T HE SK IER ’S M AGA Z INE F L IP B O O K SE R IE S 03
A MON T H IN PATAGONI A
THE END OF THE ROAD
S T O R Y A N D C A P T I O N S B Y
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y
Brody Leven
Adam Clark
CLICK TO ZOOM-IN
ON THE COVER
We’d spent the day driving over bumpy roads for hundreds of miles without seeing a car, road sign, or town. Suddenly, the road just forked. And while both options were beautiful, we had a goal: reaching the southern tip of South America. Only one road would take us there.
02
THE END OF THE ROAD
CHL
ARG
TR AV ELING TO THE BOT TOM OF THE WORLD, T WO SK IER S N AV IGAT E UNN A MED PATAG ONI A N ROA D S TO DISCOVER SOLITUDE AND STEEP SKIING
THE VAN’S BALD TIRES SPUN HELPLESSLY, burying themselves deeper into the mud. Covered in graffiti and fantastic graphics, our tin can of a Mitsubishi was desperately stuck. After navigating 3,104 miles of rugged Patagonian roads to find, climb, and ski 11 mountains, photographer Adam Clark and I were trying to complete our ultimate goal of driving as far south as any road the mainland world allows. Now, we sat two and a half miles from the tip of South America, but the bisecting creek prevented us from reaching it.
04
Six weeks prior, Clark invited me on an unplanned road trip through Patagonia. I landed in Santiago, Chile, on an unremarkable October day. He and I, both of Salt Lake City, Utah, residency, borrowed a map from a gas station, rented the artistic van, loaded it with ski and camping gear, and pointed it south from Santiago. A few hours later, after leaving the smoggy city behind and welcoming the sight of increasingly open land, we discussed where we were going. Loosely, we wanted to reach the end of the continent, though we didn’t even know how far away that was, not to mention how to get there. One thing we did know: a lot of mountains stretched between Punta Arenas, the capital city of Chile’s southernmost region, and us. On the surface, it’s the utopic road trip so many adventure-minded souls dream of. In theory, it’s done in a van, through rural Patagonia, stopping for adventures presented by the surroundings. In practice, it consists more of dust pouring through the heat vents, aimless searching for discrete campsites, and days without street signs. But after a combined dozen trips to South America, we were there for a more meaningful ski experience, and didn’t need a formal strategy in order to see the steep roadside attractions.
LEFT: Clark nor I had ever used tire chains. Convinced that these were the wrong size, I lay down in the slushy roads in my street clothes, trying to put them on, but secretly hoping a plow truck would just come. In a month, we only saw one.
07
Our route went through Chile’s Lakes District, a mountains in the area have limited ski potential. 500-mile trail of snow-covered volcanoes, flanked We found otherwise, and spent our short time eyeing on one side by the Pacific and the other by the mountains from the road and climbing them with no 4,500-mile-long Andes, with an average width of route information. On my birthday, we climbed and only 100 miles. From the summit of one, a path of skied the steep ramps of Cerro Crestón, shadowed peaks is visible, summoning a skier on to the next by Fitz Roy’s enormous vertical pillars of granite. one. The volcanoes of this region are relatively During the descent, suddenly, the lower half of my uniform, often with snowy summits circling steamy body disappeared, falling through the snow bridge of craters, the bases accessed only by steep roads. a hidden crevasse. The bottomless black hole glared We skied from the summit of at me before I extricated myself the tallest—12,293-foot Volcán and found solace once again in LOCALS CLAIM Lanín—among others. The the van’s southerly course. THE MOST ICONIC touristy Villarrica volcano, M O U N TA IN S IN T HE which shares the same name as We’d timed our month-long A RE A H AV E LIMITED the town and lava lake, consists trip perfectly, reaching the last SKI POTENTIAL. WE of 6,000 feet of climbing and a stretch of road on our final day FOUND OTHERWISE. billowing crater. Like all of the before our scheduled return mountains that we skied, Antuco sits far from the flight from Punta Arenas. That meant we’d accepted primary road upon which we were traveling south, the unspoken heartache of leaving astonishing ski and is symmetrically conical at the crater rim. venues before fully exploring them. And now we Volcán Lanín’s Refugio RIM sits halfway up a ridge, were four kilometers away and the departure flight its rudimentary protection a compulsory stay for was drawing near. the steep lines from the summit. Ferries and border crossings summoned us further, to the spires of It took us over three hours to pry the van from Cerro Castillo and eventually to the staggering Fitz the small creek emptying into the southern Roy massif of El Chaltén, Argentina. Atlantic Ocean, splashing onto shore 100 yards to our left. The track we drove along was on the Surprisingly, locals claim the most iconic beach—a narrow combination of sand, mud, and
ABOVE: A gas station’s road map proved to be our most useful tool during our 1,000-plus miles on the road. BELOW: We were driving along an unmarked road when an enormous hole appeared, cutting off the road. It was five feet deep, three feet wide, and absolutely unavoidable. After a good laugh, the only option was to turn around. After we did, we saw the first of many Chilean flamingoes.
09
inconvenient creeks. Shin-deep water froze my legs. Using river driftwood and stone, we built ramps and placed in front of the wheels, cautiously drove onto them, then used ice axes to excavate tracks behind the wheels before flooring the van in reverse. Six inches forward for every 12 inches backward—the measurement of progress. We’d climbed and skied mountains all over Patagonia,
but we came up short. Or did we? Each night for a month, we slept in the van. We were awakened by the ocean swell aboard a ferry, police patrolling a beach, and my watch rousing us for predawn hikes to the snowline. But nothing awoke us like the manifestation of a skiing road trip to the literal end of the road. Or, at least close enough.
ABOVE: After 15 hour ferry ride, we disembarked in Chaiten, a town that was completely devastated in 2008 when its namesake volcano erupted for the first time in 9,500 years, blasting ash nearly 100,000 vertical feet. The government evacuated nearly all of the 4,200 townspeople.
10
THE END OF THE ROAD
NE VA DOS DE CHILL A N LOCATION: Bío Bío Region, Chile ELEVATION: 10,538 ft NOTES: Did not finish
OLCÁN ANTUCO V SIERRA VELLUDA,
p g .12
/1 3
LOCATION: Bío Bío Region, Chile VOLCAN ANTUCO ELEVATION: 9,774 ft SIERR A VELLUDA ELEVATION: 11,762 ft
V O L C Á N L O N Q U I M AY,
pg.
SANTIAGO, CHILE
2 6 /2 7
LOCATION: La Araucanía Region, Chile ELEVATION: 9,400 ft
VOLCÁN LANÍN,
pg.
3 0 /3 1
LOCATION: Neuquén Province, Argentina ELEVATION: 12,388 ft
VOLCÁN VILLARRICA,
pg.
4 2 /4 3
1,362 MILE S
LOCATION: Los Ríos Region, Chile ELEVATION: 9,341 ft
CERRO CASTILLO,
pg.
4 8 /4 9
LOCATION: Aysén del General Carlos
Ibáñez del Campo Region, Chile ELEVATION: 8,776 ft
U N TA V EL LU D A P CERRO CRESTON,
pg.52
/5 3
LOCATION: Santa Cruz Province, Argentina PUNTA VELLUDA ELEVATION: 6,565 ft SIERR A VELLUDA ELEVATION: 8,141 ft
P UN TA A REN A S , CHIL E
BELOW: Volcรกn Antuco and Laguna del Laja, as seen from the summit of Sierra Velluda, the rime-fest of a volcano we climbed after summiting Antuco.
p g .12
VOLC ÁN ANT UCO
SIERR A VELLUDA
LOCATION: Bío Bío Region, Chile ELEVATION: 9,774 ft DATE: 09.15.13
LOCATION: Bío Bío Region, Chile ELEVATION: 11,762 ft DATE: 09.17.13
/1 3
14
LEFT: Laguna del Laja National Park, with its namesake feature, as seen from our van’s campsite. ABOVE: A couple of the volcanoes that we climbed had small ski areas on the bottom run-outs. Here, 9,774-foot Volcån Antuco, in the Laguna del Laja National Park, towers behind its small, lonely poma lift.
15
LEFT: Most of the skiing we did from Volcån Antuco’s steaming summit crater was in the clouds. But as we neared the base, the 20-mile long Laguna del Laja jumped into view, and it felt like one of the most beautiful moments of my life.
18
LEFT AND TOP: In one direction we would see what we had skied the day prior. In the opposite direction, we’d see our next day’s objective. Here, we climbed up the lower flanks of Sierra Velluda, en route to the summit, still 5,000 feet above me, with yesterday’s conical summit, Antuco, behind us. ABOVE: Nearly on top of Sierra Velluda after 11 hours of climbing, with a trail of volcanoes behind us.
19
RIGHT: Skiing off Sierra Velluda, we found relatively good snow.
21
BELOW: After 12 hours on Sierra Velluda, the sun was setting, and our van was parked to looker’s left of the prominent Volcån Antuco.
BELOW: We finished two hard days climbing and skiing Antuco and Velluda, and we wanted to continue our streak of sleeping in a new campsite every night. Exhausted, we reached the van well after dark, after skiing across a glacier under a full moon. I was as thrilled, happy, satisfied, and emotional as ever. Without much discussion, we hopped in the van and started driving down the bumpy access road, made entirely from hardened volcanic lava. By the light of our dim headlights, we found this spot.
BELOW: At 9,400 feet, Volcån Lonquimay was the least technical of any volcano we climbed. It housed a small ski area at its base, the sky was blue, and the road had been plowed. But torturously high winds, cold temperatures, and the widest avalanche I’d ever seen kept us on our toes.
26
VOLC ÁN LONQUIMAY LOCATION: La Araucanía Region, Chile ELEVATION: 9,400 ft DATE: 09.21.13
pg.
2 6 /2 7
TOP, ABOVE, AND RIGHT: As we climbed the summit ridge, we turned around to see that the entire side of the mountain had avalanched. Back in the parking lot, the solo Chilean skier who had started it was frank: “I didn’t even know I started it. It’s wild, because avalanches don’t happen in Chile.”
28
29
VOLC ÁN L ANÍN LOCATION: Neuquén Province, Argentina ELEVATION: 12,388 ft DATE: 09.23-24.13
BELOW: “No, we’ve already paid for Argentine visas,” I said. “Oh, perhaps they’re in our computer database,” says the Spanish-speaking border patrol. “Great! I’m sure they are,” I reply in Spanish. “But we don’t have Internet to check,” says the guy, blankly staring at the computer and sticking his hand out so we can pay for yet another Argentine visa. This is Volcán Lanin, as seen from a specific Chilean/Argentine border that caused us more headache than we imagined possible.
pg.
3 0 /3 1
ABOVE: Road hazards, such as this precariously-placed araucaria tree just before the Argentine border beneath VolcĂĄn Lanin, proved no obstacle for our onewheel-drive van and all 19 of its horsepower.
32
RIGHT: This specific border crossing was amazingly remote. We’d driven all day without seeing any sign of civilization, let alone another car. After granting us permission into his country, this gentleman, who lives off the grid, walked outside and swung open the gate, smiling and waving a generous welcome.
ABOVE: Refugio RIM-26 sits at 7,600 feet on the side of the tallest volcano in Chile’s southern volcanic zone, Volcán Lanin. It allowed us to break our climb into two days. We reached its vital protection from the wind as the sun set on day one, only to learn that we’d purchased a faulty fuel canister for our stove and would be unable to melt snow for water. RIGHT: From the hut's door, we could see northern Argentine Patagonia and some of Chile’s jagged mountain summits. It had three terribly tattered mattresses. It was impossible to feel sufficiently clean, even burrowed into a sleeping bag.
34
35
ABOVE: Day two on Volcรกn Lanin broke clear and blue, and we started our climb at first light. The surface, a mix of sastrugi and ice, was atrocious. Skiing our climbing route would have been impossible.
36
ABOVE: Seeking any option other than our route of ascent, I was pleased to glance into a narrow face dropping from the summit. Hesitantly, I ski cut it. Then, I giddily dropped onto this steep run that we had very little information on, yelping with excitement. Making any turn size and shape I wanted, the firm chalk held my edges and I couldn’t stop smiling. I’d never been so happy in my life.
37
ABOVE: The volcano had required two long, tiring days. It had offered us one horrendous option and then another. The hut was gross, our stove didn’t work, and I was afraid my sleeping bag would be infested with bed bugs. But I felt as though we’d cracked the code, finding a line off the summit that brought us down a steep face, across a glacier, and right back to the hut. We packed up our sleeping bags, skied to the last trace of snow, then started the walk out. If we didn’t return to Chile that night, we’d be in violation of our visa.
40
ABOVE: We had no intentions of skiing the popular Volcån Villarrica, until we were driving during golden hour and made the turn toward it. Before we knew it, we were setting alarms for 5 a.m. at the base of another climb— 5,827 feet to be exact.
pg.
VOLC ÁN VILL ARRIC A LOCATION: Los Ríos Region, Chile ELEVATION: 9,341 ft DATE: 09.25.13
4 2 /4 3
TOP, ABOVE, AND RIGHT: We avoided all of the tourists in Villarica by foregoing the standard route in favor of something with a little more spice, and saw none of the crowds that people tend to see here.
44
45
BELOW: Most of our days consisted of 5,000 to 6,000 feet of climbing. That’s because most of the volcanoes were relatively similar in relief. In this regard, Villarrica was no different. What was different about it, though, is a crater in which one can see lava. Walking across this snowbridge, between two bubbling craters, was perhaps the most exhilarating experience of my life. No matter how much exposure I find myself above or how hard I push myself in the mountains, this will top the list. We could barely breathe from the toxic fumes. It was extremely windy, and smelly. But I told Adam, “I have to go there,” and walked across it.
RIGHT: The Carretera Austral—the relatively new, albeit extremely incomplete and uncomfortable road that links much of remote Chile—is in the valley in the background. We arrived at Cerro Castillo at night, spotted the biggest mountain from the road, and decided to try it. The following morning, we skied right off the summit.
CERRO C A S TILLO LOCATION: Aysén del General Carlos
Ibáñez del Campo Region, Chile ELEVATION: 8,776 ft DATE: 09.28-29.13
pg.
4 8 /4 9
50
ABOVE: Translation: “Traffic light of volcanic alert”. I guess green means go? LEFT: We picked up a duo of hitchhikers that ended up joining us for a few days. When we would set up camp, like here at Cerro Castillo, they would usually just keep walking down the road and camp on their own. After skiing the next day, we’d get back in the van and, inevitably, find them on the side of the road and pick them up again.
51
BELOW: Anyone who has been to El Chalten, Argentina, has pulled over, amidst the ceaseless wind of the pampas, locally called La Escoba de Dios, or The Broom of God, to bask in the glory of the Fitz Roy massif.
pg.52
PUNTA VELLUDA
CERRO CRE S TON
LOCATION: Santa Cruz
LOCATION: Santa Cruz
Province, Argentina ELEVATION: 6,565 ft DATE: 10.02-03.13
Province, Argentina ELEVATION: 8,141 ft DATE: 10/05/13
/5 3
RIGHT: Punta Velluda sits in the morning shadow of the Fitz Roy massif. My anticipation as we hiked into the climber’s hut was palpable. I couldn’t believe that we were actually trying to ski in El Chalten. As a climber and skier, this couldn’t be a more transformative place.
54
56
LEFT: Refugio Rio Blanco: climber’s only. En route to Punta Velluda, our first mountain near El Chalten, Argentina. Taunting us, signs included “women” and “café.” ABOVE: No hay chicas aquÍ.
57
BELOW: Oct. 2, 2013 journal entry: In such awe of my surroundings that my brain, let alone my emotions, can’t put it all together…It’s Yosemite on steroids…I keep finding myself silent. Spellbound by the scenery. As an alpine climber and skier, this place holds such significance. But you wouldn’t have to be either of those things to look up at 10,000-foot spires and be in utter amazement.
BELOW: Skiing Punta Velluda, with one of the most famous mountains in the world, Cerro Torre.
ABOVE: Regardless of where I travel, I always seem to find myself in these situations. Exiting our last day of skiing in Patagonia, searching for where we stashed our shoes.
62
ABOVE: Enjoying alternating between the thermal hot springs and gushing glacier river water.
63
TOP: We were comfortable. I could have lived this way for much longer. Adam and I got in a rhythm, and it felt good. ABOVE, AND RIGHT: Dreams turn into reality as I climb and drop off the summit of Cerro Creston, on my 26th birthday, with Fitz Roy, shrouded in clouds, in the distance. We had spotted the mountain from the road less than 18 hours prior.
64
65
BELOW: In this regard, our trip was the idealistic road trip that you’re imagining.
EDITORIAL E D I T O R
John Stifter D I R E C T O R O F P H O T O G R A P H Y
David Reddick
A R T D I R E C T O R
Mike ‘Basher’ Taylor M A N A G I N G E D I T O R
John Clary Davies
A S S I S T A N T P H O T O E D I T O R
Anthony Smith
E D I T O R - A T - L A R G E
Matt Hansen
O N L I N E E D I T O R
Julie Brown
S T O R Y/ P H O T O S S T O R Y A N D C A P T I O N S B Y
Brody Leven PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Adam Clark
F L IP B O O K SE R IE S 03
03 FL IPBO OK SERIE S