save your or someone else's bacon if it all goes south. Obviously if he was carrying gear he would have probably of been thinking about the danger and maybe not have chosen that line. He is lucky to get out relatively unscathed. Especially since he triggered a slab that broke above him. More often than not that situation ends badly, even if the victim was carrying avy gear.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Yeah that is true. The sport is way behind down here. Resorts don't do any snow blasting and there are a lot of dangerous areas even in bounds. The guys with SASS were saying how lucky the Argentines have been so far.. A lot of guys drop together in a group the guys here are afraid one day they're going to hear about an entire gang bang of dead skiers off one of these mountains. For the most part many of them just follow our head guy.. They know if they see him hike and take a line it's safe. Others just go off and do what they want. No bueno.:thumbsdown:

They're calling for snow tonight and tomorrow!!! Hoping to finish the week with a couple more powder days! Very excited.:thumbsup:


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## InfiniteEclipse (Jan 2, 2009)

Very cool. Do want.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Karasene said:


> *They know if they see him hike and take a line it's safe.*
> 
> They're calling for snow tonight and tomorrow!!! Hoping to finish the week with a couple more powder days! Very excited.:thumbsup:


Careful with that train of thought. It's also cost more than a few people their lives.

Yay for more snow! Have fun slashing up that pow!


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Yeah true.


Here's a clip from today at sitting at the top of the bowl.

Riding with Chris Coulter and Jon Conway.

"This was right before our first run today. Hiked up into the bowl through some serious winds. Was pretty intense weather this morning. We were sitting just above a cornice we had to get past which broke when one of the guys was testing the stability of things. Awesome run tho!"







It hadn't snowed in 4 days in this footage.. its mainly all just wind whiped into the bowl. Its DUMPING right now tho. Tomorrow there's going to be lots of coverage in there.


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## NWBoarder (Jan 10, 2010)

Looks sick Karasene! Next summer is Disneyland for the kid, but the summer after that is looking like it will have to be somewhere quite a bit further south. Winter in the summer looks to good to pass up forever.


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## Steez (Jun 25, 2011)

looks am amazing, I can't wait because in maybe 2 years I'm going to ride in Chile for a bit because my mom is chilean so all of her family is there and her best friend is a ski addict with a condo right at the resort cant wait for summer powwww


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## brownSnow (Jan 7, 2009)

Awesome pics! i'm so jealous right now!


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

CHECK IT OUT! An edit of our trip to Pantagonia last week. I'm wearing the yellow back pack. Thanks to Brooke @ YoBeat!!!! Robin Van Gyn in the pink/red and black checkered jacket. Vimeo, Video Sharing For You


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Nice vid Karasene! I love the fact in Argentina you can be in the alpine, with the rock spires and all, yet still get some decent looking tree runs too. Definitely puts that place higher on my list than visiting Chile. Good stuff.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Brooke Hiking up to Laguna. 

Standing on a frozen lake. Looking at the bowl we just rode down.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

killclimbz said:


> Nice vid Karasene! I love the fact in Argentina you can be in the alpine, with the rock spires and all, yet still get some decent looking tree runs too. Definitely puts that place higher on my list than visiting Chile. Good stuff.



Yeah I have to say I had one of the best tree runs in my life. After a fresh storm is was sooo sick in there. The only down side to tree runs at Cerro Catedral is the cat tracks. If you down keep an eye out for them it'll just open right up to flat. But again best tree run of my life so far. Just point and shoot and it was all powder.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Sooooo, if I go splitboaring down there, I probably won't have to worry about cat tracks??? :laugh:


Definitely a great summer trip.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

haha:laugh: yeah I think that's a good point. 

When I think of splitboarding in this area tho I still think most all the riding is above tree line. 

The week I was here Chris Coulter did a 2 day trip out a place called Refugio Frey with several of the guys a part of SGT. These guys have been riding the Andes around Bariloche for 7 years now. http://www.ccoultershred.com If there's anyone to ask about backcountry riding in the Argentina Andes its these guys. I'll have to ask him about the tree runs off the mountain.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

There are quite a few resources for getting info on Argentina for Splitboard trips actually. The Sweetgrass guys have also been going down there for years. I would definitely have to look someone up to guide us around. No point in spending the money to go do there and wing it.

I've seen plenty of vid from Sweetgrass to know there are plenty of tree runs to be had in that area.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Wow. Thank you for sharing that. That premiere was amazing.


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## LuckyRVA (Jan 18, 2011)

Awesome report! 


Do you happen to have this in higher resolution version of this? I want to make it my desktop wallpaper at work. 



Karasene said:


> View attachment 6115


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

yeah sure. It just so happens I invested in an SLR and that is one shot I took with my $100 point and shoot.. ha. figures. 

If you want I can email it to you.


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## snowfreak (Sep 18, 2011)

that was indeed an exciting report!

I was there from aug 28 to sep 5, we probably crossed each other's path several times hehe

This first pic was taken somewhere in La Laguna, while the other one was taken in Cerro Bayo, another ski resort about 20 miles away from Bariloche in a town called Villa La Angostura.


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## brownSnow (Jan 7, 2009)

that's brave leaving your board base down like that /\ (seen in pic#2)


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

brownSnow said:


> that's brave leaving your board base down like that /\ (seen in pic#2)


Hahaha! That's pretty funny. Had a friend leave his board base down like that on a chute we were teeing up on Berthoud Pass. A gust of wind came through and blew it into the chute. It went down 1k ft to the exit gully at the bottom. Great powder in there too. The rest of the day we got to give him crap how his board got more turns than he did...


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## snowfreak (Sep 18, 2011)

what you talking about, I got the most agile reflexes ever. Muahaha


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## snowvols (Apr 16, 2008)

Maybe Jeri will see this. Jeri and I were touring one day and I was slacking ass on the uphill. He already had one of his skins off and I had just gotten to the top and was unstraped. He set one of his halfs down on the base and I saw it starting to slide down. It started to take off and I did some ninja leaping after it. I don't think we ever would have found it had it gotten away especially since it was over 2K vert.


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## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

almost lost my board on Mt. Rainier. Had it sitting bindings down with the high backs dug into the snow when a 70 mph gust flipped it and sent it sliding. Luckily, the wind also knocked me over which gave me a head start on the diving scramble to prevent my board from going for a fun ride.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

I've seen the runaway splitboard ski thing too. He probably would have found it, and it would have been more fun, for you...


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## abngirly (Jan 15, 2011)

Props to Karasene, awesome pics and vids! I've been contemplating a trip to Argentina for next summer and I think you just convinced me! Where will you be riding this winter?


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

abngirly said:


> Props to Karasene, awesome pics and vids! I've been contemplating a trip to Argentina for next summer and I think you just convinced me! Where will you be riding this winter?


Thanks! I ride mainly in NH and take trips over to VT and ME often.. but this season I'm trying to move up to Girdwood, Alaska. Think I'll be heading north the first week of November on a whim. Trying to sell my car and get things moving.

I'd say Pantagonia was the best vacation I could have taken during summer. 
If you were thinking of going you should add me on FB I'm down to do it again!


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## abngirly (Jan 15, 2011)

Well I would definitely be interested in taking that trip next summer, Patagonia has been a long time dream of mine, then with the riding it looks like the perfect respite from summer doldrums. I was up in VT and NH a few times last winter, am hoping we get some early snow so I can make at least one trip up there before I head west. Looks like I'll be splitting my winter between Summit County and Tahoe. I'm in the process of interviewing for different places but if you or anyone are ever in either of those areas, I'd love to meet up and ride with some forum peeps.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

abngirly said:


> Well I would definitely be interested in taking that trip next summer, Patagonia has been a long time dream of mine, then with the riding it looks like the perfect respite from summer doldrums. I was up in VT and NH a few times last winter, am hoping we get some early snow so I can make at least one trip up there before I head west. Looks like I'll be splitting my winter between Summit County and Tahoe. I'm in the process of interviewing for different places but if you or anyone are ever in either of those areas, I'd love to meet up and ride with some forum peeps.


Yeah for sure!! That sounds like a good winter right there! My original plan this season was to go out to Tahoe. I have about 7 friends from the EC who spend winters out there already and they convinced me to go out there this season.. I just spontaneously changed my decision to AK while I was down in Argentina. I'm good friends with the couple that manage Guest services at Alpine Meadows I could refer you to if you were looking for a job over there at all but your best bet would be to get the pic pass and not work on the mountain since its SO cheap. You probably know this already. I would love to visit out west but looks like I'll visit next year. Do you have connections or are you just doing it?


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## abngirly (Jan 15, 2011)

Don't really have connections, although I have friends in Tahoe City and South Lake. The thing is I can't get out there til the end of December/Early January so I don't even know who would hire me. I have a budget set for my passes, 4 months of rent/living expenses, gas/tolls for the drive out and back (I have a friend driving with me one way). so I'm not really worried about money - I figure worst case scenario I get on sittercity.com and babysit a few nights a week for spending cash. ATTENTION SUMMIT COUNTY and LAKE TAHOE mom's and dads, I'm a fantastic babysitter and would love to have you pay me to watch your children!! But yea as of right now I'm pretty much just doing it. I wouldn't mind looking into a job at guest services at Alpine if you thought that was something worth setting up, seeing as how I'd only be able to work January - close of season as long as it doesn't cut too much into riding time. How about you, do you have connections up in AK? Sounds like a pretty intense change of heart, but hey go big or go home.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Yeah I forgot about the ol'babysitter money saving technique.. just seems like nowadays parents are so cheap. Back when I was 16 I didn't mind making $7 an hour.. Now, forget it. Altho THIS month is a different story I'll do anything. I'm picking up under the table roofing jobs and fall clean up to help save for AK.

I have a connection up there one of the reps for Avalon7 who also does film and photography at Winter X and who's hooking me up with ppl to split rent with and throwing me some extra work helping out with photography and film out in the backcountry on top of whatever job I get. I've been talking to Alyeska HR department and a job as a server/bartender at one of the restaurants sounds pretty promising but personally I don't really know anyone.. so it should be interesting. Fun tho. 

Yeah if you need info for Alpine let me know. Granted it is a mountain only open during the day so you would be working business hours but I know Jess and Brian try and give as many snow breaks as possible during hours to their employees. They're actually really good people. If that's the only way you'd be able to afford a pass it might be your best bet. Definitetly hit me up on FB the link should be in my sig otherwise search for Kara Ca Pow


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## abngirly (Jan 15, 2011)

Yea I won't have a problem affording a pass - Right now I'm starting with the Epic Local then considering the Alpine/Kirk/Homewood college triple threat pass. So f-ing cheap. If I work out there it will strictly be so that I'm not sucking money out of my savings for beer and food. At any rate I get a lot of work on Babysitters, Nannies and Nanny Services - Sittercity Babysitting you should check it out, it's been a life saver and may help you out. I wouldn't work for less than $12/hour though. Will definitely hit you up on facebook, it's awesome to get in touch with another chick that's all about snowboarding as a way of life. Hopefully we'll get to take some turns this winter! My name's Rian by the way!


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

abngirly said:


> it's awesome to get in touch with another chick that's all about snowboarding as a way of life. Hopefully we'll get to take some turns this winter!


Hell yeah I totally agree!!!


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

abngirly said:


> Yea I won't have a problem affording a pass - Right now I'm starting with the Epic Local then considering the Alpine/Kirk/Homewood college triple threat pass. So f-ing cheap. If I work out there it will strictly be so that I'm not sucking money out of my savings for beer and food. At any rate I get a lot of work on Babysitters, Nannies and Nanny Services - Sittercity Babysitting you should check it out, it's been a life saver and may help you out. I wouldn't work for less than $12/hour though. Will definitely hit you up on facebook, it's awesome to get in touch with another chick that's all about snowboarding as a way of life. Hopefully we'll get to take some turns this winter! My name's Rian by the way!





Karasene said:


> Hell yeah I totally agree!!!


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