CASA Tours Switchboard

Do Yourself a Favor, Ride a Volcano

Posted on April 18th, 2007 by gomez.
Categories: Recent Posts, Best Lines in South America, From the Guides.

By Aaron Bilotta

Couloirs, chutes, trees, bowls and…volcanoes?

I was initiated early to the tight and wondrous world of tree skiing. Above tree line chutes were a two hour hike above the valley floor. I was educated by a Jackson Hole legend as to why, “Bowls are for smokin’ and couloirs are for skiing”. Couloirs, chutes and bowls were the topography that made up my ski world. The geographical playground that is Chile contains over 2000 volcanoes, 55 of which are still active.
An eerie red glow looms from a crater above a peaceful Chilean town as we pack the car in anticipation of the next mornings’ tour. A short trip on Ruta 5 finds a small and winding dirt road that snakes under groves of Araucaria trees. The “monkey puzzles” bend, twist and arch giving an other-worldly sense, from the pages of Dr. Suess perhaps. The araucarias’ limbs spread way to a perfectly framed view of the most symmetrically conical peak and it’s begging for ski tracks. The cone dwarfs the small scattering of lifts at the base of the volcano. The hike up inspires and awes. Araucarias fan the valleys for miles as the next snow-laden volcano erupts from the earth. The summit is an open crater, venting thermal fumorals that heat the outside air. A 360 degree view displays lush green with piercing white cones in all directions.
Strapped in and giddy. The cone rolls out 5000 feet from your skis like plush white carpet to the valley below. Couloirs, chutes, trees and bowls. Do yourself a favor and add a volcano to the list.

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Paragliding Ski Videos

Posted on April 8th, 2007 by gomez.
Categories: Recent Posts, videos, The Ski Diaries.

What a great idea, combining paragliding with skiing.
Here are a few videos I found on youtube that capture this unique sport.
Here in South West Montana there a few folks delving into speed flying and Utah is also a mecca for this activity.
In Europe paragliding is a popular sport and combining a wing with skis just seems to be a natural evolution.

Paragliding Skiing in Cooke City, Montana

Extreme Paragliding Skiing in Europe

Speed Paragliding

Speed Flyer Utah

ParaSnowKite session in France

Paragliding Skiing near Bozeman, Montana

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Rowdy Ski Resort Hikes

Posted on April 7th, 2007 by gomez.
Categories: Recent Posts, The Ski Diaries.

Sometimes getting the goods involves an exhilirating approach. Access gates open the ski resort boundaries and take powder seekers out and beyond. Many of these gates require you put your skis or board on your back, march up a snow stairway, and traverse ridgelines to access your line. Some of these hikes are pleasant strolls, 10 minutes and you are there, others are more vigorous, steep cardio workouts, and then there are some burly, sketchy, don’t fall here hikes that kick in the endorphins long before the boards are strapped on.
Resorts like Bridger Bowl, Taos, Jackson Hole, Arapahoe Basin, Big Mountain, Telluride, Brighton, Crystal, and Grand Targhee all have legendary hikes that bring snowriders to all sorts of terrain possibilities. There is a certain ski culture directly associated with the locals who rally these hikes on a daily basis. Many apres ski conversations focus on these earn your turns runs.
In my opinion there a 3 resort based hikes in the lower 48 that really tickle the jewels and get the heart pumping well before dropping in. These 3 hikes bring riders to big mountain terrain, but what makes these hikes stand out is the exposure hikers experience getting to this terrain.
Fantasy Ridge, Solitude Mountain, Utah.
From the top of the Summit chairlift, Fantasy Ridge follows a knife edge ridgeline and leads riders to a number of steep, snaking couloirs through the Honeycomb cliffs as well as open bowls like Silver and Days Fork, and tree lined spines like Murphy’s. Walking up Fantasy Ridge hikers navigate the Honeycomb cliffs, one of Solitude’s most distinguished terrain features. Along the ridgeline patrol put handrails in the most gripping locations, falling off either side would not be a pleasant experience. The hike reminds me of a snow covered, mini Angel’s Landing. Utah might be a conservative state but they certainly have some of the rowdiest trails in the US.

Headwaters (Lord of the Rings) Traverse, Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, Montana.
Ok so this is my local mountain and I am biased but this hike is hands down the most exposed trail leaving from a ski area in the lower 48. Accessed from either Moonlight Basin’s Headwaters Lift or Big Sky’s Challenger Lift this hike starts as a benign 20 minute step up. Once you reach the patrol sled you are walking along the Headwaters ridgeline that divides Big Sky’s A-Z chutes and Moonlight Basin’s Headwaters couloirs. Moonlight Basin is one of North America’s newest resorts and before it opened the Headwaters terrain was open on a very limited basis. The terrain used to be named Nashville Bowl, the Gracelands, and the ELVIS couloirs, named so because each couloir resembles its respective letter. 1800 vertical feet of continuous 40 degree plus north facing dancefloors, tight squeezes, spines and cliffs make this terrain the perfect venue for big mountain riding. The A-Z chutes and Pinnacles drop off the south side of the Lord of the Rings Traverse. This side tends to be more tempermental snow wise due to sun effect, however aesthetically the A-Z’s are dreamy. With all the liability issues these days in North America it is amazing anyone can access The Lord of the Rings traverse. There are many sections of the traverse that are especially spicey, falling would entail bouncing off sharp andesite rock. There are no handrails or ropes to assist hikers besides one section that has metal chicken wire to keep rocks from tumbling out. And it is open 95% percent of the time, Moonlight Basin’s patrol has done an exceptional job of getting this avalanche terrain open on a daily basis and letting people get er done. With Lone Peak hovering above, walking along this traverse will make you feel like you are in Narnia. A plea to Lee Poole and Moonlight Basin, change the Headwaters traverse name back to the The Lord of the Rings traverse.

Dead Goat Hike, Moonlight Basin, Montana:
OK I know what you are thinking, this guy is really stuck on his mountain, but the north side of Lone Peak is one of the steepest high alpine ski areas in the world. Lone Peak is very remininscent of the Alps or Andes;grandiose, in your face big.
The Dead Goat hike leaves from the top of Moonlight’s Lone Tree Lift. It scrambles up a steep face and leads to an even steeper slot aided with a ropeline to a crumbly rock and ice ridgeline. Riders can drop into Don’t Tell Mama or Dead Goat from this 30 minute hike. Although the exposure is not as great as Solitude’s Fantasy Ridge or the Lord of the Rings Traverse, the sheer steepness and rockiness of the Dead Goat hike ranks it right up there as one of the rowdiest hikes in the US of A.

Here are some links for more information on great ski hikes throughout North America
Bridger Bowl Ridge Hike
Cold Smoke Awards
Ryan Turner Photography Big Sky Moonlight Basin ski/ snowboard photos
Cody Peak, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Crystal Mountain, Washington Silver Queen Hike
Wolverine Cirque, Wasatch Mountains, Utah
Telluride Gold Hill into Bear Basin
A-Basin, Colorado

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Argentina is the new Hotness…

Posted on March 20th, 2007 by abearc.
Categories: The Apres Ski Lounge, From the Guides.

by M David Johnson

From Bariloche to Esquel to San Martin de los Andes,  Argentina provides travelers with beautiful wild landscapes, distinct culture and incredible adventure opportunities. Combined with world class cuisine, wine, lodgings and nightlife I could not think of a better place to  enjoy the finer things in life.
During the North American summer, Argentina is reveling in its winter sports season. There are many Argentine ski resorts to choose from and each has its own personality from the big and modern Cerro Catedral, to the off the beaten track, uncrowded Patagonian gems Cerro Bayo, Cerro La Hoya and Chapelco. Each resort engages snow enthusiasts of all levels.
Argentina boasts style on all fronts. It is the perfect destination for active travelers who want adventure with high quality food, lodging and nightlife. Not only will the Argentine Andes entice you with powderiffic terrain it will seduce you with its Patagonian culture and charm.
Pristine lakes, flowing mountain rivers, vast pampas, towering volcanoes, giant trees and the expansive Andean mountains make Argentina an outdoors paradise. Guacho culture, parrilla meat feasts, savory malbecs and pinot noirs, fresh mountain trout and delectable helados make Argentina a gastronomical wonderland. Beautiful people, hip fashion, late night bumping discos, and an overall zest for life attitude give Argentina a sophisticated but laid back feel.
Travelers generally enter Argentina through Buenos Aires. Tango, chic restaurants, fashionable boutiques, passionate football matches, worldly art, and energetic clubs all make Buenos Aires a world class cultural destination and the perfect hub for their Patagonian travels.

Here are some interesting articles and websites about Argentina:
New York Times Ski Bariloche Article
New York Times Buenos Aires Nightlife
Buenos Aires Restaurants
Hip Spots in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires Dining
Argentina Beef
Buenos Aires the new Prague
Argentine Wineries
Argentina Ski and Snowboard Vacations

Spent time in Argentina, Where would you go back to? Tell Us.

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Pisco Sour

Posted on March 20th, 2007 by gomez.
Categories: The Apres Ski Lounge, South America Food & Wine.

by M David Johnson

Recipe for PISCO SOUR
Ingredients
2 oz pisco sour
1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 egg white
1 dash of Bitters
Directions
Shake Ingredients vigourously with ice or blend with 4-5 full ice cubes
Strain into a champagne flute and add the bitters as an aromatic garnish

Pisco is a clear spirit distilled from high sugar grapes grown in Chile and Peru. It varies in strength from 33% alcohol to 50% with the prices varying accordingly. The finest piscos come from limited-production pisquerias such as Horcon Quemado. Traditionally served as a pisco sour, it is also popular with Coca Cola as a piscola.

Some fun places in Santiago, Chile to enjoy a refreshing Pisco Sour:
10 Best Nightlife Spots in Santiago, Chile
A Weekend in Santiago, Chile
Etniko Constitucion 172, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
La Casa en el Aire Antonia Lopez de Bello 0125 Providencia , Santiago (Chile) , 02 7356680
Bar Liguria Avenida Providencia 1373, Santiago, Chile · 56-2-253-7914
Batuta jorge washington 52 :: PLAZA ÑUÑOA :: santiago de chile :: 56-2-2747096
La Piojera Location: Aillavilú Nº 1030
Flannerys Irish Pub Encomenderos 83, Santiago, Chile · 56-2-233-6675
Phone Box Pub Avenida Providencia 1652, Santiago, Chile · 56-2-235-9972

Where was your best Pisco Sour? Or can’t you remember, many say Pisco is Tequilla on Steroids.

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World of Good and the Fair Trade Movement

Posted on March 19th, 2007 by abearc.
Categories: Recent Posts, Social Good.

I recently began reading about a company called World of Good located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their mission is to create opportunities for hundreds of artisan cooperatives around the world and to serve as a bridge to the U.S. retail market. They assist artisans by providing access to fair wages, safe working conditions and long-term economic sustainability.

The mission of World of Good is threefold: (from their website)

1. To make purchasing Fair Trade artisan products easy for consumers - primarily through bringing Fair Trade options to the mainstream retail market
2. To help the communities and artisans that create these beautiful products by:
   • paying a fair wage in the local context
   • ensuring healthy and safe working conditions within the local context
   • building long-term trade relationships
   • encouraging environmentally sustainable practices
   • providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible
3. To educate consumers about the benefits of purchasing fair trade products

Click here to watch an interview with Pria Haji the company’s founder.

Learn more about the principles of fair trade.

Also visit World of Good: Development Organization, a branch of World of Good focused on strengthening standards for handcrafts in the international fair trade industry and also improving the lives of thousands of artisans through community development projects.

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CASA Tours introduces EXPLORE PATAGONIA Tour

Posted on March 19th, 2007 by gomez.
Categories: Recent Posts.

Our newest CASA itinerary. The 8 day Explore Patagonia Tour takes our guests into the heart of the Patagonian Andes. Our trip starts and finishes in Bariloche, where guests are treated to thousands of acres of inbounds and offpiste ski terrain and breathtaking lake vistas at Cerro Catedral. Bariloche has a plethora of superb restaurants, nightspots and boutiques making it a sophisticated, world-class adventure based community. We take a day trip and travel along the shores of Lago Nahuel Haupi to Villa Angostura and spend our day exploring the uncrowded slopes of Cerro Bayo, and its easily accessed backcountry terrain. Next we road trip south along Ruta 40, where we stop at the 42nd parallel and the town of El Bolson to visit its famous artisan market and enjoy a few micro brews and lunch at the local brewery. Following the famous narrow gauge steam train route writer Paul Theroux coined the Old Patagonian Express, we arrive in Esquel, a gaucho and Welsh influenced country town. Situated where the expansive Patagonian steppes meet the Andes and near to where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid homesteaded, Esquel is our gateway for 3 days skiing and snowboarding at La Hoya. A true Argentine gem, La Hoya offers us endless backcountry opportunities and stunning views into Parque Nacional Alerce. We spend our evenings sharing matte, wine, and mouth watering Argentine beef. We return to Bariloche for one more big night out and a final day on the slopes at Cerro Catedral. Que Bueno!!!
Alumni Bonus!! CASA is extending a 15% discount on the Explore Patagonia tour to all our alumni travelers for the 2007 season.

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Santiago Sushi

Posted on March 19th, 2007 by gomez.
Categories: The Apres Ski Lounge, South America Food & Wine.

by M David Johnson

Blessed with over 4000 miles of Pacific coastline, Chile’s sushi supply is extraordinary. In Santiago, Chile’s capital city, Etniko serves up sushi with a hip vibe and the freshest of fresh fish. Accompanied by dj’s spinning records and a super chic bar, Etniko is the place to be for this raw delicacy. Talented sushi chefs create imaginative rolls as well as the basics. Large groups can feast on sushi boats, filled with many different flavors and varieties. The bar serves one of the best Pisco Sours, a Chilean speciality, and pours many a champagne and Red Bull to get you going for the vibrant night scene in Santiago’s Barrio Bellavista. Don’t plan on showing up till at least 10pm and even then you will be just getting the restaurant going. Chile’s dining culture starts late and clubs don’t get bumping until 2 am. Etniko is located on Constitucion 172, just down the street from Nobel prize winning poet, Pablo Neruda’s casa. Pay attention, it is easy to walk past this unassuming restaurant and if you are craving sushi while in Santiago you will not want to miss out.

The Best Sushi in Chile…

Etniko Sushi - Constitucion 172 - Bellavista District, Santiago 56-2-732-0119

Sushihana - Vitacura 2947 - Las Condes, Santiago 56-2-233-2801

Sushi House - Vitacura 5293 - Las Condes, Santiago 56-2-247-9200

Japon - Baron Pierre de Coubertin 39 (Ex-Marcoleta) por Vicuna Mackenna, Santiago Centr, 56-2-222-5417

For some reviews click here.

If you have eaten some Sushi in Chile or Argentina let us know about it!

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The Best Lines in South America - The Santa Teresa

Posted on March 17th, 2007 by abearc.
Categories: Best Lines in South America.

by Sarah Weinberg - CASA North America Manager

It is hard to choose a favorite in Chile, as there are so many classic lines around. I suppose one of my great favorites is what’s called the Santa Teresita. ‘ita’ put onto the end of a word in Spanish means something like, ‘little one’. That is the great sarcastic humor kicking in with the Teresita as it’s anything but little! I remember the first time I found my way out there with some local friends I couldn’t believe what was in front of me. I felt like I had just been dropped off at a heli LZ and was staring at some of the vastest terrain I had ever skied. I was no spring chicken, even at that time, but the immense possibility of line variation that lay before my eyes send a twitter in my stomach and a hunger in my soul for Chile.

I head for the lifts at the little known resort of El Colorado. This is a family mountain squished in-between the much more popular and demanding resorts of Valle Nevado and La Parva. As I head up first the poma and then a t-bar I am amazed at the shape of this place. A classic volcanic sputter cone nestled amongst huge peaks. I can see a 20,000 Ft. peak just above the ski area that looks like you could take a little stroll over there in a couple of hours, in reality the peak of El Plomo is at least two days away and another upon return.

I ski down the un-descript blue groomer towards a little brown shack. It’s an outhouse really and I love to refer to the adjacent line as shitter chute. I duct under the ropes and ignore the out-of-bounds signs, the avalanche danger signs and the cliff markings. A any diligent backcountry skier I have already drooled at these lines from the Valle Nevado access road and chosen my land marks to look for. I check my beacon and that of my partner. All good. We edge towards the ridgeline, peeking over the other side and what appears before my eyes is a whole new world. It’s a world of wide-open spaces, untracked powder, cliffs, funnels and benches. I look directly below the outhouse at shitter chute and even though I can’t see how it goes through to the road, I know it does from previous experience. There is so much to choose from though we decide to glide down the ridge a little and see what else there is available. We pass the sharks’ fin, a knife-edge fin of rock that rises from the smooth treeless slope and offers some gnarly and rocky goat pickings through into the lower powder fields. I want to keep going though as I have a little something in mind.

We drop onto the far side of the sharks’ fin and ski side hill a little ways down. The snow is fantastic and I have my eyes narrowed, looking for a little something of local ledged. There I see it, a small bonsai tree. It is the only tree within a 2000’ vertical decent and many miles around. An anomaly that marks the entrance to, what the locals call, bonsai run. I am so excited as I had heard of this place, this tree for a few seasons but hadn’t had the chance to come and seek it out.

I have a look and make a plan. The chute is narrow in the choke but still wide enough to make turns, it dog legs around a corner so that I cannot fully see to the bottom, adding just a little angst in my throat. I see the left flank looks loaded with snow and drains steeply into the choke. I decide on a risky ski cut up the left flank and then a shot for the main guts. As I gather speed and try to glide lightly across the loaded slope I look for my escape route just in case. All my luck though as nothing moves and the snow feels good underfoot. I snap in a couple of turns, shoot into the guts, carve a big one through the narrows and out into the lower fan I go. Once into the lower open fan I drop into a rhythm of glee and dance out some powder turns to leave my glorious mark all the way to the road.

Of course its over way to fast and as I look back up the lower half of the chute I am happy to have skied another challenging line that I found myself, assessed myself and gained the glory of the ride. I look up and down the ridge line and sense endless possibility with this ‘little one’.

The best part comes next as we hop down onto the road, stick out our thumbs for a hitch up to Valle Nevado to do it all over again.

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East Side

Posted on March 17th, 2007 by abearc.
Categories: Recent Posts, From the Guides.

This is the year. I’m going back. An against the grain and against all senses of sanity ski trip back to the east coast. I’ve had it with skier’s boasts of their trips “out west”. Why don’t we hear tales of epic “back east” journeys? Okay..I know I know. But still, skiing in the east conjures up memories of skiing at its purest and simplest in a time where the big mountain free-riding scene is sometimes just “too much”. My imagined itinerary begins with sharp edges on a pair of skis that aren’t too fat to fit in the old ski rack..aah perfect! Cold air bites the skin as I rip corduroy down the historic Wildcat trail with the majestic Mount Washington vista looming. Off to bang VW sized bumps at the Loaf on Bubblecuffer. Mad River Glenn. I’ll ski it if I can. Are there any more in-your-face trails than the front four of Stowe? Outer Limits and Devil’s Fiddle at Killington perhaps. The oxymoronic eastern powder day, cue-ball mountain, toboggan chutes, death cookies, glades and crust. An early morning hike to HoJo’s where its time to change shirts and begin the boot up the left claw of Hillman’s. The first turns drop me into Dodge’s, steep and winding. Then it’s a trek across the Highway and another boot up and into the Duchess. Feeling good. Up and over the scree to the top of the ravine. Past Left Gully. This turn always gets it pumpin’. Just before the cliff-out there’s a goat path back into the Chute. Old familiar faces at the tavern talking rope-ducking and bush whacking. It’s pure, its simple, its skiing. So, as the snow continues to pound the Tetons here in Jackson, I’ll continue to plan my return trip to the hardpack. Maybe next year.

Aaron Bilotta - CASA Guide

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