Trevelin and Esquel – Part 2: Hitting the slopes of La Hoya
5 October 2006
(La Hoya Photos)

Trevelin is also a good base for visiting Esquel. Although, I did take advantage of the serenity on offer, I did make two trips to Esquel. Situated about 13km outside of Esquel is the little ski centre of La Hoya, and guess what…they still had good snow! This was slightly surprising because when I stood in downtown Esquel and surveyed the surrounding mountains, I saw no snow. I had heard from several sources that La Hoya was a good and “relatively” inexpensive place to take some ski lessons. Unlike Bariloche and its ski centre, there is no public transport between Esquel and La Hoya. You can either take a taxi or one of the twice daily minivan services. I hired all my ski gear at a place called Rossi Ski Rental in Esquel (skis, poles, boots, pants, ski mask and gloves) for AR$75 (US$25). This seemed a little expensive to me (cheap backpacker!), but the gear was pretty good and they had size 49 boots (about 14 US).

For AR$13 (US$4.50) a van collected us (me and a mother and son from Buenos Aires) from Rossi’s to the base of the ski centre. After several hairpin bends and some dodgy passing by our driver were dropped off at the car park at 13:15 and instructed to be back here by 17:30. The place is so tucked away that it was no wonder that I could not see it from town. I opted for the AR$24 (US$8) half day pass and took the ski lift up to the snow.

I had had a go at skiing once in my life, when my father took me up to Mohawk Mountain up in Connecticut when I was about 11. I have to admit that I did not enjoy the experience, and so came to conclusion that it was not for me. The question which ran through my mind was, “Would I take to it now, after 18 years?” When I got to the top of the lift I was able to verify that the snow was certainly not lacking. The main structure on the mountain served as the cafeteria, with suitably inflated prices, a little bar and the office of the “escuela de ski”. I booked my 2pm lesson with Mariano (I was told that there was no need to book in advance as things were quiet). For AR$50 (under US$17) I got a one hour private lesson. Not a bad deal! I found a cosy corner with a welcoming fire and a comfortable, white sofa and ate my sandwich.

Mariano did not speak much English, which was fine with me. I needed all the Spanish practice that I could get. I followed along just fine. Mariano was an excellent teacher, and after an hour I was zigzagging down the short beginners slope with some confidence. After the lesson I continued to perfect my technique – turning, slowing down, stopping, keeping the knees bent, staying relaxed and flexible. I must have gone up and down 20 times. I had this fear of not being able to stop at the bottom and going off the mountain. So took my zigzags like an abuelo (granddad) at first. Being fiercely cautious as I am, I did not fall. Meanwhile, a fearless group of five year olds were having a class and really showing me up, racing past.

The beginner’s slope had a rope tow. That is how shallow of a run it was. The rope tow seemed to cause some a great amount of difficulty, leaving casualties right and left. I could not understand what the problem was. How uncoordinated are these people!

I wanted to have another lesson, but it was not to be. The next day, Nestor Kirchner, the Argentinean president was coming to Esquel, and so coming back did not make sense. As it turned out, I was so stiff and sore the following morning that I was really not up for it. Firmly clinging on to the rope tow also practically killed my left arm. But, the taste I got from my afternoon at La Hoya left me wanting more. I have to thank the British couple I met in the hostel in Santiago who had also learned to ski at La Hoya and had recommended it.