Report from August 27, 2025

Note: Cerro Creston is on private property and you must get permission from the refugio owners to pass through

2 days after our big beatdown on Cerro Electrico, we were ready for more.

We decided to go back to Crestón and see if the zone is manageable in fresh snow and elevated avalanche danger.

The hike to the snow line was very pleasant and we hit our transition point after 57 minutes – 4 minutes faster than last time.

Boots on, skins on, and up.

The lower mountain had been wrecked by rain.

Ice, then roller balls, marked the mountain as we climbed higher.

The wind was intense at times.

I was using the drone with no gloves on during one blast and damn near got frost-nip in only a few minutes.

We almost hit the ridge and thought better of it.

The last little pitch was wind-loaded and steep.

Better let sleeping dogs lie…

We transitioned below the ridge, and I dropped first on my brand-new, never-before-skied Meier Leeper 185cm skis.

I’ve skied the Leeper 192cm a ton but never a turn on the 185.

It skied like a dream despite the snow being hooked, punchy, winded, over-sunned, and even sticky at times.

I was amped.

Greggy came down and announced that he didn’t appreciate the snow.

I figured he just hit a bad zone and convinced him to go up for another.

I had a blast again.

Greggy didn’t like it again.

There’s something about these skis…

I love the 192cm in deep snow, but this 185cm is likely more my size if I can get over my ego…

I’m 6’1″ and 170lbs.

This 185cm long, 114mm underfoot ski just might be the thing for me.

We suffered down the lower mountain snow making huge traverses to avoid making turns in the unpredictable snow.

The hike down to the car was smooth and easy.

We are getting strong.

Thank goodness…

After day 1 on Vespignani here, I was destroyed and a bit worried.

This day was 6.3-miles, 4,900-vertical-feet, 6 hours & 51 minutes.

Ski day $#5 of the trip.

¡Gracias, Patagonia!

Photos