lookingtochileSan Rafeal, Argentina - The sun set on dusty San Rafeal for another time this evening, the spring breeze fluttering the leaves of the southren beech trees that line every street. The vistas of the Pampa and some of Argentina´s, and the Andes highest peaks on the way out of LL, swam in a surreal blurr before my tired eyes. This exit from the Valle every season never ceases to remind me of what crazy life it is that I live and how lucky I am to have found it. For Las Lenas it was a somber day as the lifts finally crept to hault, bring the skiing public to their last great runs in El Valle. For a lucky few the time skiing endless corn with no one around will go on, too bad they have to pass exams and sit sessions to do it. Twinkies have all the fun but my last run was free. Willing things onwards and downards as I finish up a two week ski holdiay in the Andian North and point my ski tipps south again to the Lake District, the prospect of a late spring finish to the season at resorts like Catedral, Bayo, La Hoya, and Cerro Castor draws me deeper into the web of gliss. The skiers crystal ball is not is ever present clear self, but the later closing dates of the resorts in Patagonia and the chance of climbing a number of epic volcanos bolster a fine finish to 2007 in the Andes.