The first ski objective of our Chilean bike-to-ski trip. We set off from Santiago on October 29th and arrived at the base of Antuco on November 4th. Skiing it the next day on the 5th.
- Date: November 5, 2026
- Distance: 6.5 mi round trip
- Elev. gain: 5,700 ft
- Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/20858695647
Our alarms rang us awake at 5:30am. We were not sure we needed to start so early, but it was our habit for ski mountaineering, and even though we were in a totally different snow climate, we were not ready to change our ways.
I got out of bed and started prepping breakfast: bread, avocado, tomato and cheese.
We sipped our tea and coffee and ate our favorite bike touring breakfast at the dining table of the refugio while Mark filled me in on the exciting election results.
The refugio we were staying at had been a real respite when we arrived wet and cold from the ride in the rain the day before. It had started pouring on us near the bottom of the climb up the road to the volcano, and by the time we reached our destination the wind was howling, and the area was socked in. The storm continued while we looked on in awe, now warm and dry, alongside our host at the refugio.
When we woke the morning of our ski, the skies had cleared and the big windows were full of a stunning view of Antuco. The excitement to finally be on snow compelled us to pack up quickly and leave the comfort for which we had been so desperate by the end of our ride the day before.
We hiked up the dry base area with skis on our back until we reached the snow line about 1000 ft up from where we had started. We skinned for a little while, but the snow quickly turned firm and windswept and we strapped our crampons on, took out our mountaineering axes and returned our skis to our packs. The climb up was not particularly steep, but between the firm snow and our first-day-of-the-season nerves, we were on edge as we neared the summit.
At the top we found a small crater, a bit of wind shelter, and incredible views all around. We layered up, ate some snacks and enjoyed the views while contemplating our ability to ski down the firm surface below us. The wind was cold and nothing really seemed to be warming up, so we figured there was not much sense in waiting any longer to make our descent.
Nerves high, we climbed around to the side of the crater we intended to ski off and clicked in. Mark made the first turn, and to his relief found that the firm conditions were grippy below the ski’s metal edges. We picked our way down the firm snow cautiously, and then found better conditions as we neared the bottom.
Finally, we ran out of snow, and booted back down the last 1000 ft back to the refugio.
We had done it!
We were elated to have seen the plan realized and finally use all the gear that had felt like dead weight cycling here.
As we ate lunch and packed up at the refugio, the weather started to turn again, signaling the next storm. We wanted to get down lower before it came in, so we focused on packing up our bikes rather than relaxing in the post ski joy.
A good two hours later, we were finally packed and rolling down hill. Much clearer now than when we had ridden up, we enjoyed the views as we descended into a headwind toward the town of Antuco and then a little ways further to a quiet campground for the night.
