Remember that Salomon Freeski TV episode with Mark Abma, Chris Rubens, and Eric Hjorleifson charging lines inside a beautiful volcano in Chilean Patagonia (if not see video below)? Yeah, me too. It’s still my favorite episode that they’ve ever done. Well, that crater is a volcano called Puyehue and its spewing molten, liquid hot magma right now.
600 people have been evacuated from towns near Puyehue in Chile and no injuries have been reported. Ash has come down wind and left a light blanket in Unofficial’s summer home in Bariloche, Argentina. This happens all the time in Bariloche and the people there are completely used to it. They even have masks in their houses ready to roll when this happens. The creepy part is that daytime turns to night when the ash blocks out the sun.
Video of Puyehue erupting today, June 4th, 2011.
Bariloche, Argentina and Lake Nahuel Huapi in an Ash Storm. Nope, that ain’t snow, humans. photo: Malena Xicarts
Earthquakes generally accompany these eruptions and Argentina’s National Emergency Office says it has recorded an average of 230 tremors an hour since the eruption.
Puyehue eruption in May 1960.
Car covered in ash in downtown Bariloche, Argentina.
All this just goes to prove how wild it is down in Patagonia. It’s nuts down there. It’s the most beautiful place on Earth combined with amazing culture, erupting volcanos, beautiful women, constant earthquakes, a city of 130,000, bamboo everywhere, a major tourist destination, trees with no leaves, raging disotecas 7 nights a week, and more snow than you can shake a stick at. Yeah, I wanna go, too.
Unofficial will have two athlete/reporters based in Bariloche, Argentina this summer. The ski resort there is called Catedral, its got some of the most playful sidecountry anywhere, and the place is huge with over 4,000 vertical feet.
Last season at Catedral was all-time (check video below). A plethora of snow from June until October made it a summer to remember.
If you haven’t yet, check out and get familiar with UnofficialAndes.com. It’s gonna be a crazy summer.