Day 9: Villarrica Volcano, Pucon

19 November 2011

We awoke with the sun this morning at 5:45am for our hearty pre-climb breakfast. The group of eight that would be climbing the volcano met in the front lawn of the hostel and our guides distributed our equipment, including helmets, crampons, mountain boots and a windproof layer. The skies over the town of Pucon were quite cloudy- a bad sign for our hopes of the good weather needed for a safe climb. We loaded up the van and thirty minutes later we arrived at the base of the small ski centre, now closed for the season, but still serving as a launch point for hikers.

We were excited to see breaks in the clouds at the base, and the guides gave the go-ahead to begin our trek up. It wasn’t clear whether we would have any clear views during the climb, and furthermore, whether the conditions would remain stable enough to reach the summit. Fortunately there was little wind, which meant we could take the one (ancient) chair lift that was kept operational in the skiing off-season, which cuts an hour out of the hike for volcano climbers.

The trek was slow and steady, with conditions on the lower part of the mountain providing relatively easy treading on soft snow and negligible winds. As we progressed clouds began to roll through and our view of the summit as we climbed completely disappeared. The snow conditions transitioned to crunchy ice as the temperature dropped, and once we reached the glacier, the ascent became significantly steeper. So steep, in fact, that one member of our group turned back, fearful of the heights and the significant gradient and a hard snow surface. Our heads were down during much of the climb, watching where we took each and every step. It became clear as to why we had been shown how to use our ice picks should we loose our footing and find ourselves tumble- sliding down the mountain side. It was slippery.

The sun broke when we were within thirty minutes of the summit, where encouraging views of the crater edge and sulphur smoke curling upward kept us motivated despite the increasing wind and cold. We had completely transitioned a distinct cloud line stretching onto the horizon.

We reached the top not too long after- and for my first volcano climb- Villarrica proved quite the sight. We were exceptionally lucky and the clouds cleared for nearly 40 minutes while we explored the crater. At this time of year there was no lava visible, but the volcanic gases piped upward in frequent swirls and puffs. As the wind occasionally changed direction, I found myself sputtering and coughing whenever the wretched sulphur stench swept over the rim and surrounded us. We quickly tucked our mouths and noses into our balaclavas and jackets to protect ourselves from the strong gases.

Ally and I atop Volcano Villarrica

 Despite the heavy cloud cover, we could see two nearby Volcano peaks; one in Chile that erupted back in June where lava flows could be seen from Villarrica, and another in neighbouring Argentina.

A volcano in Argentina

The clouds soon returned and visibility at the summit was reduced to almost nothing. We regrouped, strapped on our descent gear and headed off. Despite the good climb and exceptional views, the absolute highlight of the adventure for me was the trip down: mountain sliding. We were sporting a durable canvas-like layer strapped around our waits and upper thighs, acting as a bum protector. We were also equipped with “un plastico;” the simplest type of toboggan/sledge you could find… effectively a piece of bum-sized plastic with a little handle that passes through your legs.

We found our first track- barely wide enough for adult hips- and we were shown the safest sledding technique; el plastico under your bum, legs straight ahead and lifted slightly, with ice pick held with both hands and to the side. The ice pick serves as a brake by applying pressure to the bottom end combined with digging your heels in. The top of the pick (ie. The top of a ‘T’, or the actual ‘pick/axe’ part is) was held away from your body….but surprisingly close nonetheless. Imagine tobogganing with an axe.

There were numerous tracks running down the sides of the mountain- some of which crossed over the walking trails up. At one point we were zipping down a track and hikers on their way up stopped on either side of their trail to watch and take photos. It was like a railway crossing for bum sliders. Some tracks were shallow, others were nearly two feet deep and more like snow chutes. There were little bumps and big bumps (with speed you definitely got some air…which made for painful landings), and plenty of twists and turns. If you weren’t careful with braking, you could easily reach speeds of up to 35km/hr. On the steeper tracks, no plastico was needed at all and we could get enough speed on our bums alone.

This video shows another hiker sliding by- it was towards the end of the mountain, so much less steep and therefore quite a bit slower; but it shows the idea of how the chutes worked!

I was giddy and hollering the entire way down- it was possibly one of the funnest things I have ever done. At times it felt like you were riding a blanket of snow as it often piled up beneath you. Suffice to say the trip down went too quickly as we had slid to the bottom in a mere 35minutes.

Villarrica was a blast (pun intended); I would highly recommend the trip to anyone keen for a good climb, great views, and thrilling ride down a snowy volcano.

Tomorrow (Sunday) we head further south to Puerto Varas; a small lakeside town said to offer stunning views of yet another volcano.