Bariloche, Argentina, is many things: a resort town for wealthy Argentines, a refuge for war criminals, home to the friendliest dogs in Latin America, the SASS snowboard camp and the bamboo forests of Cerro Catedral. Whether riding powder under a mossy canopy, jibbing in the rain, or indulging in asado and all-night discos, it is a land of extremes. Colin Wiseman takes us through the ups and downs of two weeks in Bariloche.

“It was all over the news: Dr. Death had been spotted.

In San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, Efraim Zuroff of the Israeli Simon Wiesenthal Center was in hot pursuit of the Nazi war criminal following eye-witness reports that the 94-year-old (real name Aribert Heim) was spending his last years in the resort town. Nestled on a big, blue lake surrounded by the snow-capped Eastern Andes and sporting a habitable micro-climate, it certainly is an attractive escape. I arrived in Bariloche shortly after the departure of Mr. Zuroff, who was hopeful that the doctor would be brought to justice in the coming months. I wasn’t there to find Dr. Heim—I was just looking to ride some powder. And while I wouldn’t see a trace of the infamous Dr. Death, I certainly encountered numerous facsimiles of his moniker.”

Subscribeto see the entire piece.

Want more? Check out the online extras.