Ski Report from Las Leñas

MattLanning — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:05:56 +0000

Las Leñas Lunch

Made my third annual trip down to the skier’s (and snow rider’s) bonanza that is Las Leñas , Argentina. This makes me a mere rookie. The resort opened in 1984, and the Americans invaded in 1994 (including Telluride’s own Paul Russell) for a freeski competition. Since then, the gringos have been charging the terrain, pushing out into further territory, and making the most of an American summer by skiing some of the best in-bounds, side-country, and backcountry in the world.

Gringo Tracks

For the third year in a row, I headed down with Johnny Lyons from Vail (this summer was his tenth anniversary trip), and we spent a little over two weeks skiing new-to-us terrain, old favorites, and scouting lines that we hope to ski in future years.

Scoping New Terrain

Powerful Turns Ahead

This year was my first time down there on my Wagners, and I could not have chosen a better ski for the terrain. I brought a second pair of skis, but never skied them. Las Leñas begs for longer, stiffer skis, as there are no trees (literally zero trees), and rather than turning around obstacles, you just turn when you’re good and ready. So when the conditions are right (which they were for much of our trip), you can really open it up and ski big lines at high speed, with nice, open run-outs.

Earning some turns in Las Leñas

Our trip started with mediocre snowpack, following a huge storm that shut down the infamous Marte lift, then the temps went up, and the winds came in (as they always do in Leñas). By the time we arrived (about 10 days after the storm), what was left was boilerplate and melting fast. Fortunately, there are always good lines to ski, especially if you’re willing to spend some time touring to get to them. And once Marte reopened, we were able to access some great terrain with only an hour or two of hiking/skinning. By the time we started to exhaust our options, the next storm rolled in with 3 meters of snow up top. Again, the winds came, so it was never the blower powder we’re used to in Colorado, but all you gotta do is know your aspects, and go find the good snow. Which we did.

TS Marte

Las Leñas is definitely not for everyone, as the lift-served terrain does not suit all skier types, and the conditions are not always great in-bounds (or side-country). At the same time, when Marte is good, there may not be a better lift, accessing more challenging terrain anywhere in the world… and if you like to tour, and aren’t afraid of long days in the backcountry, Las Leñas has some of the best access to touring I’ve seen (and it’s truly infinite). As good or better than my home terrain around Silverton, CO.

Matt Lanning enjoying life in Las Leñas

Thanks to Pete and the crew at Wagner for building some fantastic skis, and making this year my best yet! Enjoy the photos, and perhaps we’ll see you down there next summer…

Chalky Las Leñas Turns

Wagner Custom Ski Blog » MattLanning

Ski Report from Las Leñas