• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Chile 2018 Trip Report - LIVE from the Andes

Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Session 2 is now a wrap! I'm in Concepcion and tomorrow I will be flying back home to Denver. It's been an amazing 4 weeks but I'm ready to be home again. I will post a recap of our second session with a quick write up and photo's/video's. Today we went to the ocean to visit a small surfing town where we will be launching a new program in 2019. Excited to post more about that soon. Here's a couple of photos to tide you over till then.....

DSC07633.JPG





DSC07661.JPG


DSC07678.JPG


DSC07703.JPG


DSC07706.JPG


DSC07714.JPG


DSC07723.JPG


DSC07733.JPG


DSC07757.JPG


DSC07766.JPG


DSC07772.JPG


DSC07782.JPG


DSC07785.JPG


DSC07803.JPG

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Aug 22nd – Session 1 arrival day

Arrival day for the group. Eric had met me in Concepcion the night before and we headed to the airport to help with the arrivals. First in was Jacques, a snowboarder from California. He had been to Chile with us the year before and had done a trip to Japan with us as well. Then we had a big group come in at 12:46pm; Dave, Eric and Brian (all had done trips to Japan with us and were riding with Eric) and then in my group, Anne, Jeremy (owner of the Boot Mechanics from Golden, CO) and Richard and Gavin from the UK who had both done a lot of trips with me before.

We had a couple of people with missing bags that we had to help with, but once that was sorted, then we headed out. We stopped in at Motoneta’s in Chillan again for the usual meat-fest introduction and then headed to Las Trancas. It was snowing hard on the way up and we stopped for photos (chaining up time!) near the first switchbacks into town. Then we checked into the lodge and that evening I ran the group through the indoor avi safety training presentation.

Aug 23rd – Day 1 skiing

It was blowing a bit of a gail and the visibility was not great. There was only the Wenche chair and the Nono t-bar open, so skiing was limited. We stopped for an early lunch at the Alto Nevados Hotel and then had a solid 4-hour chunk to complete the on-snow avi training. It was a great session and we got a lot done. We went through our 3-step progression and everyone got plenty of practice with their beacons.

The progression was solid and we made it through to multiples. It was a good workout as in some places, the snow was thigh deep. The next day’s skiing would be good and the crew would be ready. We enjoyed a nice welcome meal at the Cabanas los Hualles that night and prepared ourselves for the next day’s powder day!

Aug 24th – Day 2 skiing and big powder day

The sun was out, the winds were calming down so we were up early for an 8:30am departure. We split the group in two and then headed up the mountain. Otto was spinning and we got 3 amazing powder runs in the Freeride Zone and the sidecountry, then hit up Alto Nevados for lunch.

There were some pretty aggressive lines being put in, a lot of people were venturing into some pretty steep terrain. Bonding was really good though, with only some small sloughs on some of the steeper aspects where people had cut the snow. Nothing was pulling down to any weaker layers below so we also ventured into the steeper sidecountry areas into the Pirigallo Valley. The skiing was amazing!

After lunch we decided to do the skin up to the small peak next to Pirigallo as a group had already put some lines in. My plan had been to ski that the next day, but since people were already heading that way, I didn’t want the group to miss out on a potentially untouched face so we made the trek up there ourselves.

We took our time so I could work on touring skills with the group (some of the group had not skinned before), so I went through pretty much everything needed: putting skins on; boots into touring mode; push and glide on skins; route selection; 3 different types of turns (round turns, VAV, kick-turns); down-hilling on skins and then transitioning. I really enjoy teaching and this was a fun time for all involved.

The run down was great, with fresh lines for all 4 members of the group (Jeremy wasn’t with us unfortunately as he didn’t have touring gear that day so he went with the snowboard group who weren’t hiking). It was a great touring line and the group were ready for bigger projects. Maybe Valle Hermoso would be in play for the next day? We had another lovely dinner at CLH and settled in for an early night. The next day could be big…..

DSC07629.JPG
No shoes? No problem for the Viking!


DSC07630.JPG Richard enjoying the fresh snow on the way to Las Trancas.


DSC07631.JPG First day crew; (left to right) - Anne, Richard, Gavin, Jeremy.


DSC07632.JPG Richard practicing his patented new snow measuring technique.....


DSC07633.JPG The human-dart method! Very effective.


DSC07635.JPG No shuttle no problem, when it's snowing all the way down to Las Trancas.


DSC07636.JPG First time touring together as a group. Plenty of new skills to learn.


DSC07637.JPG The view back towards the resort and the Volcan Nevados de Chillan.


DSC07639.JPG Anne, Rich, Gav, Jacques.


DSC07640.JPG I put the first track in (middle), testing the steeper slope to the skier's right.


DSC07641.JPG
Jacques was in next.....


DSC07642.JPG
Jacques


DSC07643.JPG Turns out Anne is a very aggressive spooner!


DSC07645.JPG Rich enjoying a little more single fall-line.


DSC07646.JPG
Great turns from Rich.


DSC07649.JPG Gav enjoying some extra room.


DSC07651.JPG
Looking back up the Pirigallo Valley to our line.

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Aug 25th – Day 3 Valle Hermoso

The sun was forecast to keep shining, but in a day or two, it was forecast to get really warm. If we were going to head over to the next valley across, Valle Hermoso, then this was our last chance. The snowboard group was up for it, so Eric and I took the entire group (8 guests plus 2 guides) for the hike. Normally with a small group, it could take 1.5 hours at an easy pace. This would take longer with a big group (the snowboard guys needed to be given some pointers on touring by Eric as for some of them, it was their first-time touring on a splitboard).

So we took the Otto chair up and started heading across. It was very windy up high and we’d need to be cautious about any fresh new windslab. There was also a large group of Chileans from the local Freeride club heading the same way too and other groups in the area that we needed to be aware of.

The hike undulates at first. There’s a short climb, followed by a short flat part, then a decent downhill and then a longer climb. Then you have a long and steep downhill (I had to do a downhill kickturn and traverse a bit, before I had lost enough pitch to be able to comfortably ski downhill (with the skins on). Then it gets steep as you climb up Pirigallo with some open faces to cross (one at a time across these slopes). Then you are on the summit.

We stopped in a really nice protected spot on a ridgeline for some lunch, then made the push for the top. The Freeride Team headed off infront of us and another faster moving group of 3 also caught up to us. We let them go ahead of us (doubt they wanted to wait for a large group like ours, so safer to give way). We transitioned into downhill mode and looked for our line. I skied down first and there were a few nice turns at the start before I cut right.

Below us we had a massive open face. This was the same line we had skied last year and seemed like a good choice as it was the most south-facing with potentially the coldest snow. It was really warm and about 2/3 of the way down it got real sticky. D’oh! We had gotten there just a bit too late and the ambient temps had turned everything to gloop. That was a little disappointing; I still haven’t skied that zone in primo conditions, next year I’m going to have to hike to it on the first day after a storm……

Still, it was still a positive day as we’d all gotten to tour together and many new skills had been learned or consolidated. It was a shame it wasn’t epic conditions but at least we’d tried. Next time….. we did the quick bootpack over to the ski area side and then we had to go through the (mankey!) forest. We ended up walking down most of it due to the lack of snow (expected). We ended at the Alto Nevados with a few cold ones before heading back to Las Trancas.

DSC07652.JPG
The winds were increasing up high!


DSC07653.JPG Heading out from the top of the Otto chair, we had the whole crew together for this mission.


DSC07654.JPG
Amazing back-drop. I definitely appreciated any opportunity to reflect on where we were....


DSC07655.JPG Heading up the Pirigallo peak. This is where it gets steeper and a bit more technical. Notice the downhill we had to do, it was steep, so I had to put in a downhill kick turn and traverse a bit before we could ski down with the skins on.


DSC07657.JPG


DSC07658.JPG Heading across a steep face, we spread the group out one at a time. Our group had watched as the Chilean group had crossed 10 at a time.....


DSC07659.JPG Rich and Gav enjoying the views. We had tried to tour to the Valle Hermoso the year before but had been shut down due to the high winds, glad they got to try it this year.


DSC07662.JPG The crew! (not in picture, Dave and Eric).


DSC07665.JPG Eric with the Volcan Neuvo and Vieja behind.


DSC07666.JPG Eric (guide) and Anne.


DSC07668.JPG Gav


DSC07669.JPG The big face we rode down in the Vallee Hermoso.


DSC07670.JPG Amazing terrain. I still have to ski this in primo conditions.....


DSC07671.JPG


DSC07672.JPG A huge area!


DSC07673.JPG Riding the gnar in front of the Hotel Alto Nevados.


DSC07674.JPG Pretty busy in the car park but quiet in the off-piste areas of the mountain.


DSC07675.JPG

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Aug 26th – Day 4 Volcan Nevados de Chillan

Well, apparently the 5 hours of touring wasn’t enough for this energetic group, so we decided to do some more touring. Half the group decided to take the day off and go to the beach with Eric, my guys (Anne, Rich, Gav and Eric from the other group) were keen to try and get up high and tour towards the Volcan Nevados de Chillan.

I didn’t think we’d be able to make it up the summit of the volcano, that’s a big day. The challenge is that with the extension of the exclusion zone from the increased volcanic activity, you have to get off the Mirador chair at a new mid-station and then ski down a ways, before you can start touring. That adds a fair amount of time. Anyway, we’d just put the skins on and see how far we could get. Nothing like a nice walk in the backcountry.

As luck would have it, the same Freeride group were heading into the same area as us and we had a bit of a chuckle as we all geared up together. They must have thought that silly gringo was following them again….. that didn’t last for long as they carried on up a cat track and we followed an old skin track. Their line was taking them directly towards the active Volcan Nuevo!

We took our time, stopping several times to have snacks and take in the view. We saw the other group who had stayed on the groomer get spooked by the rumbling and venting of the volcano; they were pretty close to it as they turned tail and ski-daddled out of there. Whoops!

We had a 330pm pickup so we couldn’t go too far, so after about 3.5 hours of up we had to call it quits. We were pretty close to the flank of the volcano but it was still too far away and we had a long ski down. It was about 2:00pm when we headed down. I had felt the snow starting to corn up so that’s when I called it.

We had close to 10km’s of downhill with really good snow (soft, not mushy, better than I had originally thought it would be). It was fun skiing. It wasn’t until the very bottom when it got sticky. All in all, although we hadn’t climbed much of the volcano, it was still a great day touring out in the wilds and enjoying our surroundings. We all slept well that night, relaxed in the knowledge that we would be having our cultural day the next day and a day off the skis…..

DSC07689.JPG
Out target, get as close to the Volcan Nevados de Chillan as possible!


DSC07678.JPG


DSC07679.JPG


DSC07680.JPG


DSC07682.JPG


DSC07683.JPG


DSC07684.JPG


DSC07686.JPG


DSC07687.JPG


DSC07688.JPG

- Matt
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,298
Location
Reno
Thanks for posting this. I used one of your pictures of the trip with the Pugski crew on our Twitter feed.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Aug 27th – Day 5 cultural day in San Carlos

My group was pretty tired so the cultural day was a welcome relief. The temps were still on the rise at the resort so this was a good day to take off. This was the same program as previous years; head down to the Santa Berta winery first, then meet David at his local market and then head to his restaurant to eat way too much food. Then we’d finish at the markets in Chillan.

The van arrived at 1030am and we all piled in. Ramiro was our driver so we felt safe in his hands. It’s about 1.5 hours down to the winery and Susanna was there to meet us. We toured the production facility first and then checked out the chapel. Then it was down to business in the tasting room where we tried a couple of different wines. The cheese platter was again calling my name and I made sure all the wines pared well with all the different varieties of cheese. I was diligent in my work……

Then we went into the packaging room where we labelled a couple of bottles (wonkily which we then needed to buy, a cunning sales ploy I believe, but no one was complaining. Then we bought up most of the wine in the shop before saying farewell to Susanna and heading north to San Carlos where Chef David (owner of Violetta’s and our host) was waiting for us.

We started in his favorite deli where we got to try a lot of his specialty meats. They were really good. Then we drove the 10 minutes to get to his restaurant. We had a large table ornately dressed for us and we started our 5 courses. There were different drinks (wine, fresh raspberry juice, pisco sour, beer) and then the appetizers came out. We had cerviche, empanadas, sausage and all the trimmings.

Then we sat at the table for three more courses; salad, mains (bbq beef and potatoes), then desert (fruit or tart). There was way too much food (commence food coma!) but it was all so good and our hosts were awesome. We hung out for a while before saying goodbye and heading off to the markets.

The guys were up for some shopping and a few of the crew bought ponchos and Jeremy even bought a rubber chicken (for his ski shop). I bought some of my favorite spice (Merken!) and quite a few of the others did too. Then it was a 1.5 hour drive back to Las Trancas and an early night.

DSC07690.JPG
Grape crushing machine


DSC07691.JPG Fermentation tanks


DSC07692.JPG The chapel


DSC07693.JPG Nice little ceramic I found hanging up outside the chapel


DSC07695.JPG My nemesis, the cheese platter.... actually that's not true, it's not my nemesis at all as I have no problem whatsoever eating cheese


DSC07696.JPG The crew in the tasting room, the best room in the house!


DSC07699.JPG This was something new for us, checking out the labeling and bottle sealing section. Here Jacques is sealing one of the bottles


DSC07701.JPG Jeremy attaching the labels. If you put it on wonky, you have to buy it! After a couple of glasses of wine already, there is a decent chance that the labels are going to be put on wonky.... I think it might be a trap!


DSC07703.JPG And here's some we made earlier!


DSC07704.JPG $5 to $8 a pop, not bad!


DSC07705.JPG Dave approves


DSC07706.JPG More food, time to check out some of the meats that San Carlos is known for.


DSC07710.JPG Main course time (there were 5 courses in total). This was roast beef, potatoes with beets and salad.


DSC07712.JPG


DSC07714.JPG Thank you David and the Casona Violeta's staff. Another awesome visit and another inch on my waiste-line.....


DSC07715.JPG Chillan markets. You can get fruits and vege's....


DSC07716.JPG
Flowers


DSC07717.JPG And my favorite Chilean spice, merken! At less than $1 for a decent sized bag, we now have a decent supply at home...... yum!

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Aug 28th – Day 6 snow science day

The temps were still really high so there wasn’t the prospect for amazing powder. I asked the group what they would like to do and they were up for a little snow science. We would take the Otto chair up high and then skin/bootpack past the big bowl we had skied several times to dig our pit. We didn’t have far to go till the tracks ran out and we could dig a pit in undisturbed snow.

The snow depth was right around the 150cm mark and from initial probing, we could feel some very hard layers in there, with a couple of softer ones. Ideally we are looking for a snowpack that is right-side up, that is, harder layers at the bottom getting gradually softer as you work your way up. Probing revealed that was pretty much the case, but there were a few layers in there that were a little mis-matched. How reactive they would be, would be the key.

So, we had some digging to do (this was a great time to practice those strategic shoveling techniques and have the group dig out a platform). There were several really hard ice layers to break through and it took an hour or so to dig down to the ground, even with 5 people. That was a lesson in itself.

We cleaned up the pit walls and then looked for different layers using the crystal card and then tested the stiffness of those layers with some hand hardness tests. There was the new snow on top which was fist softness and then quickly we went down from 4 finger to 1 finger hardness and then into pencil hardness.

Then we hit some ice crusts (one layer had a 1 finger layer of fine facets inbetween) and there was layer towards the base of 1F snow. I made sure everyone had a go with the crystal card and did some hand hardness test of their own. The snowpack was quite complex. Now how would the bonding be?

Next, we did a whole series of stability tests. I always like to start with a shovel shear test, to find the more reactive layers and also make some room so we can isolate some columns for compression tests (CT – Column Test). We were getting some pretty clean shears, but they took some effort to pull out. Next we did 3 CT tests. I demonstrated the number of taps (10 from the wrist, 10 from the elbow and then 10 from the straight arm) and how to do them before the group got to try it.

The only reaction we got was around 23 to 26 taps, just below the new snow interface. That was pretty consistent for our 3 CT’s but would any collapse propagate? We did an Extended Column Test and got the same result, but no propagation. A good sign. That pretty much mirrored what we had been seeing in the backcountry, failures in the new snow layer a few days ago (nothing recent) but isolated results and only small pockets pulling out and nothing pulling out into deeper layers. The snowpack had been well-tested with many people skiing aggressive lines and now the snowpack was pretty stable from what we had seen. The main concern was getting caught in a small slide in that newer snow and where that might take you (over or into rocks, over a cliff, etc).

It had taken more than an hour to dig the pit, but only about 10 minutes to fill it back in. Then it was time for a ski. I asked the guys if they would like to go first and set the line, so Jeremy went first. As he skied, a condor flew down low overhead, it was quite the sight. The skiing was pretty good, there was some soft, wind-blown snow in some of the more shaded aspects and that was skiing well. We skied out through the Pirigallo Valley and down to the Alto Nevados for a late lunch. That night we had a little steak action at our favorite restaurant, Oliva’s. It had been another memorable day in the mountains!

DSC07718.JPG
This bad boy had Bruce Lee on one side and then Chuck Norris on the other. Love it!


DSC07719.JPG The crew taking a little shovel break. It was hard work digging through all that solid snow.


DSC07720.JPG Brushing out the pit walls to make the layers really pop.


DSC07721.JPG Anne looking for layers with the snow crystal card.


DSC07722.JPG CT test.


DSC07723.JPG
I love this photo; the crew using the hand-lenses to look at grain type in the pit whilst the volcano vents. Cool stuff!


DSC07724.JPG Jeremy giving it some muscle during his CT test.


DSC07727.JPG Awesome view of the Volcan Neuvo (left) and Vieja (middle) and then Pirigallo peak and the Valle Hermoso on the right.


DSC07729.JPG
Jeremy giving it some love on the bongos at Oliva's Restaurant at dinner.... His second set was definitely his best work!

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Aug 29th – Day 7 Waterfall

A new storm was coming in and the weather wasn’t looking so good, but we thought we’d head up there anyway to check things out. Unfortunately, the winds were up and the clouds were in. It was raining in Las Trancas but snowing up high. Anne was also due to depart so she went for a massage up at the mountain before heading back down to Concepcion with Ramiro our driver. She’d had a great trip and it was sad to see her go. Cheers Anne!

Up on the mountain it wasn’t looking so good. They’d had 10cm’s (much more where it had drifted in) or so but the visibility was really bad. Only the Wenche chair and Nono t-bar were working and the visibility really decreased when we got to the top. The snow in the off-piste was really heavy and the couple of turns we took weren’t that fun.

It was really hard to see anything and you couldn’t tell if you were moving or not. At one point I thought I had stopped but I was still moving. I took a little fall (no one could see it as no could see anything). The others were finding it difficult too and by the time we got to the bottom of the t-bar, no one was keen to head up for another run. We headed down to the Alto Nevados to wait it out.

We waited for about an hour and the cloud just kept on rolling in, so we called it a day and arranged for the transport to come back and pick us up. The guys were keen to go on a hike to one of the waterfalls so we got changed and hit the road. The first big waterfall is gated off. Last time we’d been able to go through but this time it was locked off. There didn’t seem to be another way around so we kept going up the road a couple more miles until we came to the dirt road that lead to the hidden waterfall (it’s hard to see from the road).

All the way along the road we’d been picking up groups of local dogs who wanted to give us an escort. Just before we got to the falls we picked up 2 black lab crosses who were keen to go for a hike. They followed us all the way to the falls and back. The trail up to the lower viewing area is really nice. It starts off in the old-growth forest with some amazing old trees, then you start heading straight up. The trail is really tough, it’s literally straight up a mountainside and you are constantly scrambling over roots and downed logs. It was pretty muddy too.

After about 45 minutes we made it to the bottom of the falls and had a little climb down via a rope. We took some photos and then headed back. The dogs stopped next to the trail that takes you up higher, they were visibly disappointed when we cut their walk short and took some coaxing to come back down with us, funny dogs! We hiked out of the forest and onto the road and then we had a couple of miles to cover to get back to the lodge.

The dogs did not want to go back to their house when we passed it, but the owner kept calling them and we had to take them back. Finally they went home and we could keep going. We stopped at a local restaurant for some lunch. They had a fire going and we were able to dry out, it was nice. After a nice lunch, we had another 25 minutes to get back to the lodge for a break. For an alleged day off, we’d definitely expended some calories! Hopefully we could get back on the mountain the next day.

DSC07730.JPG
Gav in a massive old growth tree.


DSC07731.JPG One of our dogs even managed to settle down for a group photo. The dogs were awesome and they definitely knew the way to the falls..... me thinks they had hiked with many other people this way.


DSC07733.JPG Rich and Jeremy enjoying the Falls. It was a tough climb, but worth it.


DSC07734.JPG
These falls aren't as sheer as the other falls, but I think they are nicer as there is not all the same piping that you see at the other, bigger falls.

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Aug 30th – Day 8 instructional day

Unfortunately, the weather was still not co-operating (not a bad thing as we needed the snow, but it was still very wet). Only the Wenche and Nono were operating and the visibility was not great. Jeremy wasn’t up for skiing so I had asked Richard and Gavin what they would like to do and they were up for some work on their skiing. That meant that we could ditch the packs (a nice change, it’s funny for me that it now feels weird to NOT be skiing with a heavy pack on, I’m so used to it).

With only 2 people, we could get a lot of work done. Given that both Rich and Gav were coming with me to Japan again in January, I had wanted to work on some specific things to help them with their skiing in preparation for Japan, so we did a ton of work on their short turns and also balance over the outside ski, hip angulation, pole plants and then good old Dolphin Turns (more for Rich). It was a good session, we worked all day and saw some great changes.


Aug 31st – Day 9 storm skiing day

The storm was finally starting to clear out. It was still supposed to be snowing hard, but when we got to the mountain, it was starting to clear. Gav and Rich still had a few more days to go, but everyone else was going to be leaving that afternoon. Today was a bit of a bonus day of skiing for them. There was a decent queue for the Otto chair and we waited for a few minutes. A few of the locals started to leave, so I took that as our sign to head to Wenche and Nono instead.

Who knew how long it would take to get Otto open, so we made the choice to go take a ride from the top of Nono. We could still traverse out to the middle of the Freeride Zone and get a decent run in. Unfortunately my GoPro died, so I missed out on any video, but I got a few photos.

The snow looked awesome and there were no tracks in the very first bowl, so we dropped in and enjoyed awesome turns. There was probably about 30cm’s of fresh snow, it was a little heavy but on fat skis, it was buttery soft. We headed back to the Otto chair and got in line. The line wasn’t too big, so we waited. The other guys arrived and got in the queue as well. It was only about 10 minutes till they opened the chair and we were close to the front. Score!

We headed up Otto and for our first run, we cut hard skier’s left at the top and got first tracks there. We took another bowl lower down that only had a couple of tracks in it. The skiing was great. We headed straight back up for another run and kept cutting further left, getting more untouched snow up high. Then for the third run, we headed out further left and out into the sidecountry. We looked into the Supertubes area. Eric and his group were already in there and we watched them ride their line safely.

The bowl to the left of Supertubes was untouched, so I made the call to drop in there. It was great, untouched with great snow, lighter snow than down below. We regrouped with the others at the bottom and made the trek out. Down near the Sulphur plant, we had to walk out, but it was only 5 minutes. No problems. Gav and Rich were keen to do 1 more lap, so we headed up for another.

This time we decided to head out to the Tres Marias area. No one had skied there yet and I was super excited to get very first tracks on it. We could hit the lower half from the top of Otto with an easy traverse. We had to sidestep a bit to get into the start zone, but with the new snow, it was a little slow going. It wasn’t until the very end that we found enough pitch to get some decent turns in. It was a decent run, but not on the same level as the other runs we’d had that day. All in all, we weren’t expecting the weather to be clear anyway, so this had turned out to be a great sleeper powder day, kind of a bonus really.

That was pretty much it for the day. The others left around 3pm, so we jumped in the cab with them. They had a lift at 4pm so I helped load the van and was there to say goodbye. That just left Gav, Rich and I. It was a little sad, but the prospect of more skiing the next day, was exciting. Then the weather came back in and it rained and then hailed really hard. How would conditions be on the mountain? We’d have to find out…..

DSC07736.JPG
Nice turns from the top of the Otto.


DSC07737.JPG Next lap, just keep cutting further left. More freshies!


DSC07738.JPG Gav coming out hot!


DSC07739.JPG Dropping in behind the Supertubes face.


DSC07740.JPG Old point release from during the storm.


DSC07741.JPG Gav dropping in.


DSC07742.JPG It never ceases to amaze how quickly the stability improves, not long after a storm. Maritime snowpacks.....


DSC07743.JPG
Half-way down the Tres Marias area.

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Sep 1st – Day 10 Bluebird powder day

It was another bluebird day but it was going to be interesting to see what the weather had been doing on the mountain, overnight. When we got there, it was frozen on the groomers as we made our way over to the Otto chair. It was really quiet when we got on the chair and we headed up higher to have a look. We only saw a couple of skiers and it was sounding like it was dust on crust.

When we got to the top, we could see that it had rained almost to the top of the Otto chair and then right at the end of the storm, the temps must have plummeted and it had turned to snow. Unfortunately, the snow underneath had frozen solid (good for stability though) and we were left with about 10 to 15cm’s of new, quality snow on top. If only it had stayed snowing, it would have been sublime. Oh well, first world problems…..

Our first lap was a feeler run in the Freeride Zone. The turns up high were really nice and then by the mid-station, it wasn’t great, you were definitely feeling the frozen stuff below. By the time we cycled around for the next run, the gate at the top was open and we headed into the sidecountry. The big bowl was untouched so we dropped in and got first tracks. The snow had drifted in a little deeper here and the skiing was really nice. We followed the terrain all the way down into the Pirigallo Valley and walked out by the Sulphur plant. The top was great and then it was firm by the bottom. If we skipped the lower stuff, we could still have some great skiing.

We went back up for another lap and just went a little higher into the bowl and skied more fresh lines. We skied a little bit of the sidecountry area but traversed out early and made a push for the ski area. We hit the Otto mid-station and skied groomers to get to the bottom. Then we had some lunch.

After lunch we decided to do one more lap, but this time we would skin up to the large open area above the sidcountry bowl we had been skiing. We’d done this line several times, but it was untouched and should make for good skiing. With just the 3 of us, at a quick pace, we made it to the start of our line in about 25 minutes. It was nice to see how confident the guys were on their skis in touring mode. The downhill skin part (half-way through) was getting pretty easy and was a lot of fun by now.

The snow here was really nice as we dropped in one at a time. We skied a short bowl at the start that rolled over blind into a long line. It was close to 30 turns and definitely got the pulse up by the bottom. Ours were the only tracks in the entire area; it’s nice to have an area all to yourselves. Then we had another short section before we had to cur hard to the right to get back to the resort (we wanted to avoid the Pirigallo Valley part).

There was a steep slope that I had to cross that looked a little dicey, but it held without any issues and the rest of the guys came across one at a time in my track. Then we headed to the Otto chair and back down the groomers to the bottom. That was it for the day, we finished early (around 3pm) so we could enjoy some more time down in Las Trancas.

DSC07744.JPG
Start of the skin, 25 minutes to go till we reach the top.


DSC07745.JPG Quick little stop infront of the shrine overlooking the Volcan Neuvo and Vieja.


DSC07746.JPG
Gav and Rich


DSC07749.JPG Almost there, just a quick traverse through the rocks (which were nicely covered) and we could start skiing.


DSC07750.JPG My line.... nearly fell off that cornice there as I couldn't see it when I took the roll-over. It was quite big.


DSC07753.JPG Rich dropped in next.


DSC07755.JPG Nice turns from Gav.


DSC07757.JPG Great skiing for only 25 minutes of work.


DSC07759.JPG
More good turns awaited down low.


DSC07761.JPG Looking back on our artwork from the carpark at the Tio Willy's car park as we waited for our ride back down to Las Trancas.

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Sep 2nd – Day 11 Touring 3 laps above Otto chair

Sad times, this was to be our last day of skiing. It was another bluebird day but winds had increased overnight which affected snow a little. The snow was still soft but it had settled a bit and wasn’t quite as deep as the day before. It was still great skiing though.

The plan was pretty simple; Rich, Gav and I would hike above the Otto and ski laps in the same zone where we had skied the day before. There was still plenty of room next to the line from the end of the day and then there were two more open bowls to hit after that. We had the chance to ski untouched lines all day. That would be a great way to shut it down.

Our first lap was to ski the bowl on the far skier’s left, next to our tracks from the previous day. Again, it was about 25 minutes to get up there and the ski down was really nice. It wasn’t quite as bright out and the snow was not quite as deep, but it was really nice skiing, none the less. We had to ski down into the Pirigallo Valley but we stayed high and took the traverse out to the right so we didn’t have to hike out next to the Sulphur plant.

Then on the next lap, we skied a nice mellow open bowl to the far skier’s right of the zone. This was an even easier skin at less than 20 minutes. Getting back into the resort was really easy as we could stay high and get back into the resort a lot sooner. Then we skied groomers down to the bottom and headed to the Alto Nevados for our last lunch. We had our food and then said our goodbyes to the wait and bar staff. Thank you, amigos, all of the guests had really enjoyed our times at the Alto Nevados and it consolidated its place as our favorite place to hang out at lunch.

Then for our final lap, we skinned back up and then hit up the middle bowl which had a fun windlip in the right side. Again, we could make it back to the resort easily. That was it for the skiing, what a great way to end the trip and a memorable finish to a fun summer. Then we headed down to Las Trancas and had a last meal at Oliva’s. Time for one last Las Trancas steak! Yum!

DSC07764.JPG
Nice overview of the zone that we had. We were really lucky in that no-one else was skiing here. This area hardly ever gets skied and it's in plain sight of the resort.


DSC07766.JPG Our second line of the day. Gav and Rich looking back at the tracks.


DSC07768.JPG Our last line of the day.


DSC07769.JPG


DSC07771.JPG Great way to shut it down for the summer. Gav heading back into the resort.


DSC07772.JPG Cheers to you Nevados de Chillan! Thank you for another amazing summer. Looking forward to 2019 already.


DSC07774.JPG
Thanks to the awesome team at the Hotel Alto Nevados, we had a great time. Cheers team!

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Sep 3rd – Day 12 Ruka Antu Ecolodge and exploring the beach

Normally we would just head straight back to Concepcion and perhaps go and have some seafood somewhere on the coast, but today was a little different. Susana (from the Santa Berta Winery), had wanted me to go and visit an Eco Lodge on the coast as a potential add-on to our programs. There’s great surf in Chile and this lodge was right on the ocean near a great surf break. I was keen to go check it out as long as it was convenient and appropriate for the guests. Susana said it would be a nice day out for us so she organized Ramiro to come and pick us up at 10:30am.

I’m always a little nervous about going somewhere sight-unseen, but I asked Gav and Rich and they were up for an adventure. Ramiro was there with his wife Matilde and we drove to the coast. The Ruka Antu Lodge is in a little town called Cobquecura, 128km north of Concepcion. There is not a direct road to Cobquecura yet, the current road meanders around inland before heading back towards the coast. There is a river (Itata River) that diverts the road away but soon there will be a bridge that will cut the commute down from Concepcion by about 30 minutes (down to around 1 hour). From Las Trancas, it takes about 3 hours to get to Cobquecura.

It was a long drive and we got a little lost at one stage, but Ramiro was able to ask for directions and we made it there. We drove around to the lodge and parked in an undercover parking lot. Susana was there to meet us and she introduced us to Rodrigo, the gentleman in charge. They gave us a tour of the facility.

The lodge is very impressive, it has an initial rustic feel from the outside (like old shipping containers and lots of recycled wood), but inside it is modern and light. It looks like a surf shack on the outside but is well-appointed on the inside. There are 8 rooms and a couple of open-air hot tubs, with a bar, kitchen and a couple of eating areas. The views from the dining areas are incredible, the ocean is right there and you can see the point break around the bay.

There is an outside area with a pool, hammocks and seating areas. You get the same views from the pool area and then behind the building, you get the inland views with fields and forest. It’s an amazing spot. After the tour, we had a seafood lunch in the upper dining area with views of the ocean. The food was really nice. We were very spoiled.

Then it was time for a walk along the beach to go check out the waves. There were crab bits all over the sand, I couldn’t believe how many crabs must get washed up. The locals eat them all the time too and there were some big ones. We walked around to the point and found a crab on the beach. Gav tried to make friends with the crab and it seemed to enjoy nipping him on the hand. Good times, they had clearly bonded. Gav wished him well as he tossed him back into the ocean.

Then we went over to a shack selling fresh seafood. Gav tried some piure, a Chilean delicacy. It’s like some kind of shellfish, but it looks like a rock. You eat them raw. I was not game to try it (not going to try something like this when I have to fly international the next day….). They taste of really strong sea water apparently. Gav said they were better with some cerviche on them. Good on him, I did try some of the fresh crab, steamed and then eaten right out of the shell. It was pretty good.

That was pretty much our day. We still had nearly a 2-hour drive to get back to Concepcion and the Ibis. I had dinner downstairs with Rich and Gav (the Ibis actually does a really good steak) and then we said our goodbyes. They were flying back to the UK early in the morning and I wasn’t heading out till the afternoon.

I had a nice sleep in and headed to the airport around 1pm. I flew to Santiago and then had about 4.5 hours to kill. I couldn’t check-in for a couple of hours so I had some late lunch and waited upstairs. There’s not much to do in the Santiago airport, so I queued early and was first to check-in. The flight back to Houston was quiet, I had a row of 3 seats to myself so I managed to get about 6 hours of sleep. Then it was a quick flight back to Denver and my wife was there to meet me.

All in all, it had been a great time in Chile in 2018. Things had gone well; the guests were all safe and happy and I gained more experience guiding in the area. The snow hadn’t been great but we had still skied plenty of fresh lines. I’d definitely eaten way too much, but that goes with the territory. The food is very good in Las Trancas. It’s kind of like an eating tour with skiing. Eric had done a great job, having a fluent Spanish speaker onboard and someone who’s so well-connected, really elevated the program to the next level.

I do need to give a big shout out and say thanks to the following people: Firstly, to all our guests, both new and old, thank you for coming out to Chile this season and making it a memorable experience, without you, we'd have no programs and none of this would happen. Thanks to the session 1 crew: Susan Gober Brown, Ron Brown, Margaret Brown, Pearce Brown, David Westall and the session 2 crew: Anne Bertsch, Richard Sulston, Gavin Beardall, Jeremy Johnston, Jacques Goulet, Dave Stultz, Brian Begin and Eric Plumb Thank you all for being part of a memorable season.

Thank you to Eric Green for doing a bang-up job as a guide, my right hand man and super skills translating and secretly being the godfather of Nevados de Chillan. Thanks to my good amigo Francisco J Penafiel for being a great host Cabañas Lodge y cafetería Los Hualles and for making us feel very welcome. Thank you for all the wonderful staff you lead, they were all awesome. Thanks to chef Manny for the extra pounds he helped me to add.

Thank you to Ramiro Chavez and his lovely wife Matilde Eliana Leal Solis for their great driving and J Cofre Oyarce and his team for the daily driving to and from the mountain. Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you to David Eduardo Vivero Arriagada and the crew at Casona Violeta for the wonderful cultural day and not forgetting Susana Villegas Silva and the team at Viña Santa Berta. We love your wine! Thank you to a new friend, Rodrigo Andres Villa Nuñez for hosting us at the Ruka Antu Ecolodge at the end of our stay. That was an awesome day and I look forward to spending more time there in the future.

It had been a really fun time and I think Chile might be my favorite trip that we do. I’m already looking forward to 2019. Thank you all for following the journey and have a great winter. Time to get ready for Japan and India…..

DSC07777.JPG



DSC07778.JPG


DSC07780.JPG


DSC07781.JPG


DSC07782.JPG


DSC07783.JPG


DSC07784.JPG


DSC07785.JPG


DSC07787.JPG


DSC07789.JPG


DSC07790.JPG


DSC07791.JPG


DSC07792.JPG


DSC07793.JPG


DSC07794.JPG


DSC07795.JPG


DSC07796.JPG






DSC07797.JPG


DSC07806.JPG


DSC07807.JPG


DSC07808.JPG


DSC07811.JPG

- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
Hola everyone!
I had a little time off from the blog, but I did want to add a little video. I don't have time to post video from everyday on the trip, so I'll just stick to the highlights. Here is a clip from our skiing on the 14th August with the Pugski crew. This run was taken from the backcountry right outside of the resort and starts with a very quick 3 minute walk to get to the drop in point. Then we are running parallel to the ski area boundary before coming back in bounds. It was a fun line and you get to see the terrain in Nevados de Chillan.....


- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
On that same day (August 14th) we also took a little run down to Tres Marias. We skied the left side of the main groomed run. From the top of the Mirador chair, this is a 10km long off-piste run, one of the longest in South America. Now it's a little shorter as you have to get off the Mirador chair half-way and then ski down and around to get to the start, but you can always find untouched snow in there. Unfortunately with the lack of snow down low, towards the end, we had to traverse out early, back onto the groomed run but it wasn't too much work thankfully. It's a shorter run in it's current format, but decent enough snow and some terrain features to play on, minus any avalanche danger. Still worthwhile....


- Matt
 
Thread Starter
TS
Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

Love that powder!
Industry Insider
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,097
Location
Granby, CO
August 15th, hiking in the afternoon above the Otto chair. It took about an hour to get up to the start as we worked on some technique for skinning and then we spent time digging a pit.

The snow at the top of the run was awesome with decent vertical. I hugged the skier's right side to test the steeper slope above and to the side and to give the group plenty of room to make fresh tracks.

As we got lower, we could feel the sun affecting the snow as things were warming up. A couple of times it got so sticky I almost came to a stop. Still a very fun day though. #Holyshift



- Matt
 

Sponsor

Top