This Month in Neuquén: More on Caviahue

This is what Caviahue looks like on approach. You can see how desolate it appears to be. It looks deceptively flat (it's actually high desert), and that big plateau you can see in the background marks the beginning of even higher elevations. The ski base is only 2 km away. What is striking about the place is the sparse forest of old-growth Arucaria trees (also called Monkey Puzzles). They are uniquely shaped and hundreds of years old, remnants of what once was an extensive, Prehistoric forest. We have one of these trees in our front yard, and it is probably 30 years old, although it barely reaches the top of the one-story house.

Here's looking down a run on the mountain. It wasn't the best day to ski, but I was so grateful to be able to do something active and dangerous for the first time in over a year! It was snowing heavily and with low visibility. The view from this slope must be heavenly in full sun; here the lake appears ghostly, hanging beneath the clouds. I have no idea who that guy in yellow is. Lance and I took turns watching Merritt in the restaurant at the base.

Here are a couple of snapshots from the lift. Imagine being suspended and cold, swinging through this rare landscape. I think those white blotches in the frame are clumps of snow clinging to the lens.

I can't wait to go back to Caviahue next year! We still love San Martin de los Andes, but Caviahue is a great place to ski if you want to avoid crowds and distractions. During the winter, there is little else to do there.

Then, of course, there is the snow baby, who napped, snuggled, and played at the restaurant all day. Later, he and his dad had a talk in the hotel room. It looks like "Chanchi" (his nickname, derived from "chancho," a local word for hog; Merritt is a wee piglet, so we call him "Chanchito") had a lot to say and gave his dad a talking-to!