Following the amazing videos from Rocky Mountain Bikes’ recent MTB adventure in Argentina, I wondered: What would it take to recreate this trip? How much was it? How did you plan it? And so on.
A little Q&A later and here’s what Peter Vallance, RMB’s marketing guy and trip attendee, had to say. A few awe-inspiring photos accompany the story. You know, for color. If you haven’t seen the vids, check out Parts 1-3 here and Part 4 and Part 5. You’ll want to go. Now.
BIKERUMOR: What airport did you fly into?
PETER: We flew right into San Carlos de Barlioche via Buenos Aires.
BIKERUMOR: What was the guide company’s name? Do they have a website?
PETER: Our head guide was Martin “Cepi” Raffo, who is a local racer and trail advocate. He runs the website www.gravitymtb.com.ar and can be reached at: cepi (at) gravitymtb.com.ar
BIKERUMOR: Did you guys plan out your own hotels, or did the guides do that?
PETER: We stayed in one hotel for most of the time and did day trips from there. It was ideal, as we didn’t have to move our gear every day! We did the one overnight trip on Tronador and the guides arranged that. We stayed at Base 41, a hotel/guesthouse right in the resort of the Cerro Catedral. We highly recommend it! http://www.huilque.com/alojamiento.php
BIKERUMOR: What was the approximate cost per person for the entire trip?
PETER: $1400 for flight, $500 each for accommodation for 9 nights, $500 for food, and $500 for guides. About $3000 each.
BIKERUMOR: What essential gear did you guys need?
PETER: Other than full riding gear, we brought a warm jacket for the night up on the glacier. We suggest bringing a fairly large riding pack if you’re doing an overnight trip. Something like the Dakine Apex is good. We brought a full selection of spare parts, because although there are some bike shops, they might not stock replacement parts for high end stuff like XTR. We brought spare brake sets, derailleurs, tires, tubes, a rear shock, and suspension hardware.
BIKERUMOR: What did you pack that you ended up not needing?
PETER: We didn’t need most of the spare parts, except for some brake pads and a rear brake.
BIKERUMOR: What bikes were you riding?
PETER: We were all on Rocky Mountain Slayers. 165mm rear travel with Shimano XTR. They were the perfect bike for the variety of riding there. We did a ton of climbing and the descents were quite rugged.
BIKERUMOR: What tires were you using?
PETER: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.35, Maxxis Highroller 2.35, Maxxis Ardent 2.4
BIKERUMOR: What’s the best time of year to go there?
PETER: It’s best to go in our winter, so between November and March, because it’s summer for them. We were there in February and it was sunny and warm every day.
Note: Check the full photo gallery here.
