The Fire of Patagonia

Mountain people share a passion usually hard to explain to outsiders. This passion keeps us adventurous. Finding the right people to share this with is difficult. A couple of years ago I met Stefan. We became great friends, with a very similar approach and attitude. Ever since, we travel the world, explore new regions, and fulfill our dreams. We are motivated and never stop pushing the sport. After many trips throughout the European Alps, we started to look for possible destinations in the Southern Hemisphere. Areas less known, offering infinite possibilities. In August 2013, we went to New Zealand and stayed for more than three weeks. We met interesting people, experienced amazing mountains and nature. It was a great experience for both of us.

When we came back we knew that this had only been the first of many trips to follow. After the winter was over in Europe, we were hungry for more. We decided to travel to my hometown of Bariloche and had many plans and ideas... Patagonia is a very hostile place with quickly changing conditions. The strong winds from the Pacific turn big projects and trips to the mountains into real challenges. My home is in Bariloche, a great city right by the mountains, surrounded by amazing nature and national parks. This year we had a strange winter, with very little snow compared to the previous years. Weather was up and down with warm temperatures and high winds, making the snow layers very weak, and usually it rained after big snow falls.

Stefan arrived in Bariloche with high expectations. It was late August. He was motivated to ski some proper powder. After hearing all the stories from me and other friends, he knew he was up for some really good terrain. Our plans were ready and sorted out, but with the weather being so unstable, we had to face that many of them were far from being in the right conditions to be approached. Fighting with the lack of snow and warm temperatures, we hiked around some peaks in the surroundings of Bariloche, in some cases starting at the base of the mountain wearing short pants and the skis strapped to our backpacks. It seemed more like summer than actual winter. In spite of this, we didn't lose hope and knew the snow would eventually come.

While waiting for the white goods, we decided to cross the border to Chile and ski Volcano Casablanca (1,990 meters). It was a nice adventure, and sleeping at the base of the volcano under the stars made it really special. But let's be honest, the conditions were really bad. Thick ice and black volcanic rock made it feel more like being on the moon. Nevertheless we reached the summit and the view was really rewarding. From the top, we saw all the volcanoes of the area including Cerro Tronador, a mountain that was on our bucket list for the trip. When we returned to Bariloche, the forecasts announced snowfall followed by a solid weather window.

We finally got some good snow, so we skied around the area finding some places with super deep snow, enjoying face shots, and feeling like winter had returned. The following day we left for Cerro Tronador. We had a four-day window and took advantage of it. The mountain is an old volcano, located along the border between Argentina and Chile. It's the highest peak in the area around Bariloche with 3,454 meters. Our goal was to reach the Argentinean summit of Tronador (3.310 meters) – a real challenge and a long hike, but we were determined. We started from Pampa Linda at the base of Tronador. There was no snow in the valley, so we started with our skis strapped to our backpacks. The beginning was slow, and the heavy backpacks didn't make it any easier.

But as soon as we reached snow level we moved a lot faster in spite of the snow being very sticky. With the last daylight, we reached the refuge. We had been hiking for six hours, and we were tired and hungry. We had a nice meal with the other people at the refuge and prepared our gear for the next morning. The alarm went off at 4:30 am. We started hiking in the dark, with strong hopes that the strong winds would calm down after a while, trusting the weather forecast that we had been following closely. Several times we were tempted to turn around, with the strong wind and the clouds limiting our orientation, destroying our hopes that we would make it to the summit that was hiding behind a thick, grey curtain.

We kept hiking, and when the light slowly replaced the darkness of the night, the sun came out. And then we saw the summit right in front of us. We were almost shocked by the fantastic view and despite the strong winds, we knew we were on the right path. We could make it. After several hours through the large ice fields, where we traversed big crevasses and ice blocks with the size of buildings, we reached the final section. We put our crampons on and grabbed our ice axes for the last meters. The ice and really strong winds continued to make it very challenging. We were tense. But after more than six hours, we finally reached the top and were speechless.

After so many years of looking at this mountain from all places and angles, I had finally made it! This moment was very special, even more because I was able to share it with my good friend. Due to the storm, we didn't stay at the summit too long. Skiing back to the refuge across the huge glacier was fun. We found long chutes with good snow that were ideal for some big, smooth turns. A great feeling after such a hike and effort. As we got back to the refuge, our legs were sore and we were exhausted, but we had huge smiles on our faces. We knew we had achieved something special. Conditions were tough, but we had committed to it and got rewarded.

With some food and drink, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset while we shared our experience with other alpinists at the refuge. The next morning, the sun was up and the skies were blue again. No wind and great conditions made it a perfect ski day. We explored several other valleys along the glacier fields. As the day passed by, our smiles became bigger and bigger. Every time I looked back to Tronador, I knew it was now part of our story. A great achievement, reflecting our passion. Back in Bariloche, we waited for more snow. We had two more weeks ahead of us and more challenges to come in our quest of having a true Patagonian experience.