Bajada de las antorchas

Cada viernes a las ocho de la noche, los profes de la escuela de esquí se reunen para hacer "La bajada de las antorchas." Estas son antorchas verdaderas, palos con trapos remojados en kerosene. Subimos encima del Plateau y después de unas instrucciones de la directora, encendemos las antorchas y bajamos en una linea. Los últimos trescientos metros tenemos que hacer un schuss para que tengamos bastante velocidad para llegar al hotel. ¡Espero que ustedes aprovechen el video!

Stupid Human Tricks

Whether it's in a clinic or just horsing around at Ski School line up, ski instructors have a knack for coming up with an inexhaustable variety of "stupid human tricks"

This one is a racers' exercise called "Fuzzi's turn" to see if you can hang in there on the inside ski when you are too far back for your own good, and still make it forward to the next turn, only to do the same move over again. Racers often find themselves in this position and need to be good at recovering.

Mac wasn't quite getting his handstand right, so Alex had to show him how it is done.

This one is more commonly seen, except when Mac dismounted, he fell on his pole and broke it...thus the Stupid Human Trick label. Just part of the cost of doing business!

Lake Run

Today after a nice lunch at Tio Bobs with the family of the two delightful Brazilian girls I have been coaching all week,

I ended up with a free afternoon. Lake Run opened yesterday and I heard there were a lot of rocks and a bit of a schlepp to get back. Until two year ago you could only ski this run if the lake was frozen, so you could get back to the hotel. But two years ago they blasted a trail into the rock and I was also told that the run should be skied just to experience the Camino del Inca cliff trek to return to the hotel. Well, Ski School director Robin Barnes and about six other profes were heading there and I figured it was not going to get any better, so...
We headed up the Condor slingshot and traversed over the rocks to Lake Run. It was hot and the snow on this slope will not hold up long, but there were still many fresh tracks to be had. About half way down we were all sucking wind. Pausing, I got these shots looking up and down to the lake.

Further down you have to start heading left if you don't want to go swimming to the bottom to visit the Incan goddess with the emerald eyes (I'll post the legend later, and you get funneled into Camino del Inca.

I am told the railings are new this year! There are a few sharp turns on it and an uphill section that requires sidestepping when the path is not as wide as your skis are long! All in all, I agree that the experience was worth the huff and the puff, and I still did not hit any rocks. God is gracious. Amen.

 

New Treats Every Day

I am losing track of when the treats started, but every day since the storm, Portillo has delivered another treat. This is good, because the ski mongers here eat up all the fresh powder they can get and then it's all tracked up, heavy and clumpy. Mike Rogan promised a new treat every day this week and he has made good on his word. Tuesday, Juncalillo opened, giving us a long intermediate run that crosses the highway over two tunnels and has considerable vertical drop and a long chair ride back up with interesting views (see the photos of the highway switchbacks under the chair).

Here you can see how the trail goes over the highway tunnels twice. You don't even notice when you are skiing until you ride up the chair and the trucks honk, waive and take pictures of you riding the chair!

Along with Juncalillo came Cara Cara, one of the faces on the west side, served by a slingshot lift. Wow! What a ride and what a run. I have yet to hit a rock, but I have touched many with my poles, so the skis and the body have been lucky! This view is from the top of the run...

¡Abrieron La Garganta!

Hoy abrieron La Garganta y la esquié a la primera oportunidad, sin problema. Es bastante inclinada y había mucho polvo profundo, pero más congelado que ayer, y más fácil para esquiar. Solamente sentí una roca, y mis cantos muestran un poquito de daño.

No están abiertas Las Gargantitas, pero alquien (a lo mejor un Patrullo) hizo estas huellas. ¡Caramba!

Esta semana tengo dos niñas brasileñas para la clase intermediana. Son muy amables y nos vamos a divertir mucho. La mayor habla inglés bien y la otra prefiere el español. También podré practicar lo que estoy aprendiendo en la clase de portugués. "Muito bem."