Friday, September 10, 2010

To climb Volcán Puyehue requires a meeting with the park administration.  This meetings are always a bit of a wildcard because you never know when you will meet with someone that will find a reason why you shouldn’t go up.  Traveling alone is usually problematic. But this meeting went well.  Basically we talked about the weather, and my experience for a bit.  Then the guy asked me if I was afraid of dying.  I replied that I try to be aware of the things that can kill me, but I don’t preoccupy myself with death.  He replied that it’s not important; if we end up with one less gringo on the planet, that wouldn’t be so bad.  I totally agreed.  He smiled, and told me to have a great time.

The walk up starts in the valley floor.  The first few hours are on a well established trail through meadows and forests.  Even hiking with an overnight pack and skis on my back, it was a pleasant walk that passed fairly quickly.  When I came into the quintessential lenga forest, I knew I would be in the alpine soon.  It was raining on-and-off, but it was still nice enough, so I was looking forward to a nice evening out, high on a mountain.

I intended to camp really high on the mountain.  But the weather was definitely not solid, so I put myself as high as I was comfortable, and set up camp there.  As I was unloading my pack, the clouds broke and the peak came out.  It was about 4:00 and the summit was two hours away, so I was tempted to go for it.  But, I played it safe and continued to set up camp.  By the time I was finished setting up the tent, it was snowing hard. 

I spent the night happy to be high on a mountain, listening to the snow and wind, as I was perfectly comfortable in my little, bombproof shelter.  It snowed all night, but I still had hope it would clear in the morning.

By the time I was finished with breakfast, the snow had stopped, and the peak was simply covered in thin clouds.  It appeared the weather was improving.  I set out for the summit, which was not too far above me.

The big, south face of Puyehue is perfect ski touring terrain.  The climb up is simple and required no crampons of any kind.  While skiing of the south face is pleasant enough, it is the crater of this volcano that is the real skiing attraction.  You can actually drop into the crater and ski these really dramatic, steep couloirs and ridges.  It’s incredible! 

This is probably the most interesting peak I have ever skied.  There is a tremendous amount of terrain in the area, and most of it is tucked on the inside of the mountain.  I have certainly never seen anything like this before. 

The day ended with a simple hike back to the valley floor.  To make things even better, there is an amazing restaurant right at the trailhead, so you can get a great meal, and a cold beer before going anywhere!  This peak is definitely on my highly recommended list.