Uruguay

The emergency snow pack is still at -66 degrees. GPS says that I am at the right spot. I have miniskis on my feet. Everything is ready for the first descent of Uruguay's highest mountain. But first I need to bring on the winter.

My trip to Uruguay is about to end, and I'm on my way to the airport. The next two nights will be spent in various airplanes heading home. But before the airport I turn my car towards Cerro Catedral, Uruguay's highest peak. This 513 meter mountain was only recognised as the highest peak in 1973, as it is a rather unremarkable hill among many similar ones. And it is indeed a hill rather than a mountain. The area is used as cow pasture, and the path from the nearest road is just 300 meters - horizontally.

But back to skiing. I have the tiny "mini skis" and new, foldable Black Diamond poles so I didn't need a ski bag on this trip - everything fits nicely into my suitcase next to the suits :-)

Anyway, the mountains in Uruguay are not just small - they are also free of snow. It snows here maybe once in 20 or 30 years. To counter this problem I had prepared an emergency snow pack, 10 kilos of dry ice. The readers of my blog know that I've experimented with dry ice earlier. But now I am using it for the first time on location. Dry ice fits the purpose better than regular ice, because it stays cold longer and there is no meltwater to wet my backpack. In addition, the smoky dry ice looks more fun in pictures. Dry ice is sold by Praxair in Uruguay, although the large ice blocks that they deliver had to be smashed into pieces by careful application of a heavy rock.

The emergency pack is in my backpack, and my GPS displays the pack's temperature using a remote sensor. The temperature held well at around -70 degrees for several hours. I'm actually a bit surprised that the wireless, battery-operated sensor kept on working at that temperature.

As I made it to the top, I spread the dry ice and skied down the newly formed four feet ski slope. Fortunately, piles of fresh cow droppings make for a smooth, well-lubricated continuation of this small slope. In any case, I have skied a bit from the top and it is time to head to the airport. Uruguay - been there done that :-) Country #40.

Might this ski run perhaps be the first ever descent of Cerro Catedral? Internet search does not find any earlier stories of someone skiing it. (Note that Cerro Catedral is a popular name; I myself have been to another Cerro Catedral, one of the most popular ski areas in Argentina.) 

The hardest part of the climb was passing through a fence:

Afterski

The detour via the mountain took enough time that I had no time left for after ski. Or eating, for that matter. Oh well. I would soon board an aircraft and enjoy the cuisine onboard :-) 

Other Fun in Uruguay

Uruguay in general is a nice country to visit. While there are no high mountains, it is beautiful and modern.

The capital city, Montevideo is on located on the coast, and the city's shoreline consists almost entirely of very nice beaches. The beaches are very popular in the summer. I did not wish to test the waters in cold spring weather. But I had an opportunity to escape work for a bike tour in evening sunshine. I rode on the beaches and on the waterfront bike/jogging path. Recommended! And once again, you often can rent a bike from a hotel. I did so too in this case, and it was even free. Great! 

More Pictures

Here I'm breaking the ice:

 Disappointment when there is no snow at the top:

 The sign on the road leading to the peak:

There is also a sign next to the peak, but it has been shot to pieces:

I would  like to thank my friends Raul for local assistance and Stephen and Russ for company and assistance with the photography.

Photos and videos (c) 2013 by Jari Arkko. Tämä artikkeli löytyy myös suomeksi och på svenska.

Adventures of the Snowboard

I don't know if I should classify this as gear testing or as new angle into a previous story. I have some new footage from my Krakatau trip, and it should give you an idea of what my snowboard went through. Yes, I bought it bought used.


You'll also see what kind of treatment I gave to a brand new GoPro Hero 3 videocamera. It took the video that you see below. Amazingly, I still use the camera today. Although I occasionally keep having issues with the case; the locking mechanism is not working well. This could be due to the beating it has received. And I keep finding ash in my gear.


If you are are wondering, the snowboard weathered the trip also amazingly well. The surface is full of scratches and dents, but there are no major holes. I could probably get it serviced back to a reasonable condition.


The original Krakatau trip report is here.


The below video is best played with sound turned all the way up:





Videos and photos (c) 2013 by Jari Arkko

Tourist in Beijing

A few free hours appeared in my schedule, so I wanted to become a tourist. And do all the usual things tourists do here in Beijing. Like going to the sauna or skiing.

Beijing is big and congested. It felt like I had spent much of my week in a car, going from one meeting to another. And the same happened on my way to the ski area, as it took two hours one way. But it turned out that I was able to use the time: The previous night had been short. Traveling in Asia is tough, if you also need to spend the nights in phone conferences! The taxi ride gave me almost four hours of additional sleeping time.

Sauna

Surprisingly, my hotel had a sauna. Even more surprisingly, it was set up just right for the Finnish traveller. Eighty degrees and a big bowl of water to throw into the stove. Not bad! Of course, there was some silliness as well, like the sign on the door indicating that the sauna is not suitable for under sixteen years old. Oh well, this time I was not travelling with my family, so it was no problem. My hotel, the Doubletree, was a good choice for the Beijing traveller. It was not as expensive as the "proper" Hilton hotel, but in many ways it was at least as good. Recommended!

Qiaobo Indoor Ski Area

I had been skiing before in Beijing, so now I was going to the Qiaobo's indoor ski hall for the second time. (The report from my earlier visit is here.) Qiaobo is behind the airport, far away from the city centre. And it is on an area that the local taxi drivers may not be able to navigate to. The map I printed from the net was useful, and the phone number for the ski centre was even more useful.

You should not expect to find another taxi for the return trip, as the area is in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, it is easy to convince the drivers to wait for you and get another long trip. When I had travelled two hours to the centre, skied for two hours, and made a return trip, my driver probably had done his day's work just on this trip.

Qiaobo has two slopes, the beginner slope and the main slope. The beginner slope is small, simple and straight ski. The main slope is full of jumps, rails, and other fun constructs. Unfortunately, this time the upper part of the main slope was not in use. On my previous visit the upper part had a very nice bump run. But now both slopes were quite short. Oh well, I had fun anyway.

Qiaobo has also a restaurant, meeting space and of course the rental shop. They also rent the clothes you need, naturally! Perhaps a little surprisingly, there were also ski equipment shops that seemed reasonably well stocked with gear.

One day lift ticket cost less than 20 euros.

Even if short, the main ski slope was fun to ski, and offered a faster lift than in the beginner side. The beginner lift is a magic carpet. I also climbed up the closed part of the slope on melting, dirty ice. The ski patrol did not seem to appreciate my climb, and came after me. Or maybe they just wanted to chat; we had no common language. I made signs to show I came to the top to take photographs, and skied down. The always polite Chinese didn't pursue the matter further. (And here's a Planetskier tip: if you need to break rules, it always a good idea to break them on the last run, just in case your ski pass gets pulled. But don't do anything stupid, or cause danger for anybody else.)

Afterski

Since we were in Beijing, I had to eat duck for dinner. The poor duck we ate was serial number 168206. As a part of the meal, I got a "commemorative" card for the duck. I ate this dinner in the Quanjude restaurant near the Beijing science park.



The best after-dinner bar scene and other nightlife for tourists can be found from the Hou Hai lake area. I spent the evening in the relaxed The Zone bar and later in the Mix, a wilder nightclub.



But I still think the best part of the evening entertainment was following the locals fishing on the Hou Hai. They used flashlights and fishing rods or spears in this nightly activity. It is, of course, illegal and completely unhealthy, and the lake is probably not very clean. But it looks great.

Photos and videos (c) 2013 by Jari Arkko. Tämä blogi löytyy myös suomeksi.

Ullahau

It dawns on me that I am late. Over a hundred years late. Marcus Larsson may have saved Gotland from becoming the Sahara of the Baltic Sea. But he also greatly reduced the sand dune skiing opportunities in Ullahau. Planting this forest may have been a good idea, and it stopped erosion that may have started from human actions. But I honestly thought there would have been dunes in Gotland. And part of me wonders what would have happened if Marcus had allowed the nature to run its course.

But the practical question is if even a single skiable dune remains today. We walk a kilometer into the forest, on the soft sand. There is a dune that still partially sticks out from the vegetation! I put the skis on and start testing the slope.

After-dune

The nearby cafe, Ebbas Mat & Caffe is an excellent place for a quick lunch. I recommend the ham and cheese pasta. And the old town in Visby, the biggest city, is a great place for evening entertainment and bars.

Gotland

Gotland is a wonderful place, full of interesting medieval sights, ruins, and culture. Just the church architecture alone is fascinating. The island is full of ancient churches, some in ruins, some still operational.

On the first week of August, the medieval festival fills the city. At times, it is hard to remember that it is 2013, as almost everyone wears old costumes, camps out in the tents, or stages sword fights. Maybe next time we should come appropriately dressed. And equipped.

But the big thing for me were the adventures. Our trip to Gotland was a last minute decision. Not much preparation went in to it. And among the many wonderful adventures one can have in Gotland there was one that I missed reserving in time. The Lummelundagrottan is a cave system north of Visby. They organise tours for the regular tourists. But what would really have been wonderful is the caving tour deep into the mountain, walking, boating, wading through the water, and crawling. An underground climber's dream. I have to return to do this another time...

Gothem City. Are there Batmen here?

The Swedes are strict about this sort of thing:

Stone stacks (rauk) in the Fårö coast are not to be missed if you make a visit:

This is where our trip began, on the airport tunnel at Helsinki-Vantaa:

Photos and videos (c) Jari Arkko and Tarja Arkko

Count

My new friend Patrick (a.k.a. "Mad Pat") asked what countries I have skied in. Since I have not counted in a while, it is time for a status report.

Below you will find a breakdown of the countries per continent, along with pointers to some of the blog articles from those countries.

There are 38 countries on the list, but I may have forgotten a country somewhere...

Europe - 23 countries:

First, the below figure shows approximate destinations. In reality, I often end up bundling several trips together, and, of course, skiing as a side activity on some other trip.

• Andorra (Vallnord and Grandvalira; I also have a report on the afterski)
• Austria (Kaprun winter and summer, St. Anton, Sölden, Zillertal)
• Belgium (Peer and Comines)
• Czech (Horni Domky)
• Denmark (Hedeland Skibakken)
• Estonia (Kuutsamäe)
• Finland (see below)
• France (Alpe d'Huez, Amneville, Chamonix - one of my favorite places and I have been there many times: visit 1, visit 2, Les 3 Vallees - another favorite place: daytrip visit, ski stars story, afterski story, Les 2 Alpes, Les Arcs - yet another good place: skiing afterski and lunch, Megeve, St. Gervais-les-Bains)
• Germany (Bottrop, outdoors, Neuss)
• Italy (Alagna, Champoluc, Courmayer, Gressoney, Zermatt, and Sicily if sliding down on boots from the summit of Etna counts)
• Ireland (Dublin)
• Latvia (Kakiskalns)
• Liechtenstein (Malbun)
• Lithuania (Druskininkai)
• Poland (Zakopane)
• The Netherlands (Haarlem and Zoetermeer)
• Norway (Stryn, Galdhopiggen, and Riksgränsen)
• Slovakia (Strbske Pleso)
• Slovenia (Češka Koča)
• Spain (La Molina visit 1 and visit 2)
• Sweden (Åre, Riksgränsen, and Kittefjäll)
• Switzerland (Saas Fee, Verbier, and Zermatt)
• The United Kingdom (London, Manchester, and Edinburgh)

The places that I have skied in Finland are:

• Heinäpää in Oulu
• Hirvensalo in Turku
• Kallio in Helsinki
• Kalpalinna in Janakkala
• Kauniainen, my home, has been a constant source of stories. Here are some stories from the ski hill: story 1 story 2 story 3 story 4 story 5 story 6 story 7 story 8 story 9. In addition there are stories from the ice rink and my back yard.
• Kokonniemi in Porvoo, the place where I learned to ski when I was a kid.
• Köykkyri in Oulu
• Levi in Lappland
• Peuramaa in Kirkkonummi, near my office is another frequently visited ski area. Here are stories from some of my visits: visit 1, visit 2, visit 3, visit 4.
• Mankkaa, part of Espoo is a frequent place for me to visit when I miss snow in the summer, or when I need a remote place to do something odd. Here are some of the stories: Mankkaa golf course and Mankkaa snow dumping ground.
• Malminkartano garbage hill in Helsinki.
• Matinkylä in Espoo.
• Mustavuori in Tampere.
• Muumimaa, Moominland in Naantali.
• Laajalahti sledging run in Espoo.
• Raisio, a city near Turku.
• Ruka in Kuusamo.
• Senaatintori in the center of Helsinki.
• Serena in Espoo.
• Suomenlinna fortress island in Helsinki.
• Swinghill in Nuuksio.
• Tahko near Kuopio.
• Talma in Vantaa.
• Tornimäki in Mikkeli.
• Aura-river banks in Turku.
• Vihti Ski in Vihti.
• Vuokatti.
• Ylläs in Lappland.
• Åland.

North America - 2 countries:

• United States
• Canada

The 18 states that I have visited are:

• Alaska (Alyeska)
• Arizona (Snowbowl)
• California (Big Bear, Heavenly, Mt. Shasta, Sugarbowl, Squaw Valley, and Kirkwood)
• Colorado (Breckenridge and Copper Mountain)
• Connecticut (Sundown)
• Maine (Sunday River)
• Massachusetts (Nashoba Valley)
• Nevada (Heavenly)
• New Hampshire (Bretton Woods)
• New York (Whiteface)
• Oregon (Mt. Ashland)
• Pennsylvania (Camelback)
• Utah (Alta, Snowbird, Snowbasin)
• Vermont (Mad River Glen)
• Virginia (Wintergreen)
• Washington (White Pass)
• Wyoming (Jackson Hole)
• British Columbia, Canada (Whistler and Blackcomb)

South America - 4 countries:

• Argentina (Bariloche, Copahue, and Ushuaia)
• Bolivia (Cordillera Real story 1 and story 2)
• Chile (Chillan, El Colorado, and Valle Nevado)
• Ecuador (Cayambe)

Oceania - 1 country: 

• New Zealand (Mt. Ruapehu, Treblecone, and Wanaka)

Asia - 6 countries:

• China (Beijing and Shanghai)
• Hong Kong (Slope Infinity)
• India (Rohtang Pass main story and preface)
• Indonesia (Anak Krakatau and Batam)
• Japan (Karuizawa main story and video)
• United Arab Emirates (Dubai Ski)

Africa - 2 countries:

• South Africa (Sani Pass and Tiffindel; other articles on afterski and winter)
• Lesotho (Afriski)

In other news, my ankle is in reasonable shape. However, as it healed, my knee become very painful. When one body part is ill, you start walking in a different manner and soon another part gets overstressed. I'm waiting for the knee to finish healing, and then for my hip to start giving the next signs of trouble... but hoping for the best.

The opening picture in this article is taken by my friend Tero's summer ski explorations in Zillertal. When me met later in Berlin, it was one of the rare moments when he had skis with him, but I did not. But in a couple of days both of us will head to the winter side of the planet...

Photo credits (c) 2013 by Tero Kivinen and the Great Circle Mapper.

The Biking Tourist

Heat wave. Nine day work week with only two hours of free time. Berlin. Summer! Skiing is highly unlikely this week, but fortunately I have a backup sport: biking. I used those two hours to tour around the city on two wheels. Berlin is a great city to bike in, and there is plenty to see. I've been here many times, but this is the first time that actually got to see the Berlin wall.

My Berlin experiences aside, I wanted to talk about biking as the chosen transport method for city vacationers in general. Not many tourists realise it is an option. Bikes can be rented in most places - from your hotel, from the city bike rental system, or from specialised shops. In Berlin, I took a bike from my hotel for 20 €, but shops around the city were offering 10 € for daily rentals.

And how nice it is to use a bike! Driving is pain in all cities, let alone those foreign to you. Busses and metros are crowded. Taxis are expensive and not always easy to get. And you are stuck inside a vehicle, not experiencing the city. With a bike, you can stop anywhere, smell the city and experience its weather, see the parks, ... all while getting a some exercise and keeping the city air clean.

Berlin was an easy city to bike in, plenty of routes along the Spree, the Tiergarten, for instance. Here's the route that I used. On some areas there are bike lanes or paths, elsewhere you are mixed in with pedestrians. In general, all the paths were good for the exploring tourist, but not necessarily meant for the high-speed sports biker. Taking it easy and slow is good advice in most cities. In Paris, there is an extensive network of bike paths, but the city has narrow streets, a lot of traffic, and some of the paths are on the streets. A shared bus and bike lane requires a careful biker. But Paris does have an excellent bike rental, city bikes are available on almost every street corner. And the daily rent is almost nothing, under 2 €.

In New York, there are some bike paths on the streets. I can recommend these for the tourists that look for extreme experiences, but not for others. Central Park is an easy place to bike in though. However, my favourite route is along the Hudson river. You can ride safely from the southernmost tip of Manhattan to the north end, while going through parks and stopping at tourist sights such as the Battery Park, WTC site, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and others. A round trip from Battery Park to Inwood Hill Park can be 50 kilometers, so there are surprisingly long routes. Bike route maps are available here.

Beijing is another interesting city for bike explorations. Albeit a large city, with often bad air quality. My recommendation is to get on a guided biking tour, and visit places such as the Tianamen Square or Beihai park.

After-Biking

The right way to cool off after a biking tour is to visit a Biergarten. The one that I had the opportunity to enjoy was Cafe am Neuen See, an open-air restaurant and beer place. What strikes me most about these German beer heavens is their size. Cafe am Neuen See is huge, and always full of people.

Photos (c) 2013 by Jari Arkko