Friday, September 11, 2009

Big Snow in Chile!

Did I mention 163cm in 48 hours?

Thursday, September 3, 2009

First Post- Portillo Chile

I just returned from an incredible week in Portillo Chile, with some of the most fun people and true die hard skiers I know. It took a day to ascend the 36 switch backs and an avalanche prone road, but we made it arriving Sunday evening. The week was filled with skiing untracked powder, eating fine Chilean cuisine, drinking fine wine, talking ski technique ad-nauseum, laughing at ourselves, playing ping pong like true nerds,watching the Banff film fest, hanging in the bar with Austrian Ski Team members and skiing superstars, soaking in the hot tub, swimming in the pool, listening to over synthesised 80's music covers in the bar, and sleeping very, very hard.

I have been running this camp for 16 years and it is always the same and never the same. The quality of the experience is always top shelf, but the vibe is always different. When you combine a group of people that have a fever (not swine) for skiing in August with a strong Andean storm system, you are in for a treat.

The powder, the uncertainty of the light, the closures and the openings all created mystery and an element of excitement. We all ended the week with a smile on our faces and racking our brains on how to stay just a little longer.
Fellows