The Road Back To Port-Au-Prince

After a short stay at Auberge La Visite and a day riding mountain bikes in La Visite National Park, it was time to return back on the same road from Port-Au-Prince to La Visite. This was one of those days where you envision a mostly downhill run back into town, only to realize that you have 4,000 feet of climbing before you reach that final descent.

There is a lot of story in the image below. You can see the road climb all the way into the far left portion of the frame. In the foreground there are the typical two clean lines through the rocks that are worn in by foot and motorcycle traffic. The bike is indicative of the usual motorcycles on the route, although they typically have more people on them. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about the man versus beast battle taking place.

Here we encountered another rider on a mountain bike, the only one of the trip. He was pushing his way up a steep and rocky section, so we didn’t get a chance to shred together.

There is one ridiculously steep section of the road that is paved with cobbles and has steps along the side. We rode down this two days earlier, and I wasn’t really sure if it was going to be ridable on the way back or not.

This pitch was pretty much as steep as you can really ride. Lifting over the ridges was brutal. I made it literally to the last one that I had to clear and ran out of power. Ahhh! So close! With a little better fitness I could have definitely made it up.

I’m including this last shot of Michel driving our support mule. I think it gives a good perspective of the steepness of the grade.

After this point we put our heads down and rode out the rest of the route. I didn’t take any pictures of the downhill as we were shooting with GoPro helmet cam footage. I will hopefully add a link to that if and when the video gets edited. We did enjoy 9,000 feet of altitude loss on this day to compensate for the 4,000 feet of climbing. The last descent into Port-au-Prince was long, fast, and fun!

james moro - how does that steep section compare to the sycamore climb in boulder?

Steve Z - Sycamore Climb?

Jack Sasson - Fantastic portfolio of shots again Steve! Can’t believe the scenery or the climbing you guys did – awesome!

Jack Sasson - You mean Magnolia James?

Jack Sasson - These climbs are far more verticle than that!

Mountain Biking in Haiti | Parc National La Visite

There is a saying that the average Haitian knows more about New York than Haiti. Our Port-au-Prince hotel manager had never even heard of La Visite National Park, even though it’s only 30 miles south of the city. Despite the anonymity, this modest twelve-square mile refuge of pine trees and grasslands represents an important shift in mentality. In 1983 this park was created in order to protect the land from the rampant deforestation which has stripped all but 1.4% of Haiti from tree cover. Groups like Fondation Sequin are working to plant literally millions of trees, and there needs to be more awareness of the efforts, not only internationally but internally as well. We’re here to show the beauty of the landscape and promote the area as a mountain biking destination.

We head out from Winnie’s house through the bright yellow bushes into the deep pine forest. We are just shy of 6,000 feet, and we are literally in the clouds. As we ride, the weather changes schizophrenically back and forth between sun and fog.

The dirt is perfectly packed orange clay with rocky and technical interludes. These trails are worn in footpaths, and a guide is absolutely necessary to trace a route through the endless labyrinth.

In the forest the singletrack is covered with pine needles which allow for predictable drifting at speed. Even here we found some reminders that we are in the tropics.

There are many sinkholes in the area, but this sinkhole has a bridge across the top that you can ride.

Even with a 16mm lens this sinkhole was tough to photograph. Next time I’ll rappel down inside, but here you can get a sense for the cool stalactite rock formations, as long as you can tune out the showoff.

Those same rock formations that hang from the roof of the sinkhole also protrude upwards out of the ground like razor teeth. Wherever we go, the children are mesmerized by us and our bicycles. This is no completely remote location, as the locals are ever present.

The purpose of this trip is to promote the natural beauty and potential of Haiti, and not to focus on the poverty and the suffering. However, I can’t not publish photos like these, that give a true sense of the disparity between our world and their world. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

As we broke out of the rolling hills in the forest, the terrain began to roll off into infinity. They tell me that on a clear day I would be looking at the Caribbean Sea instead of a wall of clouds. I’m looking forward to coming back and capturing that photo.

Watching the clouds flow over the mountains reminded me a lot of being above the clouds in the mountains along the coast of California.

As the day comes to a close, the clouds break, the sun shines through, and I’m loving the perfect evening light.

I hope you enjoyed these images, which are truly the first ever recorded in this region. Tomorrow we will be back with the grand finale, the return trip to Port-au-Prince featuring 4,000 feet of climbing and 9,000 feet of descents.

james moro - rad photos! you would get WRECKED if you fell around those rocky areas. how deep are those sinkholes? would be really cool to see a shot from the inside :D

Steve Z - I’d say the holes are twenty feet deep. I wanted to climb a tree but there were no branches. The shot from above I’m standing on the ATV.

Bobbie Turner - That last shot is definitely your new cover page image. Sweet! Killer trails.

Steve Z - The only problem with that photo is it isn’t me. I’m going for the first shot!

chriss r - Nice pictures. But we used to mountain bike in Haiti years ago, it is just now being shown to the mass. Just like golf in Haiti. We also use to skate board etc…. But kudos!

Gilbert Vaval - Hello Guys. Really nice pictures, nice sites too.I’m Haitian and as strange as it may appear, I’ve never been to Parc La visite (lol). Really beautiful. Next time you come down here, maybe we could meet and go ride with a few friends as we also ride mountain bikes for the fun of the sport. I did add this link to my Facebook page, so people know the good work you do. Keep it up!

Regards

G.V

Robert Whitely - Great shots Steve and like your blog work as well. Thanks to Jayme for sharing…& a ‘hip, hip’ to you for your National Geographic worthy work & the significant ‘views’ you are sharing! Well done & thanks Steve.

Jill Wheeler - Epic shots…I’m in next go ”round…sweet

J. Richard Elie - Thanks guys for promoting these beautiful images of Haiti. It is The place for mountain biking. I am a 10 year biker in this land…

Marc Menard - Would love to find out how to get to this park and the best place to stay.

Edouard Leon - Where are these trails? Im a trail runner n go to haiti often.

Steve Z - These trails are in Parc national La Visite, and are 22km south of Port-au-Prince. You can find it on Google Maps: http://tinyurl.com/76g8a65

We stayed at the Auberge De La Visite, which offers combined food and sleeping accommodations.

Steve Z - For more information on future events, stay tuned to http://www.mtbayiti.com and this blog.

Stephan J - Very nice Shots Steve abd Awesome Site!
I like both Pic 8 & 9.
Keep feeding us..
Cheers

Robert Carlyon - Hey there,
It was exciting to see your page here. I just got back for Cayes Jacmel because we formed a non-profit that started a school there that is feeding and educating about 40 kids. We just started this year. I think we were in Haiti the same time you just took this photos. I literally came back Sunday night and immediately start to look up domain names to see what I could get started in Haiti for Mountain biking, because I saw so many ideal places to ride as your photo show. I and a friend would love to know more because we had full intention to do what you are doing. Could you please get in touch with me? We hope to be back soon and in fact I am planning a two month stay of which I intend to ride!! Hope to hear from you soon.

Steve Z - Sounds great Robert, I’ll be in touch soon!

Mountain Bike Riding from La Visite National Park to Port-au-Prince » Steve Z Adventure Photography - [...] a short stay at Auberge La Visite and a day riding mountain bikes in La Visite National Park, it was time to return back on the same road from Port-Au-Prince to La Visite. This was one of [...]

Winthrop Attié | Bringing The Forests Back To Haiti

After climbing from Port-au-Prince to the misty highlands of Parc National La Visite, we refueled and rested at the Auberge La Visite. This forest oasis has been owned and operated by Winthrop Attié and his family since 1996, and is named after the old fashioned European auberges where travelers could just stop in for a bed and a meal. Locals just call it ‘Kay Winnie’ in Creole, which translates to ‘Winni’s House’.

You may have noticed in yesterday’s photos that there aren’t many trees left in Haiti. Statistically, only 1.4% of Haitian lands are still forested. Fortunately, there are groups working to reverse this destructive pattern. In 2004 Winni co-founded Fondation Seguin, in order to preserve the forests that remain. Today, they are in the middle of a project funded from a grant from US AID to plant 300,000 trees in the national park in honor of the 300,000 dead from the 2010 earthquake.

In addition to honorable qualities, Winni also possesses some of the cutest dogs on the island. I’m going to deviate from our philanthropic mountain bike adventures to post gratuitous puppy shots in order to bolster my Google ranking. Check back tomorrow we will see what kind of mountain biking terrain we uncovered out the door of Winni’s House.

Mountain Bike Riding from La Visite National Park to Port-au-Prince » Steve Z Adventure Photography - [...] a short stay at Auberge La Visite and a day riding mountain bikes in La Visite National Park, it was time to return back on the same [...]

MTB Ayiti | The Climb To La Visite

We are here in Haiti to reconnoiter the race course for Haiti’s first ever cycling event, MTB Ayiti. This ambitious project is the brainchild of New York City resident Philip Kiracofe. The 39-year-old spotted what he thought could be epic mountain biking terrain in the range just southeast of Port-au-Prince while volunteering in the capital city after the earthquake. The mountains here are extreme, and the highest point on this small country is an incredible 8793 ft. Philip was so convinced that he decided to make mountain biking in Haiti the signature offering of his adventure travel company, Travelcology, and to partner with Rick Sutton, the man responsible for the Sea Otter Classic, to create an international stage race. This is a race that could change the entire world’s perception of Haiti, featuring it on ESPN instead of CNN. While foreign aid and NGO’s offer immediate relief to disaster shocked residents, over time they can create a handout culture. Adventure tourism is one way to create an infrastructure in a country starved for economic development. This is the quick and dirty summary of a topic which I could go on about, but that is for another time and another publishing venue. For my photo blog, lets get on with the images and the story of Haiti Mountain Biking Day One.

We loaded our donated Specialized Hard Rock’s into the back of Clayton’s pickup and began the climb out of the city. Sure, we could have used better bikes, but we were grateful that these three bikes magically showed up less than two weeks before our arrival. There wasn’t going to be time to ride the entire proposed Day 1 course with its 9,000 vertical feet of elevation gain and 4,200 feet of loss. As we drove up the broken pavement, Chris from IMBA and I shook our heads and giggled. The pickup spun it’s tires, grappling for traction on the 26.5% grade. The first wall out of Port-au-Prince relentlessly climbs 3,000 vertical feet, and I doubt I could have climbed it with February fitness without stopping.

After 45 minutes of driving we reached the end of the line for the pickup. This is the only road that heads south out of Port-au-Prince through the high mountains, but it isn’t passable by normal passenger trucks. We had a rendezvous with a quad that would carry our gear to the top. While we swapped gear, we drew a crowd. Gringos on fancy mountain bikes are not normally seen out here, so I put on a show and rode some wheelies for the kids.

The road relentlessly climbs and descends along this high traverse. It’s possible to ride it all, if you have the watts, with the exception of the final climb, which is impossibly steep and loose. In the next photo you can see the bulk of the traverse portion of our route, including the final climb which tops out at La Visite National Park.

Panoramic image showing the road to La Visite National Park In Haiti

The detail of the landscape is difficult to convey in a web sized image. Innumerable winding footpaths descend from the road down along the terraced hillsides into deep valleys.

What do you think of this descent? I want to come back here with an all-mountain bike with a seat dropper post, and tackle some first descents. The logistical challenge is, how do you get out? The psychological challenge is, what will you find when you reach the bottom?

While the previous image was the most extreme downhill that I saw, the region is absolutely covered with tempting ribbons of brown.

But on this trip, we had to stick to the main road. We heard reports of incredible singletrack in the high altitude area of La Visite National Park, where there still remains a protected forested area. We know that in order to make a race successful, we need to have a reward for conquering the hardest climb in the Caribbean. Seeking scenic singletrack with a serious fun factor, we kept riding and pushing our way up increasing grades into the clouds, passing through small villages along the way.

Along the road, there is constant motorcycle and foot traffic. Adults are generally pretty amused by your suffering, and the children shout and come running to witness the spectacle. The motorcycles have created an essential worn in good line that makes the steep sections barely possible to climb.

Like any properly epic climb, the most demoralizing pitch is saved for last. This stretch climbs 850 feet in 1.2 miles, which is a seemingly moderate 13% average gradient. But don’t let those numbers fool you, there are two-tenths of a mile over 20% and a maximum pitch of 32% of pure rock-strewn evil. In a race scenario, you might be well-off to do a triathlon-style transition to change into running shoes, since stiff carbon shoes struggle for footing. Strewn with old de-soled and discarded shoes, we named this heinous gem ‘The Sole Collector’, pun intended.

These ladies make this climb (and descent) look easy. They carry 50+ pound loads up and down every day without breaking a sweat, while Clayton struggled to even lift one. The

I emerged from the climb in a thick fog. La Visite has a completely different energetic feel to the place, largely due to the indigenous forest. Completely blind as to what was ahead, I wondered if I’d really find the goods. Would there really be fun riding up here, or would this be another case of so-so sheep singletrack? Tune in tomorrow to see what we found.

Philippe - Hi,
I love what you guys are doing. When are planning on organizing other races or convoys?

Steve Z - Stay tuned to http://www.mtbayiti.org for more information on these events. There will be a prologue event in November or December, and the main event will be in February.

Winthrop Attié | Bringing The Forests Back To Haiti » Steve Z Adventure Photography - [...] After climbing from Port-au-Prince to the misty highlands of Parc National La Visite, we refueled and rested at the Auberge La Visite. This forest oasis has been owned and operated by Winthrop Attié and his family since 1996, and is named after the old fashioned European auberges where travelers could just stop in for a bed and a meal. Locals just call it ‘Kay Winnie’ in Creole, which translates to ‘Winnie’s House’. [...]

Welcome to Port-au-Prince

A local taunts the photographer with his pro camera.

This week I’ll be blogging images from my trip to Haiti two weeks ago. The purpose of the trip was to help launch the MTB Ayiti (http://mtbayiti.org/) project. I’ll write more about that tomorrow when we head up, and I mean straight up, into the mountains for two days of mountain biking. Upon my arrival, we had a brief couple hours on the streets of Port-au-Prince.

Chris is savoring the chaos of Haiti while Chris's mind appears to have been blown.

Everyone wants to know if the city is still in disarray after the earthquake two years ago. The answer is mostly no. The city for the most part appears to be back in the disarray that it was prior to the earthquake.

Art hangs for sale on the streets of Port Au Prince Haiti.

As an artist, I immediately noticed the widespread display of art for sale on the streets. The displays would stretch for over a full city block, and it’s difficult to comprehend how they are able to set it all up and tear it down daily, or if it rains. The local style is very universal and is dominated by bright colors, with African, Cubist, and Surrealist influence.

An artist paints in the streets of Port Au Prince Haiti.

I met one of the artists, who was eager to practice his English with me. He told me that sometimes the artists sell their own work, or sometimes the art is sold by people who are only salesmen.

The sidewalk serves as a paint palette in Port Au Prince Haiti.

The population density is high, and the streets are full of people going here and there, often carrying their loads on their heads. Everywhere there is the flair for color, from the clothes people wear to the painted colors of the buildings and vehicles.

The colors and chaos of a market in the streets of Haiti.

A photo of the one of the many wildly painted buses in Haiti.

Thanks for checking out this Haitian appetizer, tomorrow I’ll be back with images and backstory of our quest to bring Haiti it’s first mountain bike race.

A man walks through the side streets of Port Au Prince carrying something on his head.

How To Eat Shit On Skis In Six Easy Steps

I thought it would be fun to make a sequence of this glorious ski crash in the Colorado backcountry. I love the peaceful look on Nodin’s face in the 4th shot as his head is about to hit the snow.

 

Backcountry Ski Hut Trip to the Polar Star Inn

Since March is the statistically Colorado’s biggest snow month, it’s a logical time to plan a trip to ski into a backcountry hut. Well, not this year, as we’ve had warmer March weather than we usually get in May. Nonetheless, the reservation was made, so we headed up to the Polar Star Inn, which is a privately owned lodge which is part of the 10th Mountain Division trail system. Despite the pretty poor snow conditions, we were able to make some decent turns in the afternoon after the sun warmed the snow. On our final morning we headed out in the dark in order to summit with the sunrise and saw a couple ptarmigans with their cute fuzzy feet. Snow or no snow, it is always revitalizing to spend time in the backcountry, breathing the clean air and gazing out across inspiring vistas.

Mission: Haiti

I just arrived in Haiti for our next international adventure. We’re here to plot and plan the creation of Haiti’s first mountain bike race. Haiti is in desperate need of businesses to create an economy, and adventure tourism in this mountainous country is an area with a lot of potential. Check out www.mtbayiti.org for some info and a promotional video on the project. Today we are hanging out in Port Au Prince, but we’ll be heading into the mountains tomorrow for some real mountain biking in the rugged mountains outside of the city, where we’ll be heading up to 7000 feet above sea level!

Here is a view from poolside in the courtyard of Hotel Kinam. Here I am the 1%. You won’t be seeing much more luxury out of this trip.

View from the pool courtyard area at the Hotel Kinam in Port Au Prince.

Adam Chase and Jayme Moye Butt Heads

A portrait of ultrarunner Adam Chase and road cyclist Jayme Moye on the trailhead in Boulder Colorado

Today we headed out to a local Boulder trailhead to capture a banner image for the monthly Butting Heads column in Elevation Outdoors magazine. The point-counterpoint argument for the May issue will be whether you should or should not date outside your sport of choice.

Adam Chase is a professional ultrarunner and editor at Running Times magazine who argues that when seeking a partner you should mix it up. Jayme Moye is the managing editor of Elevation Outdoors and a road cyclist who feels you just shouldn’t go there. Can you wait until May to pick up a copy of EO to find out who will win? From my perspective, this isn’t a topic worthy of making a lemon face about. If you have the opportunity to shack up with a tight body in even tighter clothing, then you should go for it either way and sort the rest out later.

A portrait of ultrarunner Adam Chase and road cyclist Jayme Moye for Elevation Outdoors magazine

StephaneEvras - Great portrait! Is it a long lens with deported flash ? Speedlite or AlienBee like ?

Steve Z - Yes Stephanie, I was using an AlienBee 1600.

Mirador Cuernos Hike | Torres Del Paine

Landscape photo of Almirante Nieto and the Cordillera del Paine

It’s the end of the line. It’s been a great run, but this is the final post in the 2012 Patagonia Blog Saga. Don’t worry, I saved a great post for the finale.

Burned trees from the 2011 forest fires in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile.

Much of the landscape of present day Torres Del Paine has been defined by forest fires. Lightning does not occur naturally in this area, so all fires have been started by humans, most recently in 1985, 2005, and December 2011. The Mirador Cuernos hike travels directly through the recently burned forests.

Forest destruction from the 2011 forest fires in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile.

Hiking along the trail to the Mirador Cuernos lookout in Torres Del Paine.

A giant glacier dwarfs hikers along the trail in Torres Del Paine.

Other than the charred vegetation, you will immediately notice the extreme wind that we were battling during this hike. At one point it ripped the sunglasses out from under my hood and flung them down the mountain. One minute they were on my face, the next minute they were gone. At times we had to squat down low for fear that we would be thrown to the ground. Boulder is a windy place, but it doesn’t have anything on Patagonia.

Jayme leans into the extreme winds in Torres Del Paine.

Wind Battered Hikers

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. This is the most scenic landscape that I’ve ever seen in person.

Scenic Torres Del Paine Landscape

Towering walls of rock jut vertically upward, the Cordillera del Paine

The South and Central Towers of the Cordillera del Paine.

The wind was blowing strong for most of our week-long stay. When you have waves crashing on the shore of a lake, then you know it’s windy. At one point I saw waves large enough that they had an actual tube. I’d say that it was large enough for a cat to catch a tube ride, if they actually liked water of course.

Extreme winds create waves on Nordenskjöld Lake in Torres Del Paine National Park.

The bright blue waters of Nordenskjöld Lake with the Cuernos Del Paine and Almirante Nieto.

Salto Grande falls flow from Nordenskjöld Lake to Lake Pehoé. They actually are much larger below the rapids showing here, but this made a better photo so here you go.

Salto Grande falls flow from Nordenskjöld Lake to Lake Pehoé.

Thanks for tuning in for the grand saga of our Galapagos-Patagonia tour. My next international trip isn’t too far away, only two and a half weeks to go until a mountain biking adventure in Haiti. For a sneak preview, check out the promo video.

Ron James Propri - Wow! Some really stunning shots in this set. Nice work!

Estancia Cerro Guido

The horse stables with a dramatic view of Torres Del Paine from Estancia Cerro Guido..

Torres Del Paine and the Estancia Cerro Guido are located in the XII Magellan Region of Patagonia. This is the local flag, blowing hard in the typically brutal winds that sweep across the white capped waves of Lake Sarmiento.

A Flag of the XII Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region blows in the wind in front of Torres Del Paine.

The grasslands on the eastern flank of Torres Del Paine are working ranches called “estancias.” The guachos are the cowboys of the region, riding across the property and tending to the livestock. We took a scenic horseback ride up into the forested hills. There wasn’t much scenery up there, but it did offer welcome protection from the howling wind.

A young gaucho pulls a horse at Estancia Cerro Guido.

Gaucho style!

Three gauchos in native clothing at Estancia Cerro Guido in Patagonia.

This particular estancia has a restaurant and hotel rooms, and in recent years has taken up small-batch craft beer brewing.

We took a horseback ride up into the forest from Estancia Cerro Guido.

This funny moment occurred when I began to take a portrait of the gauchos, and I noticed that the large fellow on the right had left his fly down. I gestured the international signal for “your fly is down,” which of course drew laughs from the others. It’s good to know that forgetting to zip your fly is the most embarrassing thing you can ever do, worldwide.

A candid moment at the horse stable.

Lake Sarmiento Views

Torres Del Paine at Sunrise

For our Patagonia visit, we stayed at Tierra Patagonia Lodge which is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Sarmiento. Every day we watched the sun rise and set over the peaks. I was even able to watch the sun rise in my underwear!

Torres Del Paine at Sunset

A short 20 minute hike from the lodge brought me down to the shores of the lake, where I indulged in some long exposure captures of the mountains reflecting in the water.

Reflections of Torres Del Paine mountains and clouds in Lake Sarmiento

There was a line of giant pumice stones all along the beach. My feet are now silky smooth.

Giant boulders of pumice on Lake Sarmiento in Patagonia.

The wind was often relentless.

Lake Sarmiento on a windy day in Torres Del Paine National Park.

Here I am not being sad that I’m missing out on some powder days at Vail.

Sitting on the beach of Lake Sarmiento enjoying the view.

If you’ve been hanging around for any length of time, you know that I have a thing for cool clouds. These formations are some of my top favorites.

A giant cloud looks like a bird flying over Lake Sarmiento in Patagonia.

Beautiful cloud formations in Patagonia.

Unique clouds over glacier capped mountains in Patagonia.

Mountain Biking Torres Del Paine

Riding a ribbon of singletrack in the mountainous landscape of Chilean Patagonia.

Today I bring you with us on our biggest mountain biking day in Patagonia, when we doubled up and did two epic rides. Our first outing was a point-to-point ride across three estancia properties on the edge of Torres Del Paine National Park. We began with an extremely cold stream crossing. Even in the middle of summer, we were seeing nightly snowfall a couple thousand feet above the valley floor, so this water could very well have been snow earlier in the day.

Jayme carries her mountain bike across a river in Patagonia.

This was a sweet bit of singletrack, as long as you don’t mind piles of dung everywhere. Jayme can smile big because she is in front here. Don’t try this while you’re drafting.

Jayme and Chris rip a choice piece of Patagonia singletrack, which is of course covered in animal dung.

Here we have a view of the Torres. Well, a partial view anyway. This ride offers a spectacular view of the iconic towers, but on this day my photographer luck wasn’t with me, and the spires remained shrouded in clouds throughout our journey.

Riding through the ranch land estancia property outside Torres Del Paine in Patagonia.

As the local gauchos (cowboys) ride their horses across their lands, they spend the night in structures located throughout the estancia. This one was particularly colorful, and run-down. This is Jayme’s “I wouldn’t sleep here for one second” look.

Posing in front of a run down estancia building in Patagonia

Corrugated metal is the building material of choice, as is evidenced by yet another ranch house in the background of this photo. This is a photo of Jayme landing in the gully after dropping off the ledge. Pretty rad, huh?

Riding through a gully on the estancia property in Chilean Patagonia

We doubled up on the mountain biking, and headed out to Torres Del Paine National Park after a hearty lunch at Tierra Patagonia. There isn’t much recreational mountain biking in this area, so their aren’t many user conflicts. It seems that you can ride mountain bikes on the hiking trails in the parks if you ask permission. We rode “The Hunters Trail” which is in the grasslands at the entrance of the park. This is moderate and ridable terrain with buffed out singletrack and stunning views of the Torres.

Storm clouds swirl over the Torres Del Paine while sunlight beams in.

Once again the mountains were covered in stormy clouds that seemed to hover over the peaks, neither advancing nor retreating.

Mountain biking through Torres Del Paine National Park with the iconic peaks in the background.

Cover shot!

Mountain bike riding through the open fields in Torres Del Paine National Park.

Since this point to point trail gets a lot of human traffic, the surface was smooth and worn in. This was the best singletrack of the trip.

Mountain Biking Singletrack in Chile along a fence.

Orchestrated scenic mountain biking shots are great, but you cannot beat a true captured moment. Not even with a really big stick.

An adult guanaco jumps a fence while young ones look on.

Our two-ride epic mountain biking day in Patagonia ended with a buff and flowy singletrack decent. The finale featured this long set of stairs built into the trail. As I said, there aren’t many mountain bikes here, and I’m certain I got more than a few odd looks from the two full tour buses in the parking lot as I bumped my way down.

A long set of steps on the trail at the end of our mountain bike ride.

The Animals of Patagonia: Alive and Dead

Closeup image of a Juvenile Austral Pygmy Owl in Patagonia near Torres Del Paine.

During the course of our week in Patagonia, I captured quite a few images of native animals. I previously published photos of Andean Condors in their own blog post since that was such an incredible day.

Flamingos in front of the spires fo Torres Del Paine.

We saw a couple flamingos when we were in the Galapagos, and it seemed perfectly normal to see them in a warm tropical setting. I was definitely not expecting to see them in an inhospitable climate such as this. Here is a flock getting battered by 60 mph winds in Torres Del Paine National Park.

A flock of flamingos in a lake in Patagonia.

These horses are not wild, but we did see some wild horses on one of our hikes. The wild ones ran off when we were spotted a half a mile away across impassable terrain.

A herd of wild horses run along the plains of Patagonia.

This is my favorite character from the trip. While on a horseback ride our guides spotted this juvenile Austral Pygmy Owl in a tree on the estancia. I was amazed at how close he let me get without flying off.

A juvenile Austral Pygmy Owl in a tree in Patagonia

Probably the least exciting photo is this herd of some wooly sheep. But how can you have a Patagonia animals post without sheep?

A herd of wooly sheep in Patagonia.

There are plenty of rheas roaming around the plains. They are quite wild, and also tend to run off when you try to photograph them. This isn’t the Galapagos where the animals have no natural predators. The puma are plentiful here.

A rhea walks along the estancia of Patagonia.

The most common animal in this region are the guanacos. They are so common that they would probably get boring, if it wasn’t for the fact that they are so damn cute. How about those lips?

Guanacos have great lips, don't you think?

A guanaco in front of snow capped mountains in Patagonia.

A young guanaco nurses from his mother in Patagonia.

And now we reach the point in the blog where we get to see the dead stuff. I have literally never seen so many bones and skeletons lying around. As we were riding our mountain bikes we would literally run over bones that were lying around on the trail. The puma eat very well here.

You find strange things in Patagonia.

A complete guanaco skeleton lies in the grass.

This guanaco didn't make it over the fence.

The puma hunt sheep for food and sport in Patagonia.

Jack Sasson - Again some wonderful shot Steve! Love the flamingos with the mountains behind – incredible!!!

Dan - Steve these are great!

Joni Schrantz - Just amazing. You’ve been to some fabulous places. That mountain shot is stunning! Love your work.

Grey Glacier Hike in Torres Del Paine

Landscape view of the lakes of Torres Del Paine.

Our favorite hike while in Patagonia was at Grey Lake. We started out walking along the shores of the glacial lake to an iceberg viewpoint. We weren’t blessed with great sunlight, but even through the mist the turquoise blue glaciers were impressive.

An iceberg that was calved from Grey Glacier in the distance.

After our morning hike along the lake, we set out to climb the steep 2000 vertical foot trail up to the Mirador Lago Grey.

Hiking in Torres Del Paine above Grey Lake

Hiking a scenic trail above Grey Lake in Torres Del Paine.

Just before reaching the summit, we entered a forested area rich with green foliage. Another hiker told us to watch for parrots, but sadly we didn’t see any.

Just before reaching the summit, we passed through this beautiful dense forest.

The summit viewpoint was capped in bald red rocks. The wind was howling of course, but the view of Torres Del Paine National Park was incredible.

The red rocks of the bald summit of our hike contrast the blue skies and lakes.

And to the west, we could see the rippled Grey Glacier pouring into the lake. We stayed as long as we could in a rocky hollow that offered protection from the battering winds, before descending back into the valley, knowing that we had just experienced one of the best viewpoints in the world.

Scenic view of Grey Glacier from the top of our hike.

The Grey Glacier in Torres Del Paine National Park viewed from above.

Lynn - Stunning!

Sherpa - Bucket list… Next trip. Awesome imagery Steve.

Daniel - I sooo hate you. Beautiful captures Steve. Don’t be shy about posting more!

Jack Sasson - Wooooww!!!

Jack Sasson - Which lens were you using for the shots up the glacier Steve? BTW, being cloudy really adds drama to the scenes!

stevez - I purchased a Nikon 28-300 for this trip. It’s a pretty good lens for hiking as it give you a lot of range. The bokeh is harsh but for photos like this there isn’t any. You also have to correct for lens distortion in post, but it’s a lot easier than carrying big expensive lenses up a mountain!

Solo Strobe Shot

My primary assignment in Patagonia was to capture images for Jayme’s feature narrative in Women’s Adventure magazine. Almost all of the images that I took utilized available light only, since I felt that natural light would evoke the proper tone to accompany the story. I always bring a lighting kit along, just in case I am inspired to shoot an image with a commercial look. On this trip, that moment only happened one.

On one of our mountain bike excursions near the Tierra Patagonia Lodge, we happened upon this dry lake bed. I saw the texture of the perfectly cracked mud, and thought that it would make a great backdrop for an edgy sports portrait. In order to illuminate Jayme decked out in her Switch Sunglasses and Pearl Izumi kit, astride a Specialized bike, I balanced backlighting from the sun with two Speedlights at full power. I do love the dramatic result that you can achieve by using strobes in conjunction with backlighting, you just have to be conscientious of the proper time to use it.

Portrait of a Mountain Biker on the Dry Lake Bed in Patagonia

Bruce Lorenz - very nice!

Marci - Incredible shot.

Andean Condors In Flight

This is a very special blog post. Watching a condor fly 50 feet in front of you is a raw and powerful experience that cannot possibly be transferred through words or images. But I’ll do my best.

An adult male Condor flies near Torres Del Paine National Park.

On our second morning in Patagonia we left our home base at Tierra Patagonia Lodge and headed out for the Condoreras Hike. This trek took us up and along a ridge frequented by Andean Condors. We lashed down our hoods to protect us from the cold and blustery winds that are the norm here in Patagonia. I really had no idea what to expect as our group hiked up an animal path to the barren ridge. I was happy just getting out and snapping scenic photos of the Torres Del Paine, capped in an overnight summer snowfall.

A fresh coating of snow coats the mountains of Torres Del Paine.

I think I may have heard the quiet whoosh of the wind passing along the incredible 10 foot wingspan even before I saw the first condor. It was an unforgettable sound.

A male Andean Condor flies over Patagonia in Chile.

Despite gusts of wind that threatened to blow me right off the 800 foot cliff, I was drawn to the edge. The Andean Condor is the largest flying land-based bird in the world, and they have been found to live over 100 years (in captivity). They are truly awe-inspiring to behold.

Steve Z photographs condors from a high ridge in Patagonia.

And then I came along an adult male sitting on a ledge 30 feet below us. Here you can see the detail in their bizarre buzzard heads. Mr. Condor, I salute you, your featherless head, dangly comb, and stylish neck warmer.

An adult male Condor sits on a ledge in Chilean Patagonia.

By halfway through the hike, the condors had flown off to parts unknown. Once again we waited for “sucker holes” of blue sky to shine upon us so that we could obtain valuable Facebook profile photos.

Looking for condors from the high ridge.

A male Andean Condor flies over Patagonia in Chile.

As we hiked down the ridge the sun came out and warmed our chilled bones, our spirits and cameras filled with powerful memories of condors in flight.

Hiking to view condors in Patagonia

The Animals of Patagonia: Alive and Dead » Steve Z Adventure Photography - [...] of our week in Patagonia, I captured quite a few images of native animals. I previously published photos of Andean Condors in their own blog post since that was such an incredible [...]

The Sheep Singletrack of Patagonia

The locals make some crazy singletrack in Patagonia.

Today’s post brings us to our first mountain bike adventure in Chilean Patagonia. The grasslands of southern South America are mostly owned by ranching families, and the land is referred to as estancia. This is ranching land, and there is an abundance of sheep and guanacos, as well as the pumas that hunt them. So the singletrack created by the locals is schizophrenic at best.

Mountain biking on a dry lake bed with a view of Torres Del Paine in the background.

I have never been anywhere with so many skeletons and bones lying around. At one point I was threading the impossibly narrow and twisty sheep singletrack when I ran directly over a sheep skull. Jayme saw the spinal column whiplash and disconnect. Gnarly.

There were an incredible amount of sheep and guanaco carcasses in Patagonia.

A complete guanaco skeleton along our path.

Our group stops to admire the view, and watch some grazing horses in the field. These horses are owned by the estancia, unlike the wild horses that we saw earlier in the day at Lago Toro. The wild horses bolted as soon as we were detected, but these horses allowed us to get within a hundred yards.

Three riders rest while admiring the view of Torres Del Paine.

I knew that I wanted a shot of Jayme mountain biking with the horses in the background. As she rode towards the group they naturally galloped off. There was one horse that was isolated from the group, and he came flying by at the last minute, providing for a memorable image, to say the least.

Chasing a horse on the grasslands of Patagonia.

Thanks for reading about our warmup Patagonian mountain bike adventure. Tune in tomorrow for incredible images of Andean Condors in flight.

Mountain Bikes At Torres Del Paine Estancia

Hike To Lago Toro

A tree stump provides a landscape focal point in front of Lake Toro in Chilean Patagonia.

Our first adventure in Patagonia was a quick little hike to a viewpoint that looks out over Lake Toro. This terrain is the estancia region of Chilean Patagonia, just outside the borders of Torres Del Paine National Park. An estancia refers to ranch land in the South American grasslands that is usually used for raising livestock such as sheep and cattle.

These bushes in the estancia ranges are called Mother-In-Law Cushions!

The landscape is dominated by these puffy yet prickly yellow-green bushes. I don’t know the actual name, but everyone calls them by their common name, “Mother-In-Law Bushes”. Don’t ask my why as I have no idea.

Hikers hike to a viewpoint that looks over Lake Toro.

It was a calm, warm, and mostly cloudy day. Great sunlight for photography was a fickle mistress. The clouds don’t exactly move across the sky here, they just seem to form and dissipate. A hole would open and the sun would poke out, then I would set up a shot and it would go away. Or, we could look up and see the sun just on the edge of a patch of clear blue sky, and we would wait for the sun to move into that space, but it would never come. Jayme named these clear patches “sucker holes”.

Clouds reflect on the water of Lake Toro in Chilean Patagonia.

Here we have a perfect Facebook Timeline shot looking out over Lago Toro towards Torres Del Paine. The iconic spires are obscured by clouds, as they are much of the time.

Jayme looks out over Lake Toro with Torres Del Paine in the background.

And then, the sucker hole opens up, and the sun shines down for that magazine cover shot!

Jayme hikes in the Lake Toro region with Torres Del Paine in the background.

Jack Sasson - Excellent! Keep sending those great shots!

Charlotte - Hi Steve, Absolutely stunning photos – would love to share these with our clients, glad I came across you on Twitter.

So, where’s next on the agenda? Are you leaving Patagonia already or photographing other hot spots?

Charlotte

stevez - Charlotte, I’m back in Colorado now, and still catching up on the blogging from the trip!

Chilean Volcanos and Glaciers From 35000 Feet

A glacier in Chile flows from the Northern Patagonia Ice Field

It’s Monday morning and I’m back home in Colorado, and ready to continue blogging photos from my big South American adventure. When we last left off, we had left the Galapagos, spent a luxurious day in Santiago, and were en route to the Tierra Patagonia Lodge in Chilean Patagonia. Both of our LAN airline plane flights were photo worthy, as we straddled the spine of the Andes mountain range.

Aerial view of Cerro Azul Volcano in Andes mountains of Chile.

As we flew south out of Santiago, we soon encountered a moon-like landscape. The 12,428-foot Cerro Azul is an active volcano in the southern volcanic zone of Chile. There is a lot of snow across the Andes, especially since we are at the height of summer in the southern hemisphere.

A closeup view of Cerro Azul volcano in the Chilean Andes.

This is actually a pretty crappy picture, but I’m including it just to show the Lakes and Rivers zone of the Andes. This is the region in between the volcanic region and the southern Magellan region where we are heading. This area receives much more rain and snow, and has lush green forests, similar to the American Northwest.

Los Lagos region of Chile viewed from an airplane.

Chile contains two giant ice fields, which constitute the 3rd largest in the world after the northern and southern ice caps. Here we have some images of the glacial formations of the North Patagonia Ice Field. This is really just the edge of this immense expanse of snow, since our plane is flying over the middle of it.

The Northern Patagonia Ice Field viewed from an airplane.

Three glaciers flow from the Northern Patagonia Ice Field down into glacial lakes.

These three glaciers were impressively long, and created a lake containing thousands of icebergs. I’d love to know what the name of this glacier is, and see images captured from a boat on that lake.

Giant glaciers in Chile.

This Chilean lake has thousands of icebergs floating in it.

Now we have reached the truly exciting part of this blog post. In this image we have Torres Del Paine National Park, Nordenskjöld Lake, and Sarmiento Lake. We will be staying at Tierra Patagonia Lodge, on the northeastern edge of Lake Sarmiento.

Torres Del Paine and Lago Sarmiento viewed from an airplane.

I took another shot of the upper right corner of Lake Sarmiento, cropped it in even more, and now we can just make out the Tierra Patagonia Lodge. The building has an amazing architectural design, and is a semi-underground building that blends into the landscape. Here we can only see the reflection of the long S-curved glass windows that provide a spectacular view of the Torres.

From Lago Sarmiento, you can barely see the Tierra Patagonia Lodge.

Here we have some close up views of Torres Del Paine National Park. I gazed at these mountains every day for a week, dreaming about the views from the top of these spires, which were not even climbed until the 1950′s and 1960′s. This airplane view provides a small glimpse of a different perspective of the terrain that lies in the upper reaches of the park.

The peaks of Torres Del Paine viewed from an airplane.

These are the iconic spires of the Torres.

Three Towers of Torres Del Paine viewed from an airplane.

This week I will continue blogging our hiking and biking adventures from the park and the estancia ranches of southern Patagonia. Thanks for reading.

Jack Sasson - Incredible series of shots Steve!

Continuum Photography San Diego Wedding Photographers - These are amazing! I rarely associate Chile with so much snow and ice.