Locals ditch summer seeking big mountains and the stoke of snow in the Andes.
A few local powder chasers share what it’s like to travel for turns during the Inland Northwest summer months. The short answer? Pure magic. Here are their stories and a few tips on how to plan your own trip.
Chasing Powder and Good Vibes in Chile and Argentina
By T. Ghezzi
Chile, Argentina, the Andes Mountains, a rental truck, 1,800 miles of driving, four friends, eight different resorts, 15 days of riding, countless Royal Guards, asado, chimichurri, cactus, donkeys, woodfire stoves, DEEP pow, empanadas, snow parakeets, steep T-bars, lengthy pommel lifts, hot springs, foxes, sopapillas, active volcanoes, vibrant music, border crossings, and so much more.
The vision of the trip was to chase powder all year round, ride new resorts, and soak in the culture and “buena onda” or “good vibes” wherever we went.
Leaving Spokane and flying into Santiago, Chile, in August 2024, the trip kicked off fast as we scooped up the rental truck, tossed our gear in the back, and headed northeast to stay in Los Andes. After spending a few days in the Andes Mountains east of Santiago, we cruised south to the Chilean mountain town of Las Trancas. Leaving Chile, we dropped southeast into Argentina and did some cat skiing. We then rented a house in the super cool lakeside town of Bariloche before drifting back west into Chile, exploring more resorts and ending in Puerto Montt for our return flight home 17 days later.
The first day on snow was a cat skiing trip with Ski Arpa. The operation is located two hours northeast of Santiago. The snow was horribly memorable, but our guides did their best to get us the goods. Thankfully, we did find pockets of soft snow later in the day as it warmed up. The biggest eye-opener was that the cat had no cabin or seats! Metal railings like a pen kept us “safe” as we stood in the elements, holding tight so we wouldn’t slide around once the cat started climbing up the steep terrain.
The next part of our trip led us to Tres Valles and we got skunked. With no new snow, flat light, and death ice, we explored the resort of La Parva. Storm tracking and intel from local guides had us eagerly opting to leave two days early to chase snow five hours south at Nevados de Chillán (and we scored big). The highlights of this part of the adventure were ripping runs with pro surfer Ivan Florence, mid-lodge beers, the sunset looking over the Santiago, dinner with Ivan and Alex Florence and catching lunch with Chilean pro snowboarder and backcountry guide JP Audisio, where I got to learn first-hand how he made his way to Stevens Pass and the Pacific Northwest.
Pivoting south to Nevados De Chillán was the right move. We stayed in the little mountain town of Las Trancas. I loved it there, as the vibe reminded me of a bigger Glacier, Wash. The night we arrived, Nevados De Chillán got dumped on and it continued through the next day, totaling more than two feet of cold smoke pow in just over 24 hours. The two days we rode there were insanely epic, and it would not have happened without our friend and local guide Sebastian.
In Argentina, we started off by staying at the bougie backcountry lodge of Baguales. The inclusive cat skiing operation is located in the northern region of Patagonia, and, because of its price and remoteness, we basically had everything to ourselves. We experienced all kinds of terrain with prime snow conditions. With no more than five of us in the cat, we were burning laps. In two days, we had 20 bumps in the cat and would have gotten even more runs if the second day didn’t start off with a wind and snow delay.
The laid-back vibe of Bariloche and quick access to Cerro Catedral made it easy to settle in for a week. La Laguna is a zone at Cerro Catedral that will forever live in my memory. It was a bluebird day when we hiked into this backcountry area. The giant amphitheater-shaped bowl surrounded us, and its towering rock spires seemed to fill the air with magic. Looking from below, I picked my line and boot packed to the rocky ridge above.
The view from the sketchy ridge was next-level, providing a full panorama of Lake Nahuel Huapi and across the valley to the east. The terrain looked gnarly, with unrelentingly steep chutes slicing all the way down to the narrow valley below. Strapping in, I cautiously executed my first few turns before alternating my lane choice. Threading the needle of a rock section, I aimed for a sweet, wind-loaded drop that spit me out into the apron.
I must shout out to my travel friends—snowboarders Carl Montoya, Ashleigh Montoya, and Travis Knoop, from Wenatchee, Wash.—because this trip couldn’t have happened without them! For a deeper dive of the trip, please check out the Wild Cannons podcast, Episode 7 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube.
T. Ghezzi has been writing snowboard articles for Out There since 2018. Keep up with his adventures on Instagram @northwest_raised and @wildcannons
