Argentinien

Winter sports in Argentina begin for us with a wine tasting in a bodega in the "Valle de Uco" in the hinterland of Mendoza. It is mid-July, we have come from the European summer and are in search of South American powder snow. But here at 700 meters above sea level, it's not as cold as we expected and the sky is so clear and blue that it almost looks fake. Only the view of the snow-covered Andes towering high into the sky suggests a little winter.

However, before we are allowed to plunge into one of the gullies, we have to get accredited as freeriders at the lift. This means that we are familiar with alpine dangers, can assess the avalanche risk and are prepared to take the risk of an accident ourselves. Then everyone gets a neon-colored sticker stuck to their ski goggles and the guys from the piste control give the go-ahead.

The tourist center of Patagonia is San Carlos de Bariloche, both in summer and winter. Argentinian school groups and Brazilian package tourists are impressively present: they always appear in packs everywhere, recognizable by their uniform look in borrowed winter clothing.

For us, the South American skiing experience usually begins at an airport far away from South America. This is followed by a 15-hour flight, a bus ride (or two) that is at least as long, dusty, foreign cities and people who talk far too fast for you to understand them in meagre tourist Spanish...