First Day on Skis October 28th

The first system of the 2010 winter caked the high country of the entire western U.S. So Martin Clay and I drove up to Rabbit Ears Pass outside of Steamboat and lapped the "Toilet Bowl" on the Liberty Helix. How was your first day?

First Day On Skis from Liberty Bamboo Revolution Tour on Vimeo.

Apologies as this crazy effect in the footage was not intentional. I'm having troubles exporting from final cut to the web.

Santiago, An Alpha World City=Lots of Peeps in the Hood

With a bakers dozen days left in Chile, I took refuge in Santiago's western metropolitan area thanks to a good friend from Valle Nevado who offered the place to me upon learning of my early contract termination. Within walking distance from a metro station, grocery store, and a gym, I have had the most relaxing care-free time any unemployed person could ask for....

I made it up for some of the best views in the city during sunset hours. One evening at the hill of Santa Lucia and the other higher lift access hill with a 60ft. statue of the Virgin Mary, and a 20ft cross.

The days were also filled in with amazing seafood, walking though the bodega, a crazy sushi rolling session, some birthday partying, and lots of time just Chilling Hard with the Chilean peeps in their hood(see photo below). Next it's off to the beach, the longboard promised land, between where the wine grows, the salmon are caught, and the roads flow like the groomers of Steamboat. Nothing like bring back to Vina del Mar to close up a four month full circle.

PEEPS IN THE HOOD!!!

Bluffed

So after getting back from Pucon, the skies were gray and bad weather was in the forecast. I figured weak spring weather system dropping a few centimeters of warm snow in the mountains. The next days were ones that you don't want to do anything for. Overcast and cold in the city....really, really, cold? Yet not raining a drop. When the mountains get snow, it ALWAYS rains in Santiago, but the storm bluffed us this time.

Using the Valle Nevado webcam and talking to my peeps up there, I found out it was DUMPING cold, dry, POW! Like 30cm. in one night. It snowed all weekend with some breaks of BLUEBIRD for the lucky ones.

So Monday I left the concrete jungle early with skis in hand and hopped on the metro, to get to the bus, that would take me to the hitch hiking spot. So imagine everyone going to work to start the week off, and I'm cruising public transit close to fully geared up. I couldn't follow my normal people watching habits because I was being stared at. It was awkwardly funny.

From the end of public transit I flagged an empty tour transport that got me up the 50 something switchbacks to Valle Nevado for about 10 dollars. All well worth it for some of my best turns of the season through 60+cm of the good stuff....mostly. The snow had gone though some transformation in some places, but I seemed to have the right instincts. I skied alone, as fast, and fun as I could. September 28th was glorious~

I ended up spending the night,catching up with friends, and skiing a good chunk of the next day with the same ticket thanks to no scanners and mostly chill lifties. I finally got plucked though :(

That being my last day of the South American Season, I sold off some gear to the people in need. Pants, goggs, helmet, trekkers.
We, people in the northern industry, take if for granted how easy, cheap, or free things are. I'm very thankful that I have a place in a luxury market. Or that I have a place at all.

Can't imagine anything other than “Success is Destiny”

~Hasta luego Andes~

Volcanic Meca

Arriving at the only bus stop outside of Pucon at 10pm, I made the call to my contact in Valle Nevado who's brother resides in Pucon. He was working at a dope bar/restaurant call Cypress. All I was told is that its by the center of town, and everyone knows it. So I started pulling my Dakine bag which thankfully has good wheels like 8+ blocks where I was greeted by Roco with two pints of good beer and Empanadas all for around 4 dollars.

There was a group of French kids, old friends of Roco, I cruised the town with on this Friday night. At around 2am I was overtaken by hunger and was surprised to find a restaurant still open where I had the best chicken sandwich of my life. I guess that's why they name this place the best tourism infrastructure south of Costa Rica. From the bazillion eateries, bars, hostels, hotels, to every outdoor activity imaginable, this place is a tourist black hole. You can even spin around the central park in a kiddy go cart....if you're small enough. Careful though, the drivers in Chile are crazy, I did see some fender benders. Or maybe its a good idea to walk this area equipped with shin guards.

I spent my first day hung over...blaa, and just strolled the city talking to shop workers and the city folk. I also found my fruit store which I would become a daily loyal customer of. Chilean produce is where it's at! Especially eating it with this view~

The next day being a bit cloudy I decided to hold of on the skiing. I made an Empanada stop, rented a hard tail mtn. Bike, and headed for a 40k loop to another one of the 5 lakes in the region, Caburga. It was a pretty diverse ride. Some single track along the river, to a cool bridge, to a rarely traveled dirt road along the country side, ending at an amazing dead end.

The next days I headed for the volcano Viarrica, small ski area, HUGE HUGE HUGE volcano. My days there consisted of hitch hiking in the back of pickups, hiking as high as not having crampons would allow, skiing some off the best spring snow ever, and taking in the majestic views.

The rest of the time there seemed to easily slip away with hot springs, some intense tennis with Roco, and more city gazing. Before I knew it another week had past and I decided to head back to Santiago. Just in time for a last freak storm of the season that would leave over half a meter of cold stuff in the Cordillera of the central region. Good thing I didn't go to Bariloche~

Special thanks goes out to Roco for letting crash at his house and snapping this shot below.

Nevados de Chillan Round II

So Chillan it was via the train. I rolled in style for a 20 dollar first class train ticket with big seats and a place to plug in.

After getting into Chillan at 11pm I had no plan of what to do...but that's the adventure behind it. I snagged a cab and we went to a hostel with plans of getting back into the same cab in seven hours to make the bus to Las Trancas. The next morning I got the three dollar bus to the best place in Chile. Straight to the best hostel in Trancas, and up to the best ski center in Chile, NO JOKE.

There was a comp going on that week, so for a registration of 80 dollars I got 5 days of skiing and some Chilean barbeque action, although the slopestyle game was not on my mind. I had my eyes set on the summit of Volcan Nevados, a 2000+ vertical peak at about 11,500ft.

At registration I ran in to three Utahers, Julian, Adam, and Jenn.

Us four, Chopo Diaz, Senor Diaz...along with 13 year old shredder Nico explored this amazing mountain from one extreme to the other.

For the next 4 days or so...this was a shred crew. From sunset shooting, to Ziplines (Canopy), to hot springs, to a magestic waterfall, we lived it up.

On our last ski day, Julian, Adam, and myself headed for the sought after summit.

I learned when there are no trees to reference it is hard to gauge how far something is. And damn, these mountains are HUGE! We saw 2 tiny little dots on the side of the last ridge before the face.
Julian said there was now way they could be people cuz that would make that “ridge” enormous. Well they were people, two Irish men moving very slowly.

We made it to the summit and down our lines after taking time for photos in under four hours. The terrain here is endless and even the run back to the resort from our lines was killer.

The next day we headed back to the retro town of Chillan. I made my bus to Pucon thanks to the crew and the car they rented. Which by the way, was a crazy experience of partying with the rental office staff after renting the car. We ended up in a local bar, getting a signed CD of the band, and watching the traditional Quaker dance go down..Wild~

Another late arrival in Pucon in the night with no idea where to go would make for another interesting time for sure...