South America Part IV (plus a reminder to vote!)

Before I get into the conclusion of my trip, please do me a favor, visit the following link and give me a vote! With your help, I could win a hiking excursion to the Arctic! Voting is daily so every vote helps, thanks so much! http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/324364/voteable_entries/68689974

I had just arrived in Bariloche, and was excited to get my feet wet snowboarding. Luckily, my first day there I met a crew of people who would soon become my good friends and riding buddies. Staying at Hostel 41 Below, we would make our daily bus ride to the mountain and shred hard everyday. The riding was great, my friends Ryan, Trevor and I even went in a big air contest one day, and Ryan and I ended up on the podium. Every day's riding would end with a Quilmes beer and a Super Poncho (a 12 inch hot dog, wrapped in ham, with melted cheese and crushed Frito-Lay chips on top) before heading back into town and consuming mucho steak and wine, and cheese. It was truly 2 weeks in paradise.

I took my camera up with me one day on the mountain, and we had a bit of fun exploring. Other than that, it was purely a soul shred, packing in as many turns as I could for a South American adventure. After 2 weeks, I was headed onwards to the last chapter of trip - 4 days of boozing and sightseeing in Buenos Aires. Check the next post for the conclusion! Thanks again for the votes!

South America Part II with a Daily Vote Reminder!

Another quick reminder to help me out with a daily vote on this MEC contest! If you could simply click on the link below, and vote for my photography entry about hiking, you could help me win a hiking trip to the Arctic! Thanks for helping!! http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/324364/voteable_entries/68689974

Now on to the interesting stuff. I met up with my travel group in Santiago (check out GAP Adventures, they're a bit pricy, but if you don't speak the language well it helps a lot), and we headed south via an overnight bus ride to the town of Pucon, Chile. In my group were me, 3 girls (Lupita, Noora, and Janet), and our tour guide. The town of Pucon showed some rainy weather, so we could not climb the nearby volcano, Villaricca. Instead, we went for a soaking wet hike through a national park to a waterfall, which was pretty fun, given the circumstances. I probably wouldn't have done a similar hike in BC in those conditions, but you need to take what you get when travelling.

The next day we went for some whitewater rafting, followed by a visit to some badass hot springs, 2 activities that are extremely enjoyable in the rain. Afterwards, the guides brought us to their house for a BBQ feast; carne asada and wine in vast amounts. The hospitality down there was absolutely amazing. After 2 days in Pucon, we took off east, crossing the border into Argentina, first visiting a town called San Martin de los Andes. To be continued...

MEC Contest Reminder! And a taste of South America

So I posted the other day that I entered a photo contest with MEC, and could use your help with daily votes! Since the voting is daily, I thought I would post up some pictures of my travels to South America every day, to give some incentive to take a look and vote for me! Here's the link again, and if you could toss me a vote to help me win a hiking trip to the Arctic, I would greatly appreciate it! http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/324364/voteable_entries/68689974

In the summer of 2011 I took a trip to Chile and Argentina. I flew in to Santiago, Chile to start it off, and hung around there for 4 days, exploring the sights. As I arrived, I noticed tanks, tear gas and protesters in the streets. Google the Chilean education protests, they were crazy! I got to witness a peaceful protest the next day too, which was really cool to see. I got a good day of snowboarding in at Valle Nevado (no pictures), and also an awesome winery tour of the Concha y Toro winery. I definitely recommend visiting it if you ever go to Santiago. After 4 days, I met up with a travel group and we headed down south to some smaller towns. That leg of the journey tomorrow!