Las Leñas 3

Another beautiful blue sky day. No snow last night but I decided to head north and try the middle. The chunks had been skiied down and while it was very hard pack it was not the trash it was the day before. I made a couple runs there and headed over to a more southern (or left if you face the mountain) area. There was an off-piste zone that is a fairly uninterrupted constant slope to the cat-track from hell. The powder was nearly skiied out and the wind crust didn't help but it was still a good run. At this point I decided to break for lunch.

I've always thought a tostada involved tortillas in some way. Here in Argentina, it's a toasted sandwich made with bread that comes in sheets about 25cm square and 5-10mm thick; typically filled with ham, cheese, and this case chicken. Quite tasty.

I looked at my watch and thought, "Can I make another off-piste run from Marte before I have to leave?" That and still hit the gift shop and have a beer or submarino (steamed milk with chocolate in the bottom, not syrup or powder but actual chocolate). The clock said yes! So another 30 or so minute ride to the top began. For the last third on the way to the top of Marte, my solo partner was an Australian who told me an interesting story. Apparently, Las Leñas was the dream of an Argentian. However, the year it opened and the following year saw little to no snow and left him bankrupt. The resort then passed from bank to bank until a Malaysian group recently purchased it. Aside from a couple of Poma lifts, they have not invested in any significant upgrades. It shows.

The top of the southeast peak is really hard to read and I still don't have a full understanding of where things are, but I ended up coming out of a chute in a completely different area than I had anticipated. I'd like to say I rode it most of the way but the first half was basically a side to side traverse. The snow had been windblasted and had almost an ice-like feel. Playing it safe was the only way I was going to do this. At about the halfway point, things softened up and I started linking my turns again. But then the conditions turned to what remains behind after an avalanche, rough, chunky snow. This too had been wind blasted and alternated between very hard pack and oasis of shallow powder. I did get some incredible photos though.

I think this could be a better mountain, but like any resort its fortunes are at the whim of mother nature. With a fresh dump of powder, say at least 30cm and no wind, much of it would be incredible but the high winds quickly crust what does arrive or carry it away. I'm sure even soft snow can be found if you're willing and know where to hike, but that would not be this trip.