Beautiful Bariloche

"You can't always get what you want...," but as the Stones song goes, "if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need." That was the case in Bariloche.

For several summers, EO and I had been talking about skiing in Bariloche. Each summer, as August neared, our plans for one reason or another would have to be cancelled. Finally, we made it to Bariloche last Sunday. By Sunday afternoon, we were on the slopes of Cerro Catedral with M, EO's snowboard instructor. We went up the first six-person chairlift and found conditions much more promising than at the base, where the weather was mild and the snow hardly visible on the ground. Coming off the second chairlift at the top, EO fell funny on his knee. He was in pain, so he and M took the chairlift back down while I skied back down. That, in itself, was quite the adventure. I learned that there is always a good reason why pistes are closed. And when they are, it's best not to tempt fate by going down them. Despite the ski that turned into a hike in ski boots, complete with a wade across a bubbling brook, I made it back down to the base to find EO in the clinic getting his knee X-rayed. Fortunately, nothing was broken. It's very reassuring to have doctors be able to communicate to you in your own language and to see that ibuprofen is ibuprofen here as well.

So I only managed to ski for 2 hours during my whole time in Bariloche. What did I end up doing for the remaining 3 days? I was staying at the blissful Aldebaran. It was like being at home, warm and comfortable. I never locked my room door, left my laptop in the TV room whenever I went out for lunches and dinner. The rest of the time, I'd be sitting on the sofa or in the breakfast room writing on my laptop (yes, there was wifi). I finally managed to finish something I had avoided for way too long. It had been my goal to complete it on this trip. And finally, I had the perfect opportunity and the most beautiful setting in which to do it. Now I can enjoy the second half of my trip without the spectre of it hanging over my head.

Aldebaran is a wonderful place. Sure there's Llao Llao, which is the grande dame (and feels like it too) of Bariloche and Design Suites, which aims to be the cool kid on the block. But Aldebaran, built 2 years ago by ET, a retired lawyer, is hospitable beyond words, offering the experience of your very own secluded retreat. One night, unable to get a DVD to play the English audio track at 11pm, the receptionist on duty actually called back another member of staff, who had just gone home, to help. And she had to get up early the next morning to go to modelling school and come to work afterwards. All the staff were incredibly helpful and friendly in that casual, almost familial way.




Design Suites

Llao Llao


I had lunch at Pire-Hue (the only ski-in, ski-out luxury lodge at the base of Cerro Caterdral), Design Suites and Llao Llao and dinner at El Patacon. All the meals were competent, but none particularly memorable. In fact, menus seemed quite similar. Quite a few menus featured pumpkin soup, mushroom risotto, trout with ratatouille and, the most interesting item of all, chicken chop suey! But there was always one thing on the menu that I would always look forward to -- dulce de leche. This pancake filled with dulce de leche at El Patacon was one of my faves in Bariloche:

My search for the best dulce de leche dessert continues in Buenos Aires and Cordoba...

Whistler: Nita Lake Lodge

Happy Year of the Rat! Spent the week snowboarding in Whistler, where I was blessed with a couple of stupendous powder days and even two sunny days in a resort known for predominantly cloudy, grey skies. It may sound insane to queue for the gondola at 7:15am, but Fresh Tracks is definitely worth it if it's been snowing the night before. Great boarding aside, we also had a few fine meals at Mountain Club, après and Araxi, but my absolute favourite had to be the late lunch of raclette, crêpe and cider at Crêpe Montagne. I still haven't had a decent meal on the mountain and have come to the conclusion that it probably makes more sense to get on the mountain first thing in the morning, ski until 2pm and then head back to the village for a late lunch. Unfortunately, neither Zen or Rimrock are open for lunch. Otherwise, it would make a great luncheon stop after the scenic Peak to Creekside run.

While I stayed at Pan Pacific Mountainside, which was great for rolling out of bed and onto the slopes (even more convenient than Sundial next door), I was eager to check out the brand-new Nita Lake Lodge in Creekside. Having only opened on 18 January, it's not yet fully up-and-running (the spa and fitness area is still a work-in-progress, and the presidential suites are still being fitted-out), so their introductory rates make this a steal of a stay for the next couple of months (CAD299 for a one-bedroom). The lakeside setting and it's location on the Valley Trail makes Nita Lake Lodge an ideal summer destination. The decor is a streamlined, contemporary take on the classic mountain lodge with dark woods and basalt rock.

(Images courtesy of Nita Lake Lodge)

The lodge is connected to the Mountaineer Train station, which operates a daily train from Vancouver from May to mid-October. While Nita Lake Lodge has thoughtfully-designed one-bedroom suites (heated bathroom floor, sunken bathtubs with views of the lake or mountain), it's not the most ideally-located ski lodge. In terms of convenience to the slopes, it's probably similar to the Four Seasons in Blackcomb. It's a bit of a walk to the Creekside gondola (it's on the other side of the Sea-to-Sky highway), with ski lockers located slopeside at the Creekside Can-Ski shop. It's also a 10-minute drive from the shops and restaurants in Whistler Village, though the lodge does provide complimentary shuttle service. The lodge's clubby bar/lounge has a nice vibe, making it a great place for an après tipple or aperitif.

As for Pan Pacific Mountainside, I had a very comfortable and convenient stay. The housekeeping staff is amazing. Having smoked up the room trying to pan-fry turnip cake without any oil in the morning (the kitchen is fully stocked with utensils, but I had neglected to go grocery shopping), I returned from a day on the slopes to a room that smelled as fresh as it had been before my culinary mishap with the mess in the kitchen all cleared up. The sitting room has a toasty fireplace and, unlike Sundial, there are TVs in both the bedroom and sitting room with a DVD player. The bathroom is not much to rave about though, very standard with just a bathtub and single vanity. I was grateful for the free wifi even though speed was a bit slow at times. I didn't bother venturing into the hotel's Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub for breakfast or even a drink, since there are plenty of more appealing restaurants nearby. Of the two equipment rental shops in the hotel, the Salomon shop has the better equipment.

Can't wait for the Peak-to-Peak gondola opens at the end of this year. The improved connection between the two mountains will make skiing/boarding in Whistler-Blackcomb even harder to resist.

Last day of 2007: On the slopes of Whistler

A day skiing and snowboarding on the slopes of Whistler was the perfect way to end 2007. The only other time I've been to Whistler was between Christmas and Millennium New Year (by New Year's Eve, I was in Napa Valley). It was a very different village back then. These days, Whistler is gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Certainly, shopping is much improved.

Generally, I prefer skiing in European resorts such as Lech and Cortina, my 2 favourites. European skiing offers everything that I love -- great skiing with mid-morning stops for a gluhwein or bombardino, gourmet mountain restaurants where a few glasses of wine at lunch sets me in the perfect mindset to brave the afternoon's chopped-up slopes, lively apres-ski, good shopping and Michelin-starred restaurants for dinner.

For the past three years though, there has been a serious shortage of snow in the European resorts. So this year, I decided to give North America, specifically Whistler-Blackcomb, a try. Whistler certainly has not disappointed on the snow front. To date, the resort has gotten 13 feet of snow. With visions of white, fluffy slopes dancing in my head, I was very much looking forward to spending the last day of 2007 on the slopes.

It was one of those rare sunny days in Whistler. For much of December, the resort had been covered by a blanket of snow clouds. My ski and snowboard instructor for the day introduced himself as Chicky Boom Boom, apparently so named for his love of Dusty's chicken wings and beer. Only at the end of the day, when he handed me his name card, did I find out his real name. We spent the morning skiing Whistler, with a beautiful run from Peak to Creekside, then switching to snowboarding Blackcomb in the afternoon. Of the two mountains, Whistler's slopes tend to be more crowded. When he's not an instructor in Whistler, he runs his own business, Velosports Asia, importing high-end bicycles to Korea. Ski, snowboard and running (he also trains triathletes) tips aside, his most interesting comment was that his father's bankruptcy actually allowed him to grow up a happier person. Food for thought heading into 2008 -- If you don't fall when skiing/boarding, you're not going to improve. If you don't fail, you'll never reach your true potential. All that from a guy who likes to be called Chicky Boom Boom.

Have yet to come across good mountain lunching spots, but I did have a few other good meals at:
Ciao Thyme, Blackcomb -- Even though I wasn't hungry from jet lag, I ended up eating most of the salmon platter (salmon jerky, candied salmon, salmon pate and smoked salmon) ordered for sharing along with my own warm goat cheese salad.
Celadon, Whistler -- Week-old Korean restaurant in Hilton's arcade. Loved the spare ribs and grilled rice cakes.
Fifty Two 80 Bistro, Blackcomb -- Had a wonderful breakfast at the Four Season's restaurant with great views of the mountain. Love their service, got everything I asked for -- a copy of the New York Times (even though it was only the Times Digest, but it was good enough for me), ordered mixed berries fruit bowl with just strawberries and the bagel with smoked salmon came with so much salmon that I had to pack most of it to go.

Stayed at Sundial Hotel. The location is very convenient for rolling out of bed and onto the slopes (it's right in front of the Blackcomb gondola in Whistler Village, just steps away from Whistler Village Gondola). The rooms are spacious with a well-equipped kitchen, and guests have the option of ordering groceries online before arrival. However, it is slacking in some common hotel amenities. Minibar, room service and an entertainment center in the sitting room would be much-appreciated additions.

Am now looking forward to closing out the Year of the Pig and ringing in the Year of the Rat on Whistler's slopes early next month and having a whole week to check out more restaurants and hotels such as the soon-to-open Nita Lake Lodge!

I want to be in Lech now!

Just got an email from GS in Lech. The subject read: View from our window. The message was simple: "This is what you will miss." The sole attachment was the photo above. He was teasing me...no, tempting me to jet over to Lech the weekend of 15 December for the opening of his new restaurant (his family currently run two other restaurants in and around Lech as well as the lovely Almhof Schneider). Apparently, they haven't had snow like this in 50 years! So very, very tempting...

Week In Cortina

The view from Rifugio Lagazuoi

In London for the weekend. Here's a recap of the week in Cortina:
Stayed at Parc Hotel Victoria where staff were constantly sulky and grouchy (with the exception of the guy who manned reception overnight). One of the Chinese guys in our group was told by a hotel staff escorting another guest to get out of the lift, because "the lift is only for hotel guests". Breakfast was not much to write about (Hotel Ulli in Zuers gets my vote for best ski breakfast buffet spread). The junior suite was very junior (Euro310 per night including half board). We were all wishing we could have gotten a room at Hotel La Perla in Corvara as originally planned.

Skied Dolomiti Superski: Cortina, Lagazuoi, Sella Ronda (green route), Arabba/Marmolada, Alta Badia. My favourite run is Lagazuoi with a stop at Rifugio Scotoni. It has the most stunning scenery and it's a leisurely intermediate run that most skiers can do. Had blue skied throughout the week, but skied mostly on man-made snow.

Rifugio Scotoni

Skied with: Franco & Marcello, our two fun-loving, James Bond look-alike ski instructor/guides (Franco looks like Sean Connery and Marcello looks like Daniel Craig) from Scuola Sci Dolomiti Cortina. They even drive like James Bond!

Dined at (just my faves are listed here):
Baita Pie' Tofana (lunch, +39 0436 4258) -- the ginger ice cream in a crispy orange waffle bowl is scrumptuous
La Perla (lunch, +39 0436 4681) -- everything was great and make sure you go on a tour of the theatrical wine cellar
El Brite de Larieto (lunch, +39 368 7008083) -- the best bombardino (you can't get ones with espresso on the slopes!)
Leone e Anna (dinner, +39 0436 2768) -- spaghetti with dried fish roe is delish!
Snowmobile+Sledging Rifugio dinner -- sledging by moonlight is quite the experience. Franco & Marcello even brought a bottle of grappa for us all to drink before our adrenaline rush of a descent down. Can't remember the name of the rifugio (but you'll find a list of the various options here), but there was a delicious pancake dessert that was sort of like fried drizzled egg batter.

Shopped: Amidst our group, the most popular shops were Franz Kraler (Corso Italia 107, +39 0436 3197) for the luxurious Loro Piano and Kiton cashmere and Peak Performance (Via XXIX Maggio 3, +39 0436 866958) for the ski wear, in particular the jeans ski pants. And of course the Cooperativa for just about everything else.

VCP on the slopes of Lech

OK, so the runs are a bit brown here in Lech, but the skies are blue and the air is fresh. To top it off, they've built Frozen, an icebar by the top of Schlegelkopf. It's a cool, both literally and figuratively, promo for VCP. Moet Hennessy's one of my favourite clients, with a stable of my favourite Champagne products (VCP & Krug) so was very happy to be sipping VCP Rose after a slushy afternoon!