To get back to the trip report manner of this blog, I'll start about my first week in South America which took place way back in July.
It all started last September. In a meeting room on a dreary fall day in France, Mark Abma, Kaj Zackrisson and myself pitched an idea for a new ski. Then this May I got the call that there were many prototypes and the Solly boys wanted us to test for the best. With the best summer snow landing in Chile this year, the goal was to get to a random valley in the longest mountain chain in the world and ski a part of the Andes that had never been skied before. After 48 hours of cramped seats, overweight baggage hassles, 12 dollar airport beers and sketchy bus rides, we arrived at a ranch no where near snow but with the proper equipment to get to the goods.
Day one consisted of breaking trail up one of the sketchiest roads I'd ever been up. The photo below is on the mellowest section because the rest of the time I was gripped holding on to anything so I wouldn't go flying out of the back of the truck. We forded rivers multiple times, bogged down in gnarly mud pits and hung tires over 200 foot drops. It was the sketch.
After ditching the Unimog and getting dragged by snowmobiles, we arrived to a winter playground of powder. It was still early season, but a fresh dump allowed for some nice tree skiing and face shots on day one.
After a day filled with pow turns and face shots, the skis were testing great and it seemed like the trip was off to a good start.
The next day fulfilled our hope when it popped blue and we got to actually take a look at our surroundings. The terrain was nothing gnarly, but was just a total playground. Cliffs, hits, windlips, slashes, this place had it all for fun.
One of the best parts about a trip like this was getting to hang out with fellow skiers and mainly watch them do what they do best. Kaj just continued to show why he is one of the best mountain riders on the planet. Fresh off a knee surgery he was absolutely shredding steep, rollover lines with a confidence that rivals Tiger Woods.
This pic is previous to Kaj's shreddage, he skier to the looker's right of the tracks and you'll have to wait to see it on video.
Then Mark. Mark is a cat. He lands everything and does it with style that in my opinion no one has matched. It was really cool to watch him ski.
Here he's popping a cork 7 off of a cliff hit that was a solid 30 foot drop. Below is him dropping into a 20 footer for a switch 5.
Last but definitely least, I got to ski one of the most playful lines in my life. One I've been dreaming about for ages. The drop in pic with tips showing is the above shot and the below shot is from the end of the run. Two cliff hits, 10 to 30 footer, then a backflip off a windlip, then a side-hit gap things, to two powder wave slashes and a final tricky air at the bottom. The film shot didn't really get it good, but I could give a shit, it was so FUN!
Anyways, it was a great first week in SA and there will be more updates to come.
Ciao
The dough: It had the flavor and texture of a flavorless Wonderbread with the thickness of a wooden cutting board. It literally crumbled apart has you picked it up.
