Cerro Castor

Ushuaia has become our one longer destination. We are here for 4 nights. Normally, we would have left today but the buses we need only leave Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Not a problem at all, we are right at home here at Freestyle. Mmm it's Tuesday now. We went out our first night for the 4th like I said, then stayed in the next night and last night, our 3rd here, we went out again. We did the Dublin thing, which was really fun, I practiced my spanish a lot with a few guys who live and work here as well as with a Portuguese named Jose who spoke Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, French and English. It was a good time, I really enjoy meeting the locals and it was especially interesting hearing about their experiences in Buenos Aires and the rest of the country. It's so strange that people here go to BA, Iguazu, Miami and New York...it just seems impossible to picture them outside of this town. It feels like a whole other world.

Yesterday we got up early, around 9, and took a shuttle to Cerro Castor, the world's southernmost ski resort. It was amazingggg. The conditions weren't ideal, it's probably better skiing in Vermont but the whole experience was something else. It was raining in the town when we woke up but as soon as we took the first lift the rain turned into snow which came down steadily during the day. Apparently everyone is upset about the snow because usually there are huge festivals and celebrations welcoming the snowfall in July but it hasn't come yet and skiers and snowboarders around the country are getting anxious. Many of the tourists who go to ski in Bariloche have actually been coming to Ushuaia for snow which is why we decided to spend more time here and ski while we actually have the chance. The mountain was nice, not crowded, no lines, empty trails, completely perfect except for one minor detail. GOGGLES! Ski goggles might be the best invention ever....do not take them for granted! We rented pants, skis, boots, everything necessary except they didn't rent out goggles and of course no one wanted to invest in a new pair when we all have plenty at home. Skiing with only 4 senses is a little bit terrifying. We had to go in short bursts and then stop to rest our eyes which were getting pounded by snowflakes and ice chunks. Not very pleasant but a small price to pay for a day like that. I can't believe I lasted, I haven't skied in maybe...oh shit I don't know, three years? Not since Okemo with Rossi sometime in high school. My knees are feeling it today but overall it was worth it. I miss skiing, I wish I had made more time for it while I was at Loomis. Ohhh well there's always next year.

We got back around six and went for a walk (more like hike) around the town. For dinner we went to a great parilla called La Estancia. It was a typical Argentine restaurant but it also had a tenedor libre option which all of us chose for 60 pesos. Not cheap but that's normal for food and everything else down here considering the distance everything has to travel to reach this Antarctic town. It was a great meal, we had a few bottles of red wine and paced ourselves through the buffet. No matter how slow I eat I always leave those places feeling like I'm about to explode. After resting the night before we went out to Dublin again and socialized with hostel guests as well as workers. It was a really, really good day followed by a great night with good beer, good conversation and good company.

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