Chilean Winter 2012

Rundown:  Fun in the winter wonderland of Chile.  When's the last time you were skiing in July?

Location:  The Andes mountains around Santiago.

Not a great snow year in Chile, but one can't complain when skiing for free!  

Spent this season in La Parva.  Every Saturday we bring ~60 kiddos up to the ski hill, making sure they go up and return with all their limbs and gear, find their instructors, and have a good time.  

We are on point when if they crash and burn which earned one of my buddies a helicopter ride down to the hospital with a damaged teen.  Not very common though.

Days we aren't with the kiddos we have free skiing!  Despite the wanting base there was still plenty of off piste to be had this season.  

Only beat up my new randonnee skis a little bit.  Thank you P-tex.

INDOOR CLIMBING SEASON:

Due to the early sunsets this time of year, and the cold, we've been climbing inside!  Not my favorite, but has been great for my endurance and technique.  Not that it matters, I suppose.  I still climb like a jerk when I'm on the real thing...

I did, however, make it a couple of times to the roof and stalactite.  Pretty fun.  Cost me a few long whippers though when I was getting used to the route.

We did get outside a few times to climb on nice days.  We were pretty excited to use our practice from the gym.  The cactus was pretty excited to see use too.

Hard to get good climbing shots when there are only two of you and both need as many hands as possible.  We make due.

BACKCOUNTRY SKIING:  VOLCAN SAN JOSE.

Got my new (to me) randonnee skis fired up for a day backcountry on Volcan San Jose in the Cajon de Maipo with Jean the Frenchman, Oscar the Chileno, and Sergio the Mejicana.  Here's a sneak peek...

Got up WAY early for a Sunay... 3AM, piled into my buddy Sergio's Mahindra and drove two hours into the Cajon de Maipo.  Geared up and left the truck before the moon set over the mountains.

Crossed a snow field undercut by a river.  The popping and groaning of the snowpack covering the river could be heard.  I was glad to be on skis.

Started our climb and just kept going up and up.  My new climbing skins worked great!  We had a gorgeous day as well!

Up and up and up and up.  Climbed for six hours, sometimes together, sometimes alone, taking breaks here and there.

Once the snow started getting hard packed it wasn't worth skinning up to ski down.  We paused, had a bite to eat, then stripped the skins off of the bottom of the skis.  Locked the boots in and down we skied.

So fun to be in the backcountry, making fresh tracks in deep, undisturbed powder.  We wore beacons and carried shovels and avalanche probes just in case.  We paused here and there to regroup and marvel at the skiing.

So here's the full film... edited by Oscar.  If it doesn't come up, try the link:  http://youtu.be/uUgbzCkzMy4

And that's the ballgame.  The adventures left me as needy for more as these neighbor dogs are for affection....

Chilean Winter Shenanigans

Rundown: General shenanigans in wintry Chile.

Location: Santiago, Chile

Ice climbing excursion with a few friends into Yerba Loca to climb some frozen water falls.

Fresh snow had just fallen in the mountains. It was deep when we started and got nothing but deeper as we progressed. Even with snowshoes and mountaineering boots we were sinking deep.

Made it almost up to a possible climb with Sergio, a new neighbor and buddy from school when it started getting dark.

Took too long to get to the climb due to deep snow. Too bad we didn't realize it until a hundred feet up a steep, snowy valley side approaching the climb. Turned back. You can't win 'em all.

Played some music with some talented musicians of the Nido faculty at a partay. I'm impressed with how many musically talented teachers there are here!

Had a visit from an old buddy, one Hal Foster, a Charlevoix native! I think we met when we were the same age as the kids I'm teaching now! Yikes!

Checked out a local market with Hal one day. The local produce isn't in full swing, being winter down here, but there are still farmers' markets around.

Never too far from music, although the Cueca music is arguably not.

Also, being close to the ocean, there's never any shortage of fresh sea food!

In our Santiago meanderings we came across a Andean dance parade surging through the streets of the city center.

Lots of colors, Andean music, and singing. The costumes were out of this world, although most of the chicas had bright red skin from the cold!

Pretty neat and impromptu. I told Foster that I planned the whole thing.

It always is nice to have guests. Their excitement gives me the reminder of why I'm living abroad, re-opens my eyes to the amazing experiences here that I sometimes forget about. Come on down!

The old cathedrals in the city aren't spectacular, but worth some time to wander around.

Also brought Hal up skiing. Not a terrific visibility day. The helo had trouble getting to our drop zone... didn't even make it off the ground.

In all actuality, this was our helo, but it works just fine!

Made lots of good food with Hal and spent some time catching up.

Also spent a little time in the pubs. This is one of our favorites, Satira, with a cozy little ambiance and good food ta-boot!

On Saturdays I go up with seven other teachers, bringing 96 middle and high school students up to Valle Nevado, the local ski resort for the Nido Ski Club. We bring 'em up intact,

We also get some quality time with the powder. Off piste... so sweet.

Also doing some hiking when the snow clears up here and there.

Working hard, but also enjoying the fruits of the Andes.

That's about it for now! Looking forward to Buenos Aires and Iguazu falls!

Cuasimodo Festival

Location: Streets of Lo Barnechea, Santiago, Chile

Rundown: Thousands of horses and riders, both in costume, take to the streets for a post-Easter parade of interesting origins in the Cuasimodo Festival.

According to the story, in the early days of the pueblo of Lo Barnechea, the priest of the small church would go out into the community during the Sunday after Easter and visit the elderly or ailing who couldn't make it to church the previous Sunday.

In those days the streets were more dangerous, and the huasos, or cowboys of the area, would escort the priest on his journey to the different homes and protect him from banditos.

Most dress in their standard garb, with poncho, but instead of their wide-brimmed, hats, the huasos don head scarves in honor of the event.

Many dress their horses up proudly in full coverings and carry flags.

Chileans are notorious horsemen, and even the youngsters ride in the event.

The people of the pueblo come out the see the event. The priest passes to houses with elderly occupants who couldn't make it to church.

During the event, I was invited into one of the houses to visit one of the abuelas (grandmas) who was visited. She told me she was, "ciento y tanto años", or "a hundred and many more years old". Didn't get any shots of it, but it was a pretty neat experience.