Refugio Frey, Patagonia Backcountry Hut Report: Chutes & Ladders

This backcountry report is thanks to AndesCross Mountain Guides, a company that guides the best backcountry skiing in Patagonia, Argentina, Chile, and internationally.  AndesCross Mountain Guides has fully UIAGM-IFMGA certified guides have the Bariloche, Argentina region dialed.

by AndesCross

Report from August 8th, 9th,10th, 2014

The past few days brought snow to the Andes.  The storm was a warm storm at the beginning then cooled off, warmed up again, and then ended cold helping to create a bomber snowpack.  In the Refugio Frey zone, there was a little bit of crust and some wind affected snow, as well as some hidden powder.

In terms of avalanches, conditions were very good.  We were able to ski steep terrain without any sign of natural nor human triggered avalanches.   We didn’t find any layers of concern in the snowpack.  Of course, wind can transport snow and cause pockets of instability, but the general conditions are good.

About Refugio Frey, Bariloche, Argentina:

Refugio Frey is a mountain hut in the Bariloche, Argentina.  The hut is staffed and they’ll cook you breakfast, lunch, and dinner if desired.  They even have keg beer.  The hut is located on the edge of a lake facing unreal ski terrain of Cerro Catedral (the real one, not the ski resort).  The nearby ski terrain includes many couloirs of many widths.  Most all the runs are about 1,500 vertical feet long.  Longer walks can take you to Cerro Inviares (an amazing ski moutain) and more.