High Pressure Journal Entry Sept. 15 2007

We woke for the second time to the sun, after a quick breakfest David, Petit, and I packed our daypacks and began to skin up the valley in search of our new project for the day. After a hour of skinned both David and I found two side by side couliours at the top of Cerro Castillo. We both figure that it was going to be an two to three hour ski and climb to get into the heart of this monster. I started breaking trail and David and Petit can up behind, after an hour I split from David and Petit, going up into my couliour. Once I was in the narrow walled couliour I realized that it didn't top out but rather turned a dog leg right and continued up for another 200 vetical feet. With another hour of hiking behind me, I reached the top, I was able to look out over the entire Cerro Castillo valley and into argentina. Simply amazing. I was a the highest piont of the trip so far. With the wind blowing I down climbed the rocky scree careful not to knock an rocking down on my gear and get them going down the couliour without me. Once I got to my gear I clicked into my skis and after a quick pee and Clif Gel Shot I was ready to ski this thing. I figured I was going to break it down into three small sections. The top shaded into the middle dog leg and then out into the open. As I began to disect the line with each turn, picking my way down the shade into the dog leg and into the heart of the couliour I could hear over my heart beats that my edges were getting down to the bed rock with each turn. This made me ski even fast, shooting for the opening, once in the open I was free to rip som GS turns down the fast tell I met up with Dave and Petit. Looking back up at it, seeing my turns in the snow, was perfection. A solo first descent and ascent. Skiing back to came with thought of the day and the thought of tonight's dinner and whiskey shot. Truely living the dream. Skiing in September in Patagonia amongest friends.

Smooth Criminal Couliour: Journal entry Sept. 14th 2007

Today was amazing!! We woke to the sun for the first time in three days. Today is the first day in which I'm able to see all of the surrounding peaks in the valley. Also tonight will be the first night that I will be sleeping in a dry sleeping bag. We spend most of the morning pulling out all of our sleeping bags and wet gear hanging them in trees around camp. After breakfast which consisted of instant oatmeal and jam, David, Petit, and I quickly packed our day packs, and put skins on our skis, and began to head up the valley in search of something to ski. After 10 minutes we found it. A 3000 foot plus couliour on the left side of the valley hidden in the shade. Both Dave and I saw it and without a word started toward the base of it. After an hour or so of technical skinning we arrived at the base of this monster. It looked alot bigger up close, and there were patches of glacieric ice showing. As Dave, Petit and I packed our skis and snowboard on our backs we started the long post hole climb up. David took the lead and was sweating and swearing post holing up to his chest, I knew it was going to be a long afternoon. After an hour we had only gone about a thousand feet up, and still had two thousand to go. With about a thousand feet ahead, I took over the post holing and let me tell you I knew why Dave was swearing, it was so hard going about two steps up for every one step down. Upon reaching the top I was amazed to see to the sky line a hundred valleys just like ours. Patagonia is a place that dwarfs a skier. After a quick pee, Clif gel shot and some chocolate it was time to ski. Once I had my skis on I was sweating bullets, I couldn't even see the bottom, it rolled over 53 degrees. Later Dave said I could tell something was up, "you were all quite, and breathing hard". It was like I had a hundred butterflys in my stomach and they wanted to be freed. As soon as I rolled into my first turn feeling the edge of the ski bite the snow and turn into the slope the butterflys were free. As the hill fell away underneath me and I incresed my speed I could see out of the corner of my eye my snow sluff chasing me down. Ten or twenty turns more I was at the bottom looking back up, over the radio David asked, "how's the snow and check out the three Condors over head keeping eye over us." We decided to name it "A Smooth Criminal" after a Michael Jackson song, because of a long running joke about Michael from the down weather days. It was so amazing after three day stuck in camp to open up the expedition with a first descent 3000 foot 53 degree couliour with Condors watching us do our dance with the mountains of Patagonia.
Later that evening, while sittting back in camp with the surrounding peaks in alpine glow sipping some well earned Irish whiskey, the cook stove worked on boiling water to make up some pasta, I could only think I'm living the Dream!! I hope the high pressure stays for awhile.

Rain and Snow and the approach Journal Entry Sept. 12 2007

Rain and snow and more rain as we carry our skis for two hours through the wind swept grassy plains into the nire forest of patagonia. The little trail we are travling on has worked us up valley. I guess so much for the weather forcast. We started our skinning at 6:30am we reached our base camp up in the cerro castillo valley at 3:30 pm. It feels good to drop off our sixty pound packs, but the work isn't done we get to dig a kitchen and two pads for your tents. Then David, Danny and I get to travel down the valley to our food chache and repack our packs and skin up the valley. Returning to camp at 7:30 camp was allmost finished, and we settled in to a bowl of instant potatoes. It sure it the spot after the long day of getting to camp. Once I hit the pillow I was out, but Im tent mates and I forgot to ventilate the tent so when we woke up in the morning our tent and gear was soaked. We spend the next two days sitting around camp reading, paying cards, and waiting for the weather to break. I hope the pressure is rising on the barometer.

Back to the World

I'm back from our ten day expedition to the cerro castillo mountains of patagonia, and I have to say the trip was a great success. The team skied down 10 first descent couliours I personally skied down 5 first descents over the coming days I will be posting my jouranl enteries over the ten days as well as adding some photos and maybe a small video of climbing the "thriller" couliour the last day of the trip. Check back soon

patagonia day 2

Today we made it the village of cerro castillo.After a wild ride down the snow cover road into town. We spent all day packing and sorting gear. We are finally ready for the launch of the trip into the wilds of patagonia. I will follow with photos, soon right I currently on the only internet computer in all of the town, and it´s slow and the line is long to use it. This will be the last update for a while because we are heading into the mnts. for ten day. We hope if the weather is good. I will update photos and more more blogging soon.
later
Forrest

patagonia day 1

After what felt like Ground Hog Day the movie, on the plane ride down to Patagonia from Santiago to Balmaceda. The plane landed at three other airports before reaching our stop, think like a bus. Having to watch the movie emergency video three time over and over. We landed in Balmaceda into the cold of winter. The landscape is shaped by wind, there are few large tree, and it looks as if winter lasts more then half the year. It was cool to watch out the window of the plane as we flow over the mountains we hope to ski in the coming days. I started to get buttflys in my stomach seeing what is possible. First Descents!!! And it looks as if the weather window is coming, before the wet winds of patagonia come again, to pound the our tents. We are leaving for the mountains of Cerro Castillo in the morning, the plan is to stay in the the range for a week, or more. We have ten day to explore the range. Check back for skiing photos coming soon
Forrest

Santiago and Skiing

Well
Over the past two days we have explored all over Santiago, finding pretty cool graffiti on the streets and houses throughout the city,seeing the sites and sounds of six millon. Santiago is a mix of the old world with a touch of the new world. From classic building made of rock, and stone to massive skyscrapers made of glass. I forgot how fast they drive here, its a race all day long. Have to watch yourself. We have been staying at the plaze de armas hostel in the heart of the city. I watch from the windows of the hostel as the people on the street come and go all day and night. Last night we when out on the town, and it´s more active once the sun goes down. After staying out way too late at a smoky jazz club in the bellavista district of the city, we woke early to head up into the mountains to ski at Valle Nevado, a resort high up in the Andes. To get there we traveled around 40 plus switchbacks. The skiing wasn´t great but skiing in Sept. is always good. It felt good to get my skiing legs back. A day on skis is better then one not after a long summer in the states. We skied the resort all day, getting a little corn down low on the mountain, and up high at the top of the mountain about 11,200 feet firm grippy snow. After skiing we sat on a sun deck watching Chile´s high class in the pool. Tomorrow we fly to Patagonia to begin the real adventure, ski mountaineering in the Patagonian Andes.
Ciao
Forrest