Bolivia

It’s a sad day when the world’s highest lift accessed skiing is forced to shut down due to premature glacial melting. Chacaltaya, a peak located in Bolivia about 30 kilometers … Read More

In Episode VII, the Sweetgrass crew wraps up their trip to Bolivia. They fall short of their goal to ski Sajama (Bolivia’s highest peak), but they end up with a solid consolation prize: Parinacota. Parinacota and its sister Pomerape stand nearby Sajama. All three are 20,000+ foot volcanoes.

Sweetgrass is releasing weekly episodes of “On the Road with Solitaire” this summer, which give a behind the scenes look at the making of their last film, Solitaire. Check out some of their past episodes:     Episode VII     Episode VI

Stay tuned for Episode IX, on July 5.

Sweetgrass Productions 12 part web series ‘On The Road With SOLITAIRE’ continues with Episode 6, End of the Line. Not much skiing in this episode as the crew including Telluride local Kim Havell attempt to travel through Bolivia’s Badlands train hopping to ski volcanoes, unfortunately not running into much luck along the way. The only skiing is on some of the most heinous conditions I have seen, dagger-like ice called Penitentes. No thanks…

Kim Havell Navigating the Penitentes

The footage is both incredibly beautiful yet tough to watch at points, showing the pain and struggles that come along with such a mission.

The poetic storytelling is signature Sweetgrass style and the cinematography is unique and amazing as always! Looking forward to see them push for the volcano in the next episode dropping June 21st…

With the southern winter just around the corner, it’s time to get motivated for some big Andean adventures.

Sometimes the Andes offer great ski conditions, but most of the time skiing the Andes consists of wild weather, rugged mountains, and desolate landscapes. This can make the whole experience a really tough struggle against the elements, but it also makes the turns you get that much more rewarding.

Andreas Fransson and Bjarne Sahlen know this better than most. They spent three months last year trying to climb and ski some of the biggest and baddest peaks in the Andes. They did this on a shoestring budget, with almost no assistance from guides, sherpas, donkeys, etc. Fransson and Sahlen battled high winds, brutal cold, sand storms, and 25 mile approaches. However, their achievements speak for themselves: summit descents from numerous Andean classics, including Huascaran, Aconcagua, and Mercedario.

Below are the five videos that Bjarne Sahlen put together from their trip. They describe what Andes adventures are about far better than I can, so watch them!

Check out Bjarne’s blog and Andreas’ blog for more trip details, and keep an eye out for the compilation film that Bjarne will be releasing soon.

MSN just ranked the Sea to Sky highway second on the list of the world’s most dangerous roads. Yeah weird I know. Take a peek at the list and look … Read More

Tahoe/Chamonix resident Dave Rosenbarger recently returned from an epic ski mountaineering expedition to Bolivia. Check out is partner Giulia Monego’s blog at http://giuliamonego.com/ or keep on reading below for the final report … Read More

Tahoe/Chamonix resident Dave Rosenbarger recently returned from what sounds like an epic ski mountaineering expedition to Bolivia. Check out is partner Giulia Monego’s blog athttp://giuliamonego.com/ or keep on reading below for the … Read More

Tahoe/Chamonix resident Dave Rosenbarger recently returned from what sounds like an epic ski mountaineering expedition to Bolivia. Check out is partner Giulia Monego’s blog at http://giuliamonego.com/ or keep on reading below for … Read More

Tahoe/Chamonix resident Dave Rosenbarger recently returned from what sounds like an epic ski mountaineering expedition to Bolivia. Check out is partner Giulia Monego’s blog at http://giuliamonego.com/ or keep on reading below for … Read More