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TR: Valle Nevado, Chile
Day 0: Work than flight
Back in February I got an email from TGR saying I won this:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summer/Chile/winning.png
Picked my best friend since grade school as trip buddy, Noah. Always interesting picking dates many months in advance and with this being the southern hemisphere, that added an extra challenge. I had already planned the Iceland mountain bike trip for August and didn't want to go to Chile early or mid season. I always figure spring is best time, hoping for sunny warm spring conditions or spring powder. Got very lucky with Sept 7-18, 2017. 100's of emails to arrange everything, but everything went smoothly starting out with extra leg room on the Delta flight...definitely spring for comfort+ on long flights:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...907_223128.jpg
Free micro beers are the + in comfort+:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...907_235916.jpg
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Day 1: Valle Nevado Resort-sunny
Nice flights arriving at busy SCL airport around 9 am. The Italian ski team clogging up the arrivals area made it difficult to find our driver, but eventually did and made it through Santiago traffic and 1000 switch backs up to the resort and checked into our room at the Hotel Puerta del Sol around noon:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...908_123629.jpg
Changed into ski gear and started exploring the ski area:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...908_135802.jpg
Found some spring snow:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...908_145919.jpg
and some week old powder from the last storm:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...908_162819.jpg
Really fun skiing and nice to have escaped Northern hemisphere summer: https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...908_162821.jpg
Dinner for the first day was at the hotel buffet with view of the awesome sunset:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...908_192724.jpg
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Day 2: Valle Nevado Resort-grey bird
Forecast was predicting a large storm starting in the early afternoon. Groomers were fun and good to scope out areas for post storm:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...909_112055.jpg
The surface lifts take some getting used to:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...909_113319.jpg
Still found some pockets of powder:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...909_122013.jpg
Then it went to like being inside a ping pong ball, so we called it early:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...909_122444.jpg
Time to drink it deep, doesn't take much at this altitude:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...9_160538-1.jpg
Funny name:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...909_185033.jpg
Dinner at Sur the Chilean cuisine, each night we got 3 course dinners, the apps:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...909_185946.jpg
They put shrimp and avacado on everything, yummy!:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...909_190003.jpg
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Day 3: Valle Nevado Resort-stormy powder day
Awoke to several feet of new snow. Seemed like we were the only non ski race team at the resort, so not much competition for fresh turns:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...910_104349.jpg
Visibility wasn't good for most of the day, but the sun was out for awhile. I chatted with ski patrol at the top of Embalse lift, who told me I could ski the lift despite the "closed" sign:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...910_130729.jpg
It was really good:
https://youtu.be/nheJtCfrJpQ
It was just me and 3 Austrian racers on the lift. They stayed farther skiers left due to fear of scratching their race skis, so I farmed the run closer to the lift many times:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...910_133258.jpg
Incredible day, dinner at La Fourchette, the very fancy French restaurant. A clean air sunset:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...910_192340.jpg
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Day 4: El Colorado Resort
We noticed the Corno Este t-bar at El Colorado ski area did not spin the day prior, so went that way after a few Tres Puntas laps:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...1_102421-1.jpg
The locals seem to ski El Colorado and a few runs there was a couple minute lift line. The obvious stuff got tracked fast:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...1_111003-1.jpg
But plenty of cool terrain to check out:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...911_112150.jpg
Crowds didn't last long. POV video of a couple small chutes:
https://youtu.be/D-R9OzjeS7k
https://youtu.be/Z03rKc9QJWc
beer:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...911_153056.jpg
Dinner at Monte Bianco Ristorante for Italian. Interesting app, bubbling hot cheese with shrimp on top:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...911_185632.jpg
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Day 5: Tres Puntas sidecountry
View of previous days tracks from hotel room:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...912_093842.jpg
Inbounds was tracked up, so checked with ski patrol and "signed out" to ski the slackcountry of Tres Puntas. Noah making powder 8's on my tracks:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...912_104615.jpg
POV video of lower half of first run:
https://youtu.be/wQOWw4TR0nI
It was an interesting traverse to get to the top of the run...lots of hidden sharks, but pockets of deep:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...912_112556.jpg
View of the area we made several laps on:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...912_115731.jpg
Dinner back at Sur:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...190729_000.jpg
With another sunset:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...912_192800.jpg
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Day 6: Skinning up Cerro La Parva
Had to earn the turns today. Took the lifts to top of Valle Nevada resort and then the skin track up to Cerro La Parva:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...913_100904.jpg
Seemed odd the monitoring station was tipped over:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...113720_005.jpg
Summit was cool, but reminds you that we are just playing around in the foothills and the big mountains are further away:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...913_120402.jpg
Noah was determined to ski from the 4000 meter peak, I walked down the dusting of snow on scree to the start of our run:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...913_122421.jpg
Frame grab of the run just prior to dropping:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...1_dropping.jpg
First turn after dropping off the cornice was awesome, second turn was couple inches of snow on rock. Ejected from 1 ski and stabbed the whippit into the scree to keep from rolling off the small rock band. Recovered, clicked back in and remembered to clear snow from lens. Such a good run, my best pov video:
https://youtu.be/A93WtyScIiI
Below the chute was fun turns on the bowl:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe..._125640(0).jpg
Another amazing day and sunset:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...913_193927.jpg
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Damn, dude. Biking in Iceland and skiing in Chile? Your summer was way more interesting than mine.
Sweet TR!
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Day 7: Skin up Cerro Falsa Parva and La Parva ski area
Noticed some cool terrain on Falsa Parva previous day, but wanted to see it from the bottom so migrated over to La Parva ski area to start skinning. Found some fun turns on the way to the La Parva lifts:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...914_100913.jpg
Skinning:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...914_110033.jpg
Ocean fossils at 13000 ft:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...914_112905.jpg
Our run:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...914_114051.jpg
Dug a snow pit at the top and forgot to clean off camera so have a couple minutes of video that look like this:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...w_on_lense.png
So you will have to trust me that it was really good skiing, Noah skiing down:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...914_120741.jpg
After that, explored La Parva ski area. We didn't expect to find inbounds fresh turns, but found many...and sunshine:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe..._140452(0).jpg
Last resort run of the trip:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...914_161307.jpg
Final Valle Nevado sunset:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...914_192756.jpg
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Day 8: Drive
Not part of the prize, I arranged rental car, cabins, and couple days of guided backcountry skiing. Donny Roth of Chile Powder Adventures has an area off the beaten path that he is exploring for the last few years and promised big remote days. Checked out of hotel at 10 am and ride down the mountain was interesting with all the traffic going up for the holiday weekend. I want that road sign:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...915_103715.jpg
Don't think I would ever buy a hyundai, but did get excited about our rental diesel small AWD SUV:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...915_121607.jpg
Pretty awesome cabins and hot tub along the river:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...915_193547.jpg
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That is a rad TR, looks like it was a great trip.
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Day 10: Backcountry
Also a long approach, but used hiking shoes to get to the snow this time:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_104541.jpg
Bad photo, but 3 condors circled us as we skinned in:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_105308.jpg
Up we go:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_124708.jpg
Dropping in:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_132418.jpg
Donny triggered some wet slides, so we changed route slightly:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_132810.jpg
My POV on the upper 1/4 of the run:
https://youtu.be/KYFMQZ5ow1A
Noah skiing down to me:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_134050.jpg
Lower half:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_134800.jpg
Relatively easy walk out:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_143647.jpg
Drove back to Santiago. Prize included 1 night in Hotel Magnolia located downtown. Very fancy hotel:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_203449.jpg
Returned rental car and took Ubar back to hotel. Uber driver gave me 1 star review :the_finge because I live in CA and don't speak Spanish...should have taken subway as originally planned, but we were very tired.
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Day 11: Santiago City and flight
With it being Sept 18th, Chilean Independence day, museum and most stuff was closed. Hotel provided a really good breakfast and then walked up the Cerro Santa Luci?a to check out the castle and park:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_094140.jpg
Then to Palacio de la Moneda, office of their president seemed to have some activity:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_103256.jpg
Waited around 15 minutes and googled to see who is the president of Chile. And then she drove by:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_105054.jpg
Walked to Plaza de Armas, but that is were the president had gone, so couldn't see much:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_110504.jpg
Third attempt to find some empanadas that were not filled with onions was a fail. Argentina has much better empanadas, but this place was a cool experience with a friendly old man cooking:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_122337.jpg
Walking through colorful neighborhoods:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_125300.jpg
I was very excited the funicular was open:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_133153.jpg
After a 1 hour wait, up we go:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_140814.jpg
Pass the down car half way up:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_141323.jpg
Big city:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_142209.jpg
Walked to the top to see:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_142622.jpg
One final hotdog covered in avocado, so much better than the hotdogs in Iceland:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_145430.jpg
Back to hotel for ride to airport. We pack heavy, but at least leave the flat screen at home:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...918_170353.jpg
Nice flights home and went into the office Tuesday. Not only lucky winning the trip, but got really really luck with the 3 feet of fresh snow. Felt like I packed a season of skiing into this trip, which is good because baby #2 is due in January. So many mountains in Chile, and I was only in the central area, I can see how people get hooked. Stay classy Chile, hopefully I will get to return:
https://umtgriz.com/forum/2017_summe...917_074702.jpg
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That looked fun. Nice work dude.
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Sick!! And congrats on the upcoming baby, B!!
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Awesome TR! Thanks for bringing the Stoke!
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good shit mag
thanxs 4 sharing
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That def brings the stoke! Congrats on your win and making the most of it!
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
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Nice trip! The last time I was there I stayed at the Hotel Valle Nevado, but I remember that the bar at the Hotel Tres Puntas was definitely the place to be at night.
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Thanks guys! Should be getting the new boots in the next week or so.
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Absolutely awesome! I love South America. Spent loads of time there but never skiing. Just got bumped up on the bucket list. Thanks for posting.
