Sierra Trip Reports

Location: Nevados de Chillan, Chile (f/k/a Termas de Chillan)

Dates: August 29 – September 4, 2010

Skiers & Boarders: Ken, Jon and Nick (as well as some special appearances by Claire and Travis)

Photogs: Nick (unless otherwise indicated as Ken, Jon or Claire). I was pissed though as I dropped by good camera off of a climb in Yosemite several weeks ago, so had to roll with my old backup. Oh well.

Weather: August 29th and 30th dropped about 1.5 feet of fresh Andean pow. Skies went bluebird for the next 2 days, with cold temps at night to keep the snow soft. Avy conditions were stable in the surrounding side-country and backcountry. More snow fell on September 2 (about 5-6 inches).

Synposis: Jon, Ken and I were scheduled to head down with CASA Tours to ski and board the main areas North of Santiago (Arpa, Portillo and Tres Valles). Ken and I had done this same trip 2 years prior with CASA with great success (with an abundance of fresh snow, a fun group, good guides and untracked BC-zones).

Last year, Jon, Ken and I were scheduled to head down to Bariloche only to get skunked by horrible conditions at the last minute. Dave, the owner of CASA, was cool to call us several days prior to our flights and give us a heads up on the turn of conditions (a warming spell brought a lot of rain, followed by a deep freeze creating boiler pack all over Patagonia). After discussing alternatives, Dave was supremely cool and refunded our money.

Looking to go back down again this year, we turned to CASA again due to the logistical advantage they offer with transportation, lodging and familiarity with good BC terrain. We were all really impressed with Dave’s flexibility with our cancelled Bariloche trip the year prior.

Once again, the flexibility of the CASA team proved invaluable. We were scheduled to head to the Northern areas again – but based on obvious weather conditions and thin coverage, we shifted down to the South to follow the snow. Large storms were scheduled for Chillan during our visit so the decision to switch it up proved a no-brainer.

Note: This Trip Report is several pages long – just click at the end of each page to continue.

On the flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago, we realized we choose correct in switching the zones, as large storms were dumping snow well South of Santiago.

Chile reminds me somewhat of the Sierra (my home turf) in that you can be so close to the range, but the valleys will be high temps and an abundance of green. Wait, there is snow up in the mountains?

Several hours later after a food grab in Las Trances, we drive up to Chillan and “Casa Amigos” for the week. Remember when it was Indian Summer 3 hours ago?

After a day of storm skiing in-bounds on Day 1, we awake to bluebird skies and 1.5 ft of fresh in the upper mountain. The scenery does not suck.

Of all the Chilean resorts and ski areas, Nevados de Chillan is by far my favorite. With one main lift to the “summit” of the resort (but well below the surrounding Volcanic summits), there is an abundance of easily access side-country and backcountry. With a pair of skins, you can get to absolute goods in anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours.

Ken throwing a nice slash in a quick side-country zone from the resort (about a 15 minute hike or 3 minute skin).

Jon with the front-side slash in the same zone.

Nick chilling in some nice Chillan wind-buff. Good to get the legs going again. Photo: Jon

Looking Southeast from the resort.

The side-country zone we were hitting on Day 2 offered a good combo of nice bowls, stepper lines and some fun cliff zones.

Jon and Nick airing a nice wind-lip into a mostly untracked bowl. Photos: Ken

Fun cliff zones in the area as well. Here Nick and Ken just quickly check the runout below. Photo: Jon

Nick sending it with some distance. Landing zone was buttery perfection. Photo: Jon

Ken with full standup landing… Photo: Jon

I have yet to mention how great our guides were. One of our guides, Travis, is a Big Sky resident that Ken and I had skied/boarded with in Chile two years ago.

Our other guide was none other than Claire, a sponsored rider for PMGear, a local Tahoe-based ski company, as well as Flylow Gear, a Colorado-based company that makes pretty bomber freeride apparel that I rock. Claire also runs the non-profit SheJumps!.

Claire and Travis were fun to party with, and were also totally cool letting us do our own thing occasionally apart from the rest of the group.

Here, Claire sends it with a nice grab.

Claire on the Lhasa Pows enjoying the freshies.

Can’t go much further without another nice product placement for our local Tahoe shapers that I use, Praxis Skis. The Praxis Backcountrys served me well as a single-quiver on this trip as I didn’t want to bring the Protests or any of my Dynafit rigs as the touring was quick on the Dukes.

Nick airing into yet another backcountry, untracked bowl. This one, with no tracks in it, was literally only like a 15 minute skin from the lift two days after a storm… Nuts! Photo: Ken

Nick enjoying the deepness to follow (with the only other tracks from our group) – this zone and its proximity would have been tracked out at Squaw or Kirkwood in about 10 minutes after lift service – much less 2 days! Photo: Ken

Claire marking up yet another untracked, deep zone.

Ken chilling on yet another hike, with volcanoes Chillan Nuevo and Chillan Viejo in the distance.

The following day we headed out for a longer tour to a separate valley system. Jon taking in the view during a quick rest stop. “Deep Thoughts” by Jack Handy.

Nick skinning out, getting pumped for untracked. The winds were howling this day, keeping the temps pretty low. Hence, touring in hardshells (virtually unheard of here in the Sierra by yours truly). Photo: Jon

Ken approaching the ridgeline, with Chillan Viejo in the immediate vicinity. The coverage and the Andes go on forever (well, until at least the Northern resorts where the coverage part ends…).

Travis and Jon booting up the ridgeline.

Celebration, if not premature, nearing the summit.

No Sierra Trip Report would be complete without the standard “TR Point”. Photo: Ken

At the top of the zone, Jon, Ken and Travis scope out the various lines.

Ken and Jon dropping in on the ridge line windbuff, heading down to a pretty cool zone.

Travis, Jon and Ken dropped in on the face below, while Claire and I stayed up high to film and shoot. At the end, Claire and I dropped fall line from our vantage point for a much longer and steeper run – FOR THE WIN.

Travis shredding the face below.

Claire coming down in the cool light into our zone, with my tracks S-cutting through the rocks to her left.

This drainage went for several thousand feet of heli-sized, sustained untracked powder… It was unreal skiing. I had been reading of the warm weather and thin conditions up North, but I must say, Chillan (and even further South to Pucon) absolutely had the goods. Once again, muchas gracias to Dave at CasaTours for shifting the destination.

Jon with the wind-lip slash in yet another untracked area of the same drainage.

Travis demonstrating with perfection what it means to get deep, untracked lines in the backcountry of the Southern Hemisphere.

Due to photog duties, Nick has to “suffer” towards the end several tracks…. Fortunately, there was plenty of canvas to find my own areas 😉 Photos: Claire

And no Chillan TR would be complete without the Lhasa Shot Ski from the SNOWPub in Chillan…. Way too may of these were taken during the week – at least we earned free hats! L to R, Claire, Jon, Travis, Nick and Ken

Una Mas Tiempo – Chilling in Nevada (Nevados de Chillan, Chile)