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Chile Volcanoes Ski Mountaineering
A 7-day adventure in Patagonia to summit and ski amazing peaks in the Andes, learn fundamental ski mountaineering skills, and progress your big mountain skiing. Our program supports a range of skills and abilities & will be a ton of fun!
Overview
Itinerary
Prerequisites
Inclusions
Gear
We'll tackle the following objectives and skills:
Ski Missions
- Villarica
- Quetripillan
- Puyehue
- Casablanca
- Osorno
Day 0 - Arrival in Puerto Montt!
- Pickup by Blackbird Mountain Guides.
- Group Dinner.
Day 1 - Pucon Ski Day
- Breakfast at hotel / Air BNB.
- Ski laps at Pucon.
- Ski Mountaineering Skills. Conditions depending, we will cover ski mountaineering skills today or the following day. Skills covered will be ski crampons, boot crampons and ice axe techniques including self-arrest.
Day 2 - Villarica
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring and ski mountaineering at Villarica. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 3 - Quetripillan
- Ski touring and ski mountaineering at Quetripillan. We’ll step up into more aggressive terrain and bigger lines based on conditions and skier/rider ability.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 4 - Rest Day / Travel Day.
This will be a fun day with options for a variety of fun activities. We'll drive to Puyehue. We can take the day out of our boots or make it a mellow touring day if people would prefer more skiing. Down day activities include:
- Exploring town
- Mellow ski tour
- Visit the national park
- Hike
- Visit the aquarium
- Walk around town
- Horseback riding
- Skills courses
- Climbing gym
- Naps!
Blackbird will facilitate down day activities, but additional costs associated will be the responsibility of the guests.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 5 - Puyehue
Day of touring in Puyehue.
Day 6 - Casablanca
Ski touring/mountaineering in Casablanca. We'll get in a full day of skiing before driving to Puerto Varas for dinner and bed.
Day 7 - Osorno
Today we'll ski Osorno to the top of the ski lifts.
Day 8- OsornoWe'll have another great day of skiing at Osorno! We'll close our trip with a team dinner in Puerto Varas!
Day 9 - Travel dayToday is our last day, we'll all fly home today after an amazing trip full of awesome skiing!
Here are the skills and fitness you'll need for your course:
- Expert Resort Riding Skills - Including steep and consequential off-piste terrain in challenging snow conditions.
- Basic Ski Mountaineering Skills - Including ice axe, crampon, and basic rope skills are helpful, but not required. This program is designed to build those skills
- Strong Fitness - Able to spend a long, active day outside, moving uphill at 1,000’ per hour for durations of 1-1.5 hours between breaks. Participants should be able to hike 8-10 miles, climbing 2,500 - 3,500 vertical feet throughout the course of the day. People with strong fitness typically have a strenuous workout 3-4 days a week.
- Completed AIARE 1 and AIARE Avalanche Rescue - Course completion certificates from AIARE are required
Here's what's included with your trip:
- Experienced AMGA Trained Guide
- In-country transportation
- 7 Nights Lodging in Double Occupancy Rooms
- Ropes and gear for ski mountaineering & Training
- Group safety gear - your guide will be equipped with snow science tools and a first aid kit
- Wag bags for human waste disposal - in with compliance 'Leave No Trace' principles
Not Included
- Flights
- Meals
- Lift Tickets
- Ski/Splitboard Gear
- Avalanche Gear
- Ice Axe, Crampons, Climbing Harness
- Guide Gratuities
Ski/Split Touring Gear
- Alpine Touring Ski or Splitboard Setup - No snowshoes
- Alpine Touring or Splitboard Boots
- Climbing Skins
- Touring Backpack - with pockets for avalanche gear
- Adjustable Touring Poles
- Avalanche Beacon
- Avalanche Shovel
- Avalanche Probe
- Ice Axe
- Crampons
- Climbing Harness
Know Before you go
Price
$250.00
Private Programs
Duration: 7 Days
View Full Itinerary
Private Programs
Blackbird Mountain Guides offers both scheduled group programs and private programs.
Private programs are simply above and beyond what Blackbird Mountain Guides currently has scheduled. Scheduled courses are not always less expensive. Before booking a trip with Blackbird Mountain Guides, clients are encouraged to review the differences between these types of programs, and to decide what works best for them.
SCHEDULED PROGRAMS
Scheduled Programs have fixed dates, itineraries, objectives, curriculum, and costs. They typically appeal to solo individuals or small groups or who are looking to share the cost of their program with a larger group. Correspondingly, scheduled programs are less expensive for smaller groups (1-2), and they provide the opportunity to meet others with similar interests. If you have a large group (3+), Scheduled programs will often be more expensive. They can fill up quickly, and scheduling flexibility is obviously limited.
Scheduled programs will have advertised dates. All scheduled programs can be run as private programs with private dates/rates as well.
PRIVATE PROGRAMS
Private programs have scheduling freedom. They typically appeal to those who would like some flexibility in planning their own trip or course. In this regard, Itineraries and objectives can be tailored to suit current conditions as well as client goals. Private programs are normally less expensive for larger groups (3+). If you have a small group (1-2) private programs will be more expensive.
Full Itinerary
Day 0 - Arrive in San Carlos de Bariloche, pickup by Blackbird Mountain Guides
Day 1 - Catedral Ski Day
- Breakfast at hotel / Air BNB.
- Ski laps at Cerro Catedral.
- Ski Mountaineering Skills. Conditions depending, we will cover ski mountaineering skills today or the following day. Skills covered will be ski crampons, boot crampons and ice axe techniques including self-arrest.
Day 2 - Bella Vista or Cerro Lopez
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring and ski mountaineering at Bella Vista or Cerro Lopez. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 3 - Bella Vista or Cerro Lopez
- Ski touring and ski mountaineering at Bella Vista or Cerro Lopez. We’ll step up into more aggressive terrain and bigger lines based on conditions and skier/rider ability.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 4 - Rest Day / Resort Day.
This will be a fun day with options for a variety of fun activities. We can take the day out of our boots or make it a mellow touring day if people would prefer more skiing. Down day activities include:
- Exploring town
- Mellow ski tour
- Resort Skiing at Catedral
- Kayaking on Lago Nahuel Huapi
- Biking around the lake
- Fishing
- Horseback riding
- Skills courses
- Climbing gym
- Siete Lagos Tour
Blackbird will facilitate down day activities, but additional costs associated will be the responsibility of the guests.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 5 - Refugio Frey / Refugio Jacob / Refugio (Night 1)
Refugio Frey is a unique hut centered in a cirque of jagged granite towers, flush with excellent ski lines. We’ll do our best to make it to this hut on this trip, but ultimately there are a lot of factors that could impact our ability to get into the huts. After breakfast, we’ll load the ski lifts to get a start on our approach to Refugio Frey. We’ll tour into the hut where we’ll settle in and get some dinner for the evening.
Day 6 - Refugio Frey / Refugio Jacob / Refugio (Night 2)
Ski touring/mountaineering in the basin outside of the Frey Hut. The terrain and views in this area are spectacular! We'll get in a full day of skiing before heading back to the Refugio for dinner and bed.
Day 7 - Refugio Frey - Out and back to town
Our last day at the Frey Hut, we'll take advantage of the awesome ski terrain and get in some laps before packing up and heading back to town. We'll close our trip with a celebration dinner in Bariloche.
We'll tackle the following objectives and skills:
Ski Missions
- Villarica
- Quetripillan
- Puyehue
- Casablanca
- Osorno
Day 0 - Arrival in Puerto Montt!
- Pickup by Blackbird Mountain Guides.
- Group Dinner.
Day 1 - Pucon Ski Day
- Breakfast at hotel / Air BNB.
- Ski laps at Pucon.
- Ski Mountaineering Skills. Conditions depending, we will cover ski mountaineering skills today or the following day. Skills covered will be ski crampons, boot crampons and ice axe techniques including self-arrest.
Day 2 - Villarica
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring and ski mountaineering at Villarica. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 3 - Quetripillan
- Ski touring and ski mountaineering at Quetripillan. We’ll step up into more aggressive terrain and bigger lines based on conditions and skier/rider ability.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 4 - Rest Day / Travel Day.
This will be a fun day with options for a variety of fun activities. We'll drive to Puyehue. We can take the day out of our boots or make it a mellow touring day if people would prefer more skiing. Down day activities include:
- Exploring town
- Mellow ski tour
- Visit the national park
- Hike
- Visit the aquarium
- Walk around town
- Horseback riding
- Skills courses
- Climbing gym
- Naps!
Blackbird will facilitate down day activities, but additional costs associated will be the responsibility of the guests.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 5 - Puyehue
Day of touring in Puyehue.
Day 6 - Casablanca
Ski touring/mountaineering in Casablanca. We'll get in a full day of skiing before driving to Puerto Varas for dinner and bed.
Day 7 - Osorno
Today we'll ski Osorno to the top of the ski lifts.
Day 8- OsornoWe'll have another great day of skiing at Osorno! We'll close our trip with a team dinner in Puerto Varas!
Day 9 - Travel dayToday is our last day, we'll all fly home today after an amazing trip full of awesome skiing!
Here are the skills and fitness you'll need for your course:
- Expert Resort Riding Skills - Including steep and consequential off-piste terrain in challenging snow conditions.
- Basic Ski Mountaineering Skills - Including ice axe, crampon, and basic rope skills are helpful, but not required. This program is designed to build those skills
- Strong Fitness - Able to spend a long, active day outside, moving uphill at 1,000’ per hour for durations of 1-1.5 hours between breaks. Participants should be able to hike 8-10 miles, climbing 2,500 - 3,500 vertical feet throughout the course of the day. People with strong fitness typically have a strenuous workout 3-4 days a week.
- Completed AIARE 1 and AIARE Avalanche Rescue - Course completion certificates from AIARE are required
Here's what's included with your trip:
- Experienced AMGA Trained Guide
- In-country transportation
- 7 Nights Lodging in Double Occupancy Rooms
- Ropes and gear for ski mountaineering & Training
- Group safety gear - your guide will be equipped with snow science tools and a first aid kit
- Wag bags for human waste disposal - in with compliance 'Leave No Trace' principles
Not Included
- Flights
- Meals
- Lift Tickets
- Ski/Splitboard Gear
- Avalanche Gear
- Ice Axe, Crampons, Climbing Harness
- Guide Gratuities
Ski/Split Touring Gear
- Alpine Touring Ski or Splitboard Setup - No snowshoes
- Alpine Touring or Splitboard Boots
- Climbing Skins
- Touring Backpack - with pockets for avalanche gear
- Adjustable Touring Poles
- Avalanche Beacon
- Avalanche Shovel
- Avalanche Probe
- Ice Axe
- Crampons
- Climbing Harness
Chile Volcanoes Ski Mountaineering
Chile Volcanoes Ski Mountaineering
Chile Volcanoes Ski Mountaineering
Chile Volcanoes Ski Mountaineering
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View Reviews
Awesome Experience
Steve, California
“Taking this course with Zeb was the best decision! He was extremely friendly, relaxed and knowledgeable and answered all our questions with great patience.
An Exceptional Course
Ellen, New York
“I took an AIARE 1 with Blackbird and couldn't recommend it more. The knowledge gained was well-worth every penny, and then some."
Too Good For Words
Andrew, Washington
Just took the "lift-assisted" Avalanche Rescue course, and it was a fantastic opportunity to act out more realistic rescue scenarios. It was a great refresher and learning experience. Our instructor Evan was knowledgeable and a lot of fun. Highly recommended!
An Incredible Weekend!
Jenna, California
Completed AIARE 1 w/ Blackbird. Instructors were very knowledgeable, experienced, patient, attentive, and down-to-earth in relating to clients across a wide spectrum of ability. Highly recommended. Great group of people!
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