Skiing the Pastoruri Glacier

This may have been my best day in Peru.

The day after I got back to Huaraz from the trek I arranged for a guide (his name was Oscar, great dude) to take me snow skiing. This is somewhat odd, as people in Peru don't ski -- there are no ski resorts and no chairlifts. But, Peru has mountains and snow, which is all you really need (plus some gear). I think there are about 2 skis to rent in all of Huaraz. We drove 3h to a glacier called Pastoruri. We parked the car at 4800m and climbed/boot-packed up to the top of the Pastoruri Glacier, 5200m (17,060 feet).

From there, we skied a line the end of the glacier, carefully avoiding the crevasses. It was such a good time, we did it again. To be honest, the ski conditions weren't great -- the snow was wet and heavy. But, these were my first turns of the winter season (this was late November), I was making them in Peru, and I was earning them by climbing up. So, these turns felt great.

The interesting thing about the Pastoruri glacier is that it is actually considered a tourist attratction for people who have never seen snow before. It is the most accessible snow from the city of Huaraz. Thus, bus loads of people would come from the city and the coast to walk on the snow, touch it, make snow men. All day we skied on the opposite side of the glacier, far away.

Oscar and I decided that for our last run down we would ski right past the tourists. Since these people had never seen snow before, they surely have not seen a skier (live, at least). As we were about to ski our last line, Oscar said "This one is for the girls".

And so we ripped turns right past the tourists. I saw their eyes go wide and their jaws drop. Awesome. I was stoped countless times because people (who did not speak english) wanted to have their pictures taken with me. There are pictures out there with me (skis on, or strapped to my pack) and women on each of my arms. Nice. I was a rock star that afternoon. I have no doubt, to this day, those people are still talking about "the snow skiers they saw on Pastoruri". I think I am now a legend in many Peruvian households.

Oscar and I before climbing up. Pastoruri is in the background

I let Oscar break trail most of the way up. I felt I little bad about it, but I was paying him :)

Me leaving my mark on the Pastoruri Glacier

For the tourists in the background, Oscar and I are about to put on a show they will never forget :)