Bariloche, Argentina Backcountry Report | Alaskita Photo Tour

After discovering good conditions in the higher elevations yesterday in Bariloche, Argentina, we decided to have a look into the backcountry today.  I have a favorite line called Alaskita (little alaska).

The hike out there was mellow with fantastic views.

When we got to the top of the line, we were happy to find good ole Alaskan Velvet (ie recrystalized powder) covering the upper slopes.  It was about 6 inches deep, a touch wind-pressed, and smokey.

Alaskita is fun, long line located on the Roca Inclinada ridge that lies between La Laguna and Refugio Frey.

The mini spines of Alaskita were in prime conditions today although they didn’t go all the way through.  The best spine had an 8 foot mandatory air, which made it especially titillating.

We had so much fun on that upper spine that we put on our skins and decided to do a quick lap on it…  until Joe Aussie discovered his binding broken.  From there on it became an extraction mission.

I skied the rest of Alaskita and the lower fingers are in pretty good shape.  Good enough to ski on top of them, at least.  Joe had to ski down on one ski and traverse to the main gully.

I met up with him and we took turns boot packing up about 1,500 vertical feet back to the ski resort.  A slog for sure, but not too bad.

Conditions in the backcountry around Bariloche are solid right now.  The best snow is up high and it gets a bit punchy as you go down, but it’s not too bad.  Certainly worth checking out.

The forecast for tomorrow is sun in the morning and high temperatures, then clouds in the afternoon.  If you get out early, tomorrow could be another fun backcountry day.  A decent sized storm is forecast to show up on Thursday and drop 15cm (we usually get 2-3 times what is forecasted on snow-forecast.com).

CATEDRAL FORECAST:

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