Ski touring trip Chile
- wdoerig
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Turn autumn into spring! For ski mountaineers!
Spring firn like you've never experienced before.
Chile's volcanoes offer the discerning ski tourer everything they could dream of: remote landscapes, challenging climbs, thrilling, steep descents, and the proverbial firn snow, which is rarely found in Europe.
Even the journey to the volcanoes is a pleasure: on forest roads with four-wheel drive through increasingly dense forests to the entrances.
Rarely a short walk, and off we go. The forests rapidly thin out with increasing altitude, usually ending in araucaria groves that transport you back to prehistoric times. Higher and higher above the tree line, at around 1,500 meters, landscapes and vistas appear that in normal mountains are only known from peaks and ridges. The ascents are mostly flat at first, often requiring crampons when reaching the summit.
The time of day is worth mentioning. The firn usually lingers until late afternoon. Getting up early and setting off in the dark isn't an option! Instead, the wind is a constant companion.
The volcanic peaks guarantee stunning views, from mountains to steppes to the distant sea. The craters are impressive. Some volcanoes are slightly active, allowing you to rest in the warmth of steam-formed caves, sheltered from the wind.
The descents, mostly steep and hard at first, quickly turn into sun-kissed firn, all the way back to the starting point.
Now quickly back to civilization and visit one of the numerous small
Private breweries.
And then we continue to the next accommodation, through landscapes reminiscent of the Alpine region: pastures with cows, fields being prepared for summer, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, like something out of a picture book.
You'll stay in small, charming cottages with wood-burning stoves, shared by three or four people, and enjoy the ambiance in the late afternoon and evening with beer and Chilean wine. The food is excellent, with something for everyone: fish, meat, and vegetables—everything is on the Chilean menu.
The access to the volcanoes is often only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles and requires a lot of experience with the authorities.
Almost all volcanoes are surrounded by national parks. Organization and guidance without a
local office, seem impossible to me.
I would like to introduce you to Nicolás Meyer, President of the Chilean Mountain Guides Association and IFMGA/UIAGM European standard guide.
He brings professionalism to mountain tourism in Chile and oversees the training of young mountain guides according to IVBV/UIAGM standards. His organization primarily organizes ski tours for foreigners.
He speaks English and German well himself. He also has guides who speak good German.
Nicolas Meyer
+56 9 9147 8354
Av. San Martin 438
4810791 Temuco
Chile
And the bindings:
We use Chile to test our touring bindings before the start of the European season.
After the tests in Iceland, we mainly focused on the
Skistopper is busy and excited to see what the tests in Chile will show.
Basically the binding works.
In ski mode, the front still needs to be locked to walk.
The spring in the front does not yet meet the required requirements.
However, changes in the kinematics have a positive effect on the clamping behavior.
The brakes leave something to be desired: The brake feet are located outside the ski edges and are a hindrance when walking. They can also be a hindrance during descents.
Conclusion:
We are still on the learning curve with spring elements.
We now need to quickly develop solutions for the production of the pilot series.
We only have about two months left until the presentation.
