September is one of my favorite months of the year. Not only because of my Virgo birthday, but it’s also a special time weather-wise. Summer’s not quite over; Fall has not quite begun. It’s the perfect blend of seasons—the sun lingers around trying to hold on during the days while the nights are cool and comfortable. Of course, that’s in North America. In Argentina, it’s actually the opposite: while summer winds down and cold weather approaches in the States, winter is just about over and Spring is right around the corner. The storms bring in the snow followed by crystal clear bluebird days… ideal conditions for riding the big mountain terrain Argentina is famous for. Luckily this year, I decided to stick around for at least the first week of the month and was rewarded with the best days of the entire trip. SASS head guide Skylar Holgate knows about September all too well, and before leaving for Las Leñas showed me a few of his secret stashes at Cerro Catedral.
Unfortunately however, the trip claimed my camera in a strange loss at one of the hotels. Needless to say, I felt crippled without being able to document the rest of my days on the hill and about town. But I wasn’t about to be shut down completely; as I’ve said before, the iPhone does come thru in a pinch. It’s doesn’t exactly have the exposure capabilities to handle bright light on fresh snow, but it’s better than nothing. The last week was spent hiking all over Laguna, Cerro Catedral’s picturesque back bowl, nailing fresh turns, little chutes and cliff drops all around. The best line though was actually off the backside, through a 2000+ vertical foot couloir filled with light, fluffy, shaded powder. Read the rest of this entry »
