Looking back on my first month here in the Andes and comparing it to the second, I saw many similarities, and from what the locals told me ended up being an odd September. The same sitting and waiting, then snow pattern would happen. The only thing that remained inconsistent were the people living in our house.

Having been in Chile nearing 2 months now I've had my fair share of epic powder days to say that this trip is worth it. To some new arrivals though they are seeking that "worth it" parameter for a trip that takes them a few thousand miles south of the equator and a few thousand dollars to get here.

On August 29th, Tom, Ellen, Mark, and I headed up to the Refugio (re-foo-ee-hoe) near the end of Tres Maries ski run so we could cut down on the time to summit Nevados from 5-6 hours to only around 3 hours and hopefully make a third and final attempt to finally summit Nevados.

I've finally hit my month mark here in Chile and it's been a pretty slow one. For my 15 days in July, except for the 3 days of travel, they were days of sitting around waiting. Waiting for snow to fall as everyone here has been telling me, "Just wait for August and you will see!"

To get groceries from an actual grocery store instead of a 711-type place, we have to travel 1-2 hours by bus (depends on the amount of random stops) to a city called Chillan. Chillan is a really interesting city with big market stores, randomly specific shops (like selling just car headlights), grocery stores, and the market, where you can get veggies for cheap. Here's what you might see while strolling around Chillan.

Before I even get into these last three days, I should first mention the original plan. The original plan was to fly to Santiago, get a rental car, ride at Portillo for 7 or so days, then head to Chillan by way of bus then finish the travel to Las Trancas where I would be staying for major duration of the 2 months.

Going into this Summer I had no real plans - continue to push myself in climbing here in Utah, climb out east at the Red and New, maybe get up to the Gunks. I love climbing (and the people especially) but nothing gets me more motivated than chasing summits and powder, and in a new country, well actually different continent could be the best option to date. After meeting a couple at the Live Green SLC Festival I mentioned what they were doing as a joke for myself, only to get the best news.