Travelling to the end of the World took eighteen hours of flying time and one unexpected and very long stop over in a city I didn’t know the name of when our plane refused to fly. But how many people can say they spent a night in Rio Gallegos?

Ushuaia, Argentina is the most Southern City in the World and upon finally stepping off of the plane I knew I had landed in a remote part of the planet. I was there for a three week training camp at Mt. Cerro Castor . The weather collaborated with our plans to have a great camp and fresh snow often fell during the night to cushion the mogul line while the sun would shine for training. My preparation of hard work in the gym paid off as I was able to make great technical improvements with my new strength and control.

It was a rich experience to stay three weeks overlooking the Beagle Channel at night and soaking up the mountains by day. I always try to make travelling more than just getting from the hotel to the ski hill and back again. I love to learn about the history and culture of a place. I tried to let my senses soak up the City. New sights, sounds, tastes and smells were all around. In town the smoke continually wafted from the asado BBQ to my nose and my taste buds never hesitated to explore the flavours of the alfajores – cookies sandwiched between dulce de leche! I was surprised to see so much graffiti and poverty in town as ski villages normally hold so much wealth. I also learned how to laugh off manana - one of my few Spanish words which I have come to learn only means not today. I was touched by the kindness and hospitality of the locals who always took the time to speak with us.

It was a great training camp where I accomplished my goals and had the opportunity to enjoy the most southern end of  the World.