From the Birthday Chute to the Playground; Cerro Catedral taunts us under the stars.

Story: Dustin Eldridge
Photos: Ben Girardi

The clock in my head was ticking down all week. Five days left in Argentina, and there was still so much to do. By the end of the week I had checked off a large portion of my hit list; the La Hoya cliff band, my first powder jump session, first tracks in La Conchita, the list went on and on and I can’t believe how much I was able to check off. However, with the endless options provided by Mother Nature and Cerro Catedral, it would take a lifetime to cross off the whole list. 

Andrew Burns goes huge on a first-try backside 7. Peep his part coming out this year in Capita’s "Defenders of Awesome". Straight hammers.

The week began with more photoshoots in the trees. Pillows were shredded, logs jammed, and even the infamous photographer Ben “Sir-Lands-A-Lot” Girardi put down the camera to stomp a first-try method tree bonk. The next days were spent jump-building next to the Militares lift, with newcomers Jack Hessler and Chase Josey hucking like they had been there since day one.  Afterwards, the endless hits and windlips of the Condor II chair were rallied in an all-day effort by the snowboard crew. 

And boom! Here it was. Friday morning, my last day in snowboard paradise. Even with a late night at Mute under my belt, I jumped out of bed to ensure a great last day. A storm had reset the entire mountain, and the clouds had lifted. The pieces were falling into place once again, this time on the last possible day. 

Skylar Holgate taught me some great things. For instance, I will forever remember the Argentine phrase, “Cerrado como el culo de una muneca.” This run was definitely not closed.  Holgate making clouds of his own.

The day began with Gondola tree laps and the impressive log trickery of head guide Skylar Holgate (In three weeks, only once did I see Skylar fall). As the trees became tracked, we headed to the Playground. I had the fortune of getting first tracks on La Conchita, a slim chute steep enough to get the most experienced rider’s adrenaline kicking. 

Like the lip, Johnny Aguilera’s board is Smokin’.  Epic bluebird day at Cerro.

Lap after lap was spent cruising through the infinite combinations of pillows, cliffs, and spines the Playground had to offer. After a final tree run through the Hobbit Hut trees, my brain numb from faceshots and pure euphoria, legs burning, board laying beat and exhausted at the bottom of the hill, I said my final goodbye to SGT and Cerro Catedral. 

And so the checklist waits… at least until next summer. Hasta luego and muchas gracias to everyone at SGT for giving me the trip of a lifetime.

This was definitely not my first time in La Conchita chute. 
Getting it steep and deep in the Playground.