Biking in Bariloche

Bariloche

30 hours in a bus. No big deal. Not at this point in our travels. And on the other side awaits Bariloche. Land of the 7 lakes. For us this stop on the journey means mountain biking. There is a growing culture of mountain biking in Argentina, and we've heard Bariloche is at the centre. On our first day here we hit the bike shops. Reconnaissance. We are told of a few prime single route areas. 

Sunset enjoyed from the bus.

Bus to Bariloche

On day two it was time to check them out. First stop: Cerro Otto. Cerro Otto will have you climb up a long grueling gravel road for hours before you get to enjoy any of it's single track. You pass incredible views of the 7 lakes, enough to make the ride up worth it on it's own. But then you get to the top and your reward? You now get the adrenaline rush of single tracking down!

In reality? Going down we hit patches of pretty good single track, but mostly, for me it was too sandy, too steep and too many hair pin turns! Walk the bike down, throw the bike down, bum scoot - you won't get me on my bike for some of this stuff! But hey we still had amazing views, and a heck of a work out!

This tranquil picture does not depict my emotion after our bike ride

Our next stop was just half an hour out of Bariloche. Catedral is a ski hill that opens up for mountain biking in the summer. Our plan was to stay in Catedral, for a couple of nights and do one of the classic hiking trails (giving our butts a day of rest after the bike ride), then hit the ski hill for some pure downhill adrenaline. 

When arriving our hotel that we were going to stay at was closed. Strange, since it was advertising rooms on booking.com! So we went out in search of a hostel or hotel within our budget. One after another the hotels we found were closed for the summer. And after hours of searching the sun begins to set, and a bit of worry begins to set in. We have one last shot. A hostel owner pointed us towards something that may or may not be open, and upon first sight we knew it was definitely not. No sign, no lights, not open. But wait there is someone walking past the window in that dark hostel! It was a little creepy, but no other options but ring the doorbell, and hope! Yes the hostel was closed, just a couple of buddies having a BBQ. But nothing like some Argentinian hospitality! The man who runs the hostel not only invited us in to stay at the hostel, but invited us to his table to partake in the BBQ with them! And to top it of we were offered to stay another night, even though our hosts would be gone! Just turn on the alarm, lock the door and leave the key under that stump! Never mind that we have known you for less then a day!

Breakfast at Catedrel

Hiking up to Refugio Frey the next morning produced more of the awe inspiring views that we have been blessed with on this trip. A Frey was a refugio on the lake, surrounded by sharp jagged mountains. You could stay the night, or have a coffee and leave. We just relaxed on some loungers by the lake.

Prime seats at Refugio Frey

On our second day at Catedral we geared up and hit the slopes. The runs varied from dirt road to very tough North Shore single track. It was all sandy, which definitely adds a level of difficulty. All I can say is I need more practice before I would ever buy a seasons pass to this hill!

Geared up

Now that we are done biking, back on the bus and to our next stop! If you want to see the country you can't linger in one spot for too long!