Cerro Bayo ARG - 4 Sept 10

Patrick

Active member
Got at the Villa Hostel at 10pm last night...a good walk with a bunch of gear. Found out that they had place only for one night (they havent received my reservation via their website). I was too tired to move last night. People were partying pretty late.

Looking to take the 9am bus up to Cerro Bayo...I was tired and all light rain was falling. There was a shot that it would die down, but wasnt going to be the case. Took the 10am bus and after eating lunch, it started raining pretty consistently all the way to the top. Snow on groomers were fun to ski, better than yesterdays stinky snow at Catedral in the pm.

Off the groomers, the snow was wet and heavy, but skiable. Visibilty was getting bad at the top in the pm. Bayo is cool small hill or it has that small feel. It seemed it trying to cater to a rich crowd, but has a pretty old rustic feeling to it. This place was more expensive that Catedral (low season starts tomorrow at ticks would be almost $20 less). They are trying to become a major player in skiing in the country, plans are in the works to turn this place into a massive resort. It would includes a gondola from the base to the summit and another gondola from town up the backside. An expansion to the east also and real estate. I saw the plans, but not sure if it has been approve yet?

I believe there was the Argentina ski instructor race being held, not fun race conditions for sure. Like 2 years ago, I skied around and looked around. This place would be fun in a storm like last week, many trees shots to be had. My legs were dead, stopped skiing at 3pm. Not such how the snow is going to be like after this warm spell, snow at the bottom is melting out, but top isnt really compact yet.

After 7 days skiing, tomorrow is a day off and travel day. Afternoon bus out VLA back into Chile and Osorno and Pucon. I was looking at two others areas, but I was able to confirm the logistics are they are around here on the Chilean side, I decide to start back up as the forecast didnt really call for as much rain north. Calling for warm temps, I might be able to see the volcano this time, maybe even ski it (at least the area).

Trip is coming to an end, regardless of the conditions the last 2 days and if I dont get to ski good conditions until this Fall, this trip has been real good to me. Last night in Argentina, ciao.
 
Patrick":20hjghu5 said:
many trees shots to be had
Which means the elevation is low. So no surprise about the rain.

On both of these trips La Hoya has had superior conditions, and I think Patrick mentioned it being colder last time. Do the locals say this is a consistent pattern or is that just the way it was on these 2 trips?

Patrick":20hjghu5 said:
Found out that they had place only for one night (they haven't received my reservation via their website).
TISA again. Might be nice to have a car to ease dealing with unexpected developments like this.
 
Tony Crocker":3u5jxi4i said:
Patrick":3u5jxi4i said:
many trees shots to be had
Which means the elevation is low. So no surprise about the rain..

There is a bit of snow in town, more than in Esquel. Altitude is about 800metros here. There was plenty of snow when the bus went by last Saturday (Osorno-Bariloche). VLA is 7km from the Chilean border and one of the main passes between CL-ARG. I decided last week to get my travel out of the way, I´m sure the skiing was amazing at the same time frame as my La Hoya days in this trip, however there is this warm spell coming in, its almost Spring afterward and above freezing temps were also in the forecast for La Hoya this weekend when I looked on my last days in Esquel.

Tony Crocker":3u5jxi4i said:
On both of these trips La Hoya has had superior conditions, and I think Patrick mentioned it being colder last time. Do the locals say this is a consistent pattern or is that just the way it was on these 2 trips?..

Timing of storm...major storm had just hit both years just prior to arriving in Esquel. Snow quantity were greater (both twice) at thi latitude than in Esquel.

Got to go walk around, im on a bus this pm.
 
That was my experience at Cerro Bayo two weeks prior to La Hoya as well Patrick, wet lower mountain raining buckets and heavy snow up top. One day out of three was decent snow that then became heavy. The area has great potential terrain wise and I wouldn't waste the money building a gondola from town. It would ruin the area. If conditions are like they were there consistently, I wouldn't recommend the area to anyone despite the amazing views and total lack of crowds. There were fun lines to ski there though enjoyed that area more than the snow @ Catedral absolutely. Such short windows for good conditions make these areas undesirable overall.
 
Powderpatutah":1d80vg8k said:
Such short windows for good conditions make these areas undesirable overall.
It seems my instincts have some eyewitness support. Did Powderpatutah make it to La Hoya and observe the same advantage in snow that Patrick did in 2008 and 2010?
 
Tony Crocker":2s9j2hk0 said:
Did Powderpatutah make it to La Hoya and observe the same advantage in snow that Patrick did in 2008 and 2010?

Unless I'm mistaken, Powderpatutah was skiing the first 3 days of my trip in La Hoya and I even mentioned him...yeck we skied together for his last 2 days of his trip. He was a first timer and uniquely skied Argentina spending a couple of weeks and skiing a number of places from Las Lenas to Cerro Castor.
 
I spoke with Patrick @ La Hoya about the varying conditions in both Cerro Bayo and La Hoya, even though these were my favorites of the 7 areas I skied in Argentina. After thinking for quite a bit about the variability of conditions and how late snow arrived there. I just don't have it in my skiing future anymore. I've never been rained on as hard as it was my first day at Cerro Bayo and then rode blower pow the next day. My patience for this variability is nonexistent. I'm hoping that I can make a trip to Canada in the near future for the same number of areas and get a different experience. Poor year for Argentina overall regardless of what happened in Catedral late season. I don't care for the frontside, kicking myself for not staying at Refugio Frey!
 
Powderpatutah:j3ruzd7v said:
I'm hoping that I can make a trip to Canada in the near future for the same number of areas and get a different experience.
:stir: Patrick lives in Canada but has only skied Whistler and Banff/Lake Louise in the West. :stir: :stir:

My western Canada ski history (excluding Whistler, which I group with Pacific Northwest http://bestsnow.net/vertfeet.htm) is here: http://bestsnow.net/vft_croc.htm
Lots of interesting places. Weather odds are whole lot better than Argentina, but there are no guarantees. I did have that crappy trip in January 2005, arriving just after it had poured rain throughout interior B.C. for 4 days.
 
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Tony Crocker":2yh6jvzy said:
Powderpatutah":2yh6jvzy said:
I'm hoping that I can make a trip to Canada in the near future for the same number of areas and get a different experience.
Patrick lives in Canada but has only skied Whistler and Banff/Lake Louise in the West.

And Marmot, Fortress, Shames and Smithers plus I've repeated Banff/Lake Louise/Norquay and Whistler a few times. Oh yeah, how many areas have you gone in the Alps again? :roll:
 
Patrick:31os4cyj said:
Oh yeah, how many areas have you gone in the Alps again
8 http://bestsnow.net/vft_euro.htm
A deficiency likely common to many western skiers, given the relative cost/convenience/access. I have been outspoken in the past that the Alps are underutilized by North American skiers. Particularly those in the East, where cost/convenience/access is not that different from western destinations. One of the topics on which Patrick and I agree. :lol:
 
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