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Argentina 07 Course Diary...
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Week 1 - Travel
How very exciting to land in a country that was actually hot ‘n’ sunny in summer season........ Not having to wade through floods up to your armpits. Despite an hour’s delay at Gatwick, spirits were high amongst the P’Leaders.....and the getting to know each other began soon after finding out that our connecting flight departure from Madrid to Buenos Aires (BsAs) had been pushed back to 21:30 (sigh). We all found La Madrid airport bar which clearly needed propping up....... 4hrs, a couple of half hearted games of Texas hold’em and loads of random small talk and chat later and we discovered that delays seemed to be the theme of the day. The flight departure had changed again to 22.30..........and even later..........and later........and er.......never. The waiting around and total lack of communication from airport staff became excruciating. In fact Alex described his feelings about the situation at one point as being ‘perturbed’. Alice replied, “What does that mean? I’ve never learnt a word of Spanish in my life?!”........an indicator of how tired everyone was at this point.
After 2 hours of waiting and being told “5 minutes”, the bus finally collected us from the airport and dropped us at the biggest hotel in Europe. Where we were to spend the night getting well needed kip in preparation for the next days travel saga to continue. This didn’t exactly go to plan.........after consuming the last scraps of hotel buffet most of the group headed to bed to await the call to let us know when our bus connection in the morning would be. The call never came so most slept right through to breakfast and got up to find our connection was fortunately at 1.00pm. This time things ran relatively smoothly apart from a couple of mislaid boarding passes we made it through shocking Spaniard security and onto the aircraft.....AKA human size oven but in actual fact spirits are high and we are all very excited again.
Laura Greig
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Avenida de Julio - widest road in world!
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Week 1 - Buenos Aires
We arrived with all our luggage (although Alice decided she would rather have some one else’s case, but as she had packed 6 changes of clothes in her hand luggage did survive until her case was rescued the next day. We were met by three very welcome sights in BsAs Airport; Alvar, one of our Argentine hosts, Ed, Peak Leaders man on the ground and mentor for the program and the bus to the hotel. We were then whisked off to our hotel and quickly out for none other than perfect Argentine Steaks. All went to bed full and happy to be in Argentina at last.
The next day consisted of a walk through the city to see the sights. We visited Recoleta, where there is an amazing cemetery (Evita is buried here), and then had a coffee stop (or for some a breakfast stop) Café con leche and dulce de leche ice cream were the order of the day. This was followed by a walk through the city past Teatro Colon (a very famous theatre) and on to Plaza de Mayo. We then headed to La Boca (the mouth), which is the old docks area of the city and renowned for the place that the tango was created! It is a very colourful part of the city – literally, as all the buildings are painted in yellow, red, blue, green..... Some of the group ate here for lunch and watched the tango, some of the group even danced the tango (see below).
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La Boca |
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Evita's Grave |
The evening saw us all eventually (with the help of Mel’s linguistic skills) make it to a small Flamenco restaurant for tapas. Meanwhile Ed and Alvar were running around like mad things trying to access some of the group’s ski’s that had made it unfortunately into the customs system. We were eventually joined by Ed and Alvar and with the group growing daily we were now up to 37. The Flamenco was fantastic to watch, sitting very close to the action, it was a mesmerising performance. Tomorrow sees us leave BsAs and head to our home for the next 9 weeks, Bariloche and Cerro Catedral.
Lucie Archer |
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Flamenco |
Deidre doing Tango |
Will doing Tango |
Week 1 - Snow, Sights and Steak
We were met in Bariloche by our program leader in Argentina, Ivan, who is a legend on and off the mountain. We were transported to our hotels through the stunning mountain and lake scenery. Everyone settled into their rooms and we then met up for our first official meeting. As a welcome gift, we were all given chocolate and the girls received roses as well (a slight clerical error meant that Caimin also made it into the ranks of the girls and received a rose too!!) We were then introduced to all the staff we would be working with over the next two months and given a presentation on all the need to knows by Senor Mark, who completed the course last year and decided to stay on in Bariloche.
We were then given a traditional Argentine Asado (BBQ) which consisted of meat, meat and more meat. The Argies definitely know how to cook their steaks! The following day we walked to the base of the ski area, which took about and hour and a half through some stunning scenery (don’t panic we won’t be walking everyday!). We are transported by mini-bus daily, a journey of 10 minutes, usually as the sun rises). Once at the base we sorted out our ski lockers and had a familiarisation of the important landmarks, Il Laboratorio – the place to get ski’s and boards serviced, Centro Medico – the medical centre, hopefully the only trip we will make there, and the best shops to buy extra kit if needed. We completed the day with a stretching class from Charly (our Argentine Fitness adviser) and then had supper at El Retorno overlooking the lake and mountains. Nerves are building for the first day on the mountain.
Yippee – we get to ski........A continental breakfast of croissants, ham, cheese, fruit, yogurt and cereal and we are eventually away to the mountain (Cerro Catedral). Beautiful sunshine, great visibility, slightly hard under ski or board, but otherwise perfect conditions and great first day had by all.
Lucie Archer
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1st morning on Cerro |
View from Cerro |
Julie on edge of cornice - Esquel |
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Thursday 2 Aug
Great! Sun is shining and we are all ready to go skiing. Quite something chasing down the mountain after the Argentinean down hill champion of 1980. No concession for my age including jumping over a 4ft ledge. Landed both skis stopped dead and flew out of my skis and landed on my bosom. Flatten whatever chest I did have.
Friday 3 Aug
Sun still shining. Slopes a little icy. Did not like going down the catwalks which were long and unforgivingly icy...Wasn't expecting to be skiing like this and hadn't fasten up my boots. Must always be prepared as one never knows where Ivan is going to take us next.
Saturday 4 Aug - Free ski
Later start and it looks and feels warm at the base. Soon changed as the bubble lift ascended. Wind was very strong and rocked the bubble car. Blowing quite a gale as we got out at top of the Amancay bubble and it was cold. Light was a little flat. Forgot my goggles but managed with sunglasses. Another lesson learnt. Pack goggles each time and wear my thermals. Don't be fooled by the sunshine. Ivan took us down a black run which was very icy and with moguls which was not too big but the icy conditions made it difficult for me. Fell over and lost the group. Returned to locker room but was soon tracked down by Ivan who phoned down and put a stop to my anticipated clandestine shopping trip. Up on the Sextuplet chair and joined rest of group for lunch.
Great meal out tonight. Opted for the Mexican and had a margarita. A first for me. Photo of me with Ivan and Jorge who very kindly shared their wine with me.
Cheng Wood
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Ivan, Cheng & Jorge Eric |
Choripan |
Mexican & Margaritas |
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Sunday 5 Aug – Day Off
The early hours of Sunday morning were eventful for some but for others it was only a normal nights sleep. The arrival times back from Bariloche ranged from 11pm Saturday to 5am Sunday morning!! Most of us in the morning were a horrible sight, sitting on the sofas rubbing our foreheads and wondering if we could get the Hollyoaks omnibus on the T.V. At 1.30 we had a BBQ (or Asado as it is known here) with hamburgers and choripan (chorizo in a bun) and funnily enough the red wine was left on the table untouched………apart from by Max of course.
On our only free day of the week people did many different things……. some went to Bariloche town to buy clothes and the biggest ice cream they could find and some simply went back to bed. I went to the waterfall in the nearby national park on the hotel’s complimentary mountain bikes, with John and Tall Tom. After 10 minutes of trying to explain and then show the hotel staff what a bike pump was with some rather suggestible charades we were off up the hill and into the woods. The ice made it quite difficult until we discovered how to use the ABS on the bikes (or shivering like a dog as we called it at the time.) Once we arrived at the waterfall, seeing it was not good enough, races all the way to the top complete with rock climbing and rock jumping over the river. Lets just say that when we got back most of our clothes came off at the door due to the mud. The evening was quiet with most people going to bed………again. However the hardcore of us, Me, Alex, Max, Bart, Flo, Tom and Alice stayed up and played ping-pong and watched a film about teenage delinquency. That’s really about it……………such a relaxing day……….ahhh!!!
Bruce Pannaman |
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Morning view from Hotel |
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Tuesday 7 Aug
Monday night saw us going to sleep with the rain falling, Tuesday morning saw us wake up with about 6 inches of snow at our hotels. Imagine how much would be up top on the mountain – well unfortunately we didn’t get to see right away as the roads to the mountain were closed so it was about turn and back to the hotel. We learned the electricity on the mountain was also out. Some of us even had breakfast by candle light as the electricity was affected down in the valley also. Most of the group spent the morning in Bariloche sourcing new kit with the help of our experts Ivan, Tety, Tano and Jorge Eric.
It was then pizza for lunch and finally the opportunity to see how much snow was on the mountain. There was about 2 to 3 foot of powder on the mountain so no one was disappointed, for most this meant skiing or riding in powder up to their waists, for some that meant up to chest height!!! All good fun, and a fantastic afternoon had by all. Even the snow boarders who made it back about an hour after the rest having ended up in the back country were full of the joys of powder.
The evening was filled for many with the ILM lectures (Institute of Leadership and Management ), an impressive addition to the C.V.’s of those taking the course. This was swiftly followed by supper, which was cream of asparagus soup, followed by tagliatelle and then a delicious local desert which is similar to crème brulee but is much nicer – it is made with ‘dulce de leche’ basically caramelised milk – yummy. The ice cream version of this is also a must have for those with a sweet tooth while they are hear, and you can even get it to spread on your toast for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Tuesday morning has brought beautiful blue skies, meaning fantastic visibility on the mountain and stunning views along with amazing powder conditions...........pictures to follow, if anyone stopped long enough to take any!!!!
Lucie Archer |
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Snow keeps falling |
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Dinner at Blast Brewery |
Lakeside |
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Week of 6th August
Unfortunately we had our first casualty this week. Laura (now known by her roomie as Tilly tumble) decided to check out the powder at close range and unfortunately damaged her knee, snapping the right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). We are all really gutted for her and wish her the speediest of recoveries. On the plus side she has the fantastic views of El Retorno to view everyday, and the superb staff here to look after her. She is know getting very speedy on her crutches. The rest of the week was spent by everyone getting stuck into the technical aspects of their chosen disciplines.
Week of 13th August
Mountain Safety and First Aid was the main priority program wise, but we also had a three Birthdays – Happy 18th Birthday to Alex, and ‘Floppy’ Tom (Wake), Happy 19th to Will (Bywater). This was also coupled with the A Level results. There were some happy and some unhappy people on results morning, but most people have university places next year. Congrats to both Wills, Fran and Ben for getting all A’s (sorry to any other A graders that I’ve missed) So all in all a very busy week on and off the mountain.
Week of 20th of August
We are into our last week of lessons on Cerro before we go to Esquel. We then come back and head straight into the BASI course. This week we have had an upsurge in ill and injured. The cough virus, whose source has not been discovered, has knocked a few more trainees down and unfortunately Tom Arnold dislocated his shoulder on Tuesday. We wish him a quick recovery and hope to see him back on the mountain soon.
The snow and conditions have been very good this week, so an excellent chance to put into practice all the new skills we have been learning over the weeks. This week we had two surprise guests to supper one evening too. The legend of three years ago, Myles Bax, came to see us – he is spending a few weeks in Bariloche, and upgrading his skiing skills. Our other guest on Tuesday evening was Noel Baxter, fresh off a winning run on the dual salom slopes of Cerro. He was convinced by Alvar and Max that the best preparation for his race the next day, would be a game (or games) of table ‘Futbol’........I’m not sure whether this will become an integral part of his race preparation from now on in! |
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Caimin |
Park Freestyle |
Backcountry in Esquel |
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Saturday 18th August
Every Saturday we are recommended to go free skiing to practice what we have learnt during the week, to gain confidence and just to enjoy ourselves on the slopes without the restrictions of lessons.
Will Wells, Max, Flo, Alice, Tom F, Bart and Myself (Alex) decided to try out the slopes which included the snow park on what proved to be a great day skiing. Bart showed us how a 90o on to a box 270o dismount is done. Whereas Tom F showed us how to jump on the box and slowly dismount in an somewhat elegant manner. Alice, Max and Flo looked on from afar...
At the half time point of the day our group lost Tom F and Alice to illness and decided to head back, so us other skiers decided to, "Rip through the Pow" (direct quote from Will). After a session of ripping we ended up at the bottom of the slopes where we met Mark to have a few cheeky cervezas. Later in the bar, we decided to exploit the not so VIP bar for HSBC customers, where the beers kept flowing.
On missing the first bus(es) we thought it was a sensible idea to get a few taxis to the hotel. However, Saturday is a horrendously busy day in Cerro, and the wait for a taxi was about half an hour. Our first thoughts were to go to mute bar for another couple of cheeky beers but then a yellow renault van popped out of nowhere offering his taxi services. "What are the chances" were the words plastered over our lips. This was our first mistake. 40 minutes later we are still stuck in the queue to leave Cerro with Will dying to use the outside toilet facilities thus jumping out the window and relieving himself, we subsequently carry on queuing. At this point I should mention that the taxi had a 12inch tv in the front with surround sound - talk about pimp my taxi...! We were also assured that the taxi could hold 5 people... After negotiating the queue we make our way with speed to the police checking zone, where, you guessed it, we get pulled over.
At this point we were somewhat nervous and didn't quite know what to expect. After a brief session of hispanic banter the taxi driver was escorted to an interview room. As I was the only one in the car that spoke average to good spanish apart from Flo, I had to converse with the pygmy-like policeman, who couldn’t understand the fact that I wasn't in a position of sobriety or general Spanish ability to understand what he was saying coupled with the fact that he was speaking at 100mph. He asked whether we were friends of the suspect taxi driver or whether we had already paid. After that encounter
another more understanding and slower speaking police officer came to our rescue. Explaining that the taxi driver had no insurance and didn’t have a proper licence to drive a taxi never-mind a taxi with 5 people in.
Concerned for my fellow Peak's safety I enquired whether we should pay for the journey (as we had spent an hour and fifteen minutes in the taxi and the journey only normally takes 20 minutes) or find another taxi - he said it was up to me, at that point I asked whether we could travel in the police car as this would make a great photo for the peak leaders. He laughed and said something incomprehensible in Spanish to which I smiled and nodded.
The taxi driver returned after having to pay a hefty fine (better known as a bribe in the UK) and we made tracks back to El Retorno, where he explained that the stop was "Rutina", I think not...
So free ski Saturday is great for practising carving, short turns, free-styling and Spanish negotiating skills. Oh, and if you ever see a yellow souped-up Renault van - avoid it like the plague.
Alex Haslam |
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Alic, Mel & Richard |
Tom 'Floppy' Wake |
The group attend a 'victim' |
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| Woke up at about 12 on Saturday...mostly motivated to go skiing only by the stupidly large and cheap burger at the mountain restaurant. At least 2 hours were spent over lunch due to the poor weather. However, luckily, the weather on Sunday was much better and heads were much clearer. After the usual delicious Chorizo BBQ for lunch, the more daring and motivated of the group ventured into a minibus up to Cerro Otto.
Considering there is actually a small ski resort here, I was expecting the road to be rather more substantial than a very rutted, frozen mud track, so the choice to sit in the back of the bus was a mistake! However, the journey was definitely worth it as the views were utterly spectacular. We then had a very rich chocolate brownie and tea in a very Austrian style hut - Berghof Hut, and listened avidly to many of Alvar's mountaineering stories. One of these included a naked delirious man running around lost in the snow. Alvar then decided, much to the disgruntlement of the group, that we were walking back down. This proved difficult and turned more into sliding out of control down the snowy paths in inappropriate shoes and jeans! It was worth it though for the amazing views and impromptu snowball fights.
Monday was filled with freestyle antics. After some excellent coaching from Yago - Converse, Rossignol and Arnette sponsored freestyler, we were no longer face planting the boxes, and sometimes were even reaching the ends and popping off - stylishly or otherwise. We were almost so busy scouting out the skier girls (by we I mean me and Bart) to notice that PEP FUJAS (internationally renowned freestyler) was in the same park, chatting to our coach! We then skied down to find Noel Baxter, popping into our hotel for dinner!
Tom Wake (Floppy!) |
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First Aid staff |
International slalom training - Bariloche |
John Devoy - ILM Presentation |
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Week 5 - Esquel
Most of the group rolled into base camp El Retorno in the actually- not-so-small hours of Saturday morning, so most of the bus journey was spent in a state bordering comatose. The brief stop in the market town of El Bolson provided an opportunity for lunch and even for Bart to undertake the audacious 'Chip Challenge'. After a marathon effort he was declared the front runner in the day's Apprentice competition, which was devised by Will 'Diego Trump' Wells to spice things up for the week.
Our arrival in Esquel saw us divided up into cabanas and the creation of Alex, Max, Will, Floppy Tom (after bribing Alvar a small fortune) and Bart's legendary "Casa de CoCo". Not to be outdone Carlos headed into town before supper and emerged into the restaurant proudly clutching a flashing red police siren, heralding the dawn of Casa de CoCo's rival, the Red Light District.
Our first day up the mountain at La Hoya was a white-out and we were unable to lay a course. The mountain was forced to close by high winds on Monday so we jumped into the buses to Trevelin, a small Welsh community about 20km away from Esquel. Described as "downright sleepy" by Lonely Planet, we were eagerly looking out for the much advertised Choripan vendor on the south side of the main square. However, he never materialised, but we were treated to a tour of the monument to the Welsh who braved the Atlantic at the end of the 19th century, the epic tale of the horse of John Evans, the town museum, and a Welsh tea. A small number of the group actually had to be rolled into the buses after their devastation of the never ending supply of cake. The evening saw a trip to Moe's where Adrian, David and Ed treated us to an impromptu display of Kung Fu. |
Heather takes control - first aid
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Cheng overlooking Nahuel Huapi |
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Back up the mountain the freestyle started in earnest and it was time for self proclaimed banter kings Alex and Bruce to come good on their promised respective 360 and backflip. After a heavy dose of realism on arriving at the park, we learnt how to grind, pop and mostly drop (pretty hard) and the group progressed in confidence.
Bart's widely disputed switch 3 was the early highlight, but Matt pulled off and outstanding 360, Ed snapped his binding nearly landing a 540, and Carlos pulled his switch 1 out of the bag on the final afternoon. Our instructors Nico Lopez and Yago, two of the best freestylers in Argentina, were fantastic with their guidance and will forever enjoy cult status within the group. On the first day Floppy Tom and Will climbed to the top of the cornice to see Nico huck a 360 of the top before gunning it through the powder to the base of the resort. The racing clinic under the expert guidance of Sossy allowed Fran, aptly nicknamed Bullet, to compete with Ed for the unofficial crown of fastest in the group. Meanwhile in the boarding group Bruce was given an overtaking ban after managing to take out half the punters on the nursery slopes.
The presence of several national ski teams in the area, and in our cabanas, proved a stir. Germans, Italians and even Britain and Surrey's very own Chemmy Alcott provided a perfect example for the duration of our race training camp. Her afternoon stretching sessions on the lawn proved distracting for some, but conversations with her went better than a certain ginger-whiskered northerner's quips to the Canadian racers back at Catedral.
The group is now back at El Retorno and the BASI trainee instructor course begins on Monday.
William 'The Stud' Wells |
Wood carving on way to Esquel |
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Bart Rail - Esquel
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Bart Switch 360 - Esquel
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Ed - Esquel grab
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Mel - safety
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Fran - fly park grab
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Trevelin - the 'Welsh' village of Patagonia |
Welsh Dragon in Travelin |
Tom Weiss off-piste in Esquel |
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| Week 6
The BASI trainers all arrived safe and sound on Friday 31st August, and with the group still in Esquel, were able to spend a couple of days finding their mountain legs. For the two ‘new boys’ - who haven’t done the Argentina program before – there was a chance to get to know the entire mountain in a whirlwind tour with Ivan Bonacalza, the Argentinean program director.
In the evening on Sunday 2nd Sept, there was a formal briefing for the group to meet the experts who will guide them through the instructor training and assessment process starting Monday 3rd! The group has been assigned to their trainers as follows:
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Ben Astaire
Florence Bailey
Ed Clerk
Matthew Cornfield
Adam Gibson
Philippe Hoeller
Carlos Schuster
Kirsy Walters |
William Bywater
Deidre Donoghue
Max Rayner
Alice Galliers
Robert Kenyon
Bart Loades
Hugo Volk |
Nick Carter
Heather De Ferranti
John Devoy
Thomas Falkenburg
Alex Haslam
Dan Portsmouth
William Wells |
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Andy Jerram
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Stephane Wiehe |
Melanie Berry
Ben Cariss
Simon Flint
Frances Mitchell
Adrian Mutton
Alan Perera-Webb
Thomas Wake
Thomas Wilson
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Ed Archer
Andy Brown
Nick Dunn
Richard Fields
David Gladstone
Laura Greig
Bruce Pannaman
Caimin Walsh
Julie Warner
Tom Weiss
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The Level 1 has started without 3 of the original course members.
Laura Foggo has endured an ACL rupture and after successful surgery, decided to return home to the UK. Laura can probably now write a book on how to deal with medical insurance claims and she is to be commended on how she has handled a difficult situation. We will miss her.
Tom Arnold dislocated his shoulder last week - he has been really determined to get back on the mountain for the BASI Level 1, but the severity of the damage has been against him and doctors have insisted he take at least 3 weeks away from anything remotely as active as skiing! Tom is going to do some traveling in South America until the doctors approve of him skiing again.
On Wednesday we hit Alberto's - Bariloche's most famous steakhouse for a farewell dinner for them. We wish them both a speedy recovery and hope to see them on a mountain somewhere soon!
Cheng Wood - despite breaking her leg - had hoped to be fit as well for the BASI course! She was far more optimistic than the doctors and has now resigned to miss the skiing but has stayed on at El Retorno - taking Spanish lessons and has assisted our Dr Natalia - a pediatrician - with local community projects. Cheng's positive response to her injury has been a lesson to us all.
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Cheng Wood
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Laura & Tom's farewell dinner
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Laura & Rob
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Week 7
The group have been through a challenging 5 days of the BASI Level 1 assessment with some very uncharacteristic weather on Cerro Catedral! Everyday saw strong Patagonian winds delay the opening of the lifts and once the mountain opened, conditions were less than favourable - lots of rain and frequent white out conditions. However this was offset by the fact that when the temperature dropped at night, a few more inches of snow would fall!
After a focused 5 days on the mountain - with excellent coaching from the BASI trainers and determined efforts from everyone, Friday presented a 100% success rate in the Level 1!
With debriefs complete - there was a charge down the mountain to Mute Bar, where we squeezed in with the locals to watch the much anticipated opening game of the Rugby World Cup between Argentina and France. A great 80 mins of united support with the locals lead to joyous celebrations at the final whistle. So much for a united European!
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Adrian celebrates Argentina victory
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Laura Greig - snowboard glam!
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Week 8
After a weekend of celebrating Level 1 success - some just with a beer in front of the TV to watch the rugby; the more lively (majority) going on to support the now legendary GRISU nightclub; and the hardcore partying the night away in the SKIRANCH.
Recovery for the weeks skiing began as always with choripan lunch on Saturday - traditional bbq'd Argentinean sausages in bread rolls and homemade hamburgers with potato salad.
Monday and Tuesday saw the group back with their BASI instructors for two days additional training before personal practice time the rest of the week. With action plans at hand from the end of course 1, everyone has plenty to work on before the start of Level 2 next week!
With some diehards choosing to train into the weekend as weather conditions improved, others headed off on a day-tripping lake cruise with Alvar.
Bariloche is situated on the 600km2 Lago Nahuel Huapi which is a part of a chain of separate lakes leading almost to the Chilean Pacific coast. The route is a popular crossing across the Argentinean/Chilean border with alternating ferry and bus journeys. The highlights of this trip are just inside the Argentinean border and include the Lago Fria – a beautiful turquoise glacial lake, Puerto Blest, a 1940’s hotel where lunch was served (Roast Beef!) all situated in the unique Valdivian jungle with cascading waterfalls. |
Back to school - Nick hard at theory
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The cruise was a welcome break from another hard week on the mountain and set everyone up for a relaxing run-in to the start of the Level 2! |
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Our ferry
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Ferry Puerto Blest
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Tom Weiss and Will Bywater - Lake Cruise
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Vinto Cerro - our mountain oasis
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Morning coffee stop
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Waterfall in Valdivian Jungle
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THE RESULT!!
Two weeks of hard skiing and boarding, lesson plans, Central Theme and 20 hours of theory classes, theory exams, a roller coaster of emotions, blood, sweat and definitely a few tears. And as a result we now have 27 new BASI Level 2 Ski Instructors and 6 new BASI Level 2 Snowboard Instructors.
Congratulations to all!!!
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Rich Fields - Dreadlock Crusty
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Champagne Celebrations
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Will Bywater
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| MORE COURSE DETAILS...
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