Esquel, Argentina - After a long 4 and half hour drive south from Bariloche we have arrived in the sleepy town of Esquel. Owen Day, Paul of Le Crevasse, and I where on a mission to check out the slopes of La Hoya for PowderQuest Tours.

Getting settled in the hotel was the first order of buisness, but immediately following that we bolted up a dirt road towards the ski resort of La Hoya. Winding up the narrow road we ran into a pack of Guanacos, wandering on the alpine stretch. Passing the odd looking grazing animals, we snapped a few photos and continued up the road towards the sick looking peaks.

Reaching the ski area we were met by closed lifts, but wild looking couloirs. We had been warned ahead of time by the staff at the tourism office that the resort was closed for the day due to avalanche danger, so the lack of movement was no surprise. It was late in the day anyways, and a coffee in the lodge while excitedly talking about lines we could ski was a great way to finish the trek south. We knew that the following days would bring a many good lines. This place is like a little Las Lenas, steep and gnarly, and no one around to ski it out.