Ice axes are fun....

Today we climbed the Villarrica Volcano (with Aguaventura - the best in Pucon). It was tough going and took about 4 hours to reach the top. (And all of about 30 minutes to get down again, but more about that later).

The day was perfect with plenty of sunshine and just a sprinkling of cloud. I´ve never been that hot in the snow before! We started the climb at about 9am and decided that since the sun was out we´d skip the first section and take the chairlift up. Weather conditions change very quickly in the mountains and we wanted to make sure we were rewarded with a clear view at the top after the long hike. (The chairlift cuts an hour off the hike and was highly recommended by our guides).

I´d never used an ice axe before, but I can happily say its not too difficult. I only had one major slip, but I planted the ice axe almost instinctively, abruptly halting my slide down the hill.

The views were spectacular... we could see nearby volcanoes and Lagos Villarrica and Poza. The volcano crater itself was also pretty interesting - a perfectly shaped smouldering cone!

The trip down was a lot quicker than the trip up.... we slid down on our bums! Tim thought that this was a fabulous idea along with most others in our climbing group. But those of you who know me well will know that I´m not the best when it comes to motion sickness. It means I never went on many rides as a child and consequently they tend to scare the pants off me. Sliding down a volcano on your bum is kind of like a carnival ride and after a couple of collisions with fellow climbers and inching my way down slowly, the guides realised I was going nowhere fast. So I spent the rest of the afternoon with my legs wrapped around either Felipe or Armin, breezing down the mountain, enjoying the view. A much better way to travel and as Tim says "the most fun you can have with a man with your pants on!". We made it down in about 30mins and I must admit that I started to enjoy it after a while!

We are off to some hot springs tonight to relax our tired muscles. A great way to spend a day......