Dramamine, earplugs, three seats to stretch out across and an eye mask makes for an incredible 9 hour, red-eye flight! There's no better way to fly. I passed out about an hour after take off and woke up to this...Good morning Andes!! I believe this peak was Mt. Aconcagua - the tallest peak in the Andes mountain range. I was more than thrilled to finally arrive! Chile is currently on my top 3 fav. countries! I hope this blog illustrates why..
(I have way too many great pictures to post in one blog so I made a slide show, you can check out all the pics by selecting "view all images.")
The first few days were spent in Santiago, (with the exception of my birthday which I posted above.) with my friend Ximena Dona and her family. When speaking of great people, I will always think back to this family and how hospitable and welcoming they were. For the time being, we were family and I will always consider Ximena my Chilean sister! The first day we arrived, we were treated to a home cooked meal complete with a birthday cake for me! What a surprise! They also invited us to their cousins 18th birthday where we met several relatives and ate more cow than I thought was edible. If Cory's face didn't approve I replied as her uncle came around with the bowl of meat "No carne, gracias!"
The next week we headed up to Farrellones (for detailed road conditions see the previous post) where we stayed at the cutest A-Frame hostel (aka Tribeca A-frame hostel for rockers!) It was owned by Bryan from New York and ran by the coolest couple from Tahoe, Jerimiah and Andrea. I have to admit, I was refreshing to speak and understand English for a few days. The hostel was so cosey and warm, we had so much fun up there! My only complaint was the failed hour and a half attempt to hitch hike. The Chileans up there would drive around us and pick up the locals...unbelievable! The next day it dumped about 5-6 inches and we skied powder all day! Thanks to the Brits who gave us a ride, we were able to enjoy a whole day of faceshots!
The last stop was Portillo. We caught a bus from Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina where we got off a few miles from the border in Portillo. This resort topped the charts! Its nestled between towering cliffs just aside a frozen lake and the view was absolutely breathtaking! We scored a bunk, two days skiing and four gourmet meals for $180.
Try that in Park City...I don't think so! The snow wasn't as soft as Valle Nevado, but the terrain was steeper and we found some killer lines. My favorite was the rocket rope tow that shot us up the steepest mountain at mac-90! I laughed so hard I almost fell off several times. Ski Magazine was also doing a photo comp. that week so we were able to sneak a peak of the slide show and upcoming photos for February's edition. We also got to meet and hang out with the skiers and photographers who were a lot of fun. Ironically enough, Jason West was there shooting, Cory and my old boss's husband from Solitude. It was a fun weekend!
The last town we visited was Val Paraiso, a port town two hours north of Santiago. This town was very unique complete with graffiti art and smelled of fish. We found a decent restaurant where we were serenaded by a cute Chilean man in a white dining coat and had some killer Chilean Sea bass. I love this country! I highly recommend it and already can't wait to get back!
" AND TAKE YOUR MONEY..."
Friday the 22nd I turned 24 and what better way to spend my 24th than on the slopes? Corey and I took a ski shuttle an hour and a half from the Santiago to El Colorado Ski Resort in Farrellones through one of the sketchiest canyons. I was laughing the whole time...these drivers are crazy! If you've experienced the road to Hana in Maui, imagine a more barren, steeper incline along with some crazy Chileans who pass on blind corners, (a fellow traveler referred to it as Chilean Chicken)...and that should paint a rough picture of this experience...it was awesome! I couldn't get over how tall the Andes were and how high we were! The skiing was surprisingly good and left ear to ear grins on our faces. Skiing mid-summer in Chile?? Who would have thought...this is going to be an expensive habit...
The first few days were spent in Santiago, (with the exception of my birthday which I posted above.) with my friend Ximena Dona and her family. When speaking of great people, I will always think back to this family and how hospitable and welcoming they were. For the time being, we were family and I will always consider Ximena my Chilean sister! The first day we arrived, we were treated to a home cooked meal complete with a birthday cake for me! What a surprise! They also invited us to their cousins 18th birthday where we met several relatives and ate more cow than I thought was edible. If Cory's face didn't approve I replied as her uncle came around with the bowl of meat "No carne, gracias!"
The next week we headed up to Farrellones (for detailed road conditions see the previous post) where we stayed at the cutest A-Frame hostel (aka Tribeca A-frame hostel for rockers!) It was owned by Bryan from New York and ran by the coolest couple from Tahoe, Jerimiah and Andrea. I have to admit, I was refreshing to speak and understand English for a few days. The hostel was so cosey and warm, we had so much fun up there! My only complaint was the failed hour and a half attempt to hitch hike. The Chileans up there would drive around us and pick up the locals...unbelievable! The next day it dumped about 5-6 inches and we skied powder all day! Thanks to the Brits who gave us a ride, we were able to enjoy a whole day of faceshots!
Try that in Park City...I don't think so! The snow wasn't as soft as Valle Nevado, but the terrain was steeper and we found some killer lines. My favorite was the rocket rope tow that shot us up the steepest mountain at mac-90! I laughed so hard I almost fell off several times. Ski Magazine was also doing a photo comp. that week so we were able to sneak a peak of the slide show and upcoming photos for February's edition. We also got to meet and hang out with the skiers and photographers who were a lot of fun. Ironically enough, Jason West was there shooting, Cory and my old boss's husband from Solitude. It was a fun weekend!
The last town we visited was Val Paraiso, a port town two hours north of Santiago. This town was very unique complete with graffiti art and smelled of fish. We found a decent restaurant where we were serenaded by a cute Chilean man in a white dining coat and had some killer Chilean Sea bass. I love this country! I highly recommend it and already can't wait to get back!
Jules, Mady, Suzette and I took a short trip to St. George a couple of weeks ago for a little R&R. We stayed at Mady's grandparents condo (thanks Larsens!) where we biked, swam, read and challenged each other to some mad mexican train dominos. Mady and I also learned to ride dirt bikes, thanks to Suz and Jules. 
It was definitely a therapeutic trip for me! I had high hopes of landing a job I'd been dreaming of and the earlier part of the week was rough. All this college grad hype is overrated! So I am still in pursuit of a career. This summer has been fun regardless and it's not over yet!
This was our 3rd annual Girls Moab trip and let me tell you, it gets better every year! This year consisted of Jen, Jules, Mel, Emmaliegh, me and Jude (mel's dog). YAY for Emm who drove clear up from AZ! The trip began at the Moab Brewery with to-die-for wings! This year we found the greatest campsite along the river and the exact location is a secret so no one can steal it next year! haha! Jk, but really it was the best camping spot yet! We hiked negro canyon...at least I think that's the name of it. When we got the the little oasis at the end, Mel found a rope and of course turned it into a rope swing that left us with battle wounds after swinging out through the trees. We also worked on
Yoga poses. That night, Jen and I drove up the canyon and watched the stars.. WOW! I miss that about living in the city...you just can't see the stars like you can out in the brush. The next day we blew up our hefty Coleman rafts, borrowed some life jackets and paddles (thanks Western!) and headed up the canyon to float the river. We heard rumors that the river was high and when one of the river guides told us there were 12 ft. rapids, we got a little nervous.. 
But of course that didn't stop us. We started the adventure with a prayer and yes...Humorous Emmaleigh snapped a photo of us praying that we wont die down the river! Jen charged the river on her wave attacker complete with water gun (if you can see in the pics). I have to admit, I thought she was going to die! Turns out they weren't 12 ft. rapids and we missed the best ones taking the guys advice to steer left past the ranch...we were bummed. But the float was fun! Mel and I made it through all but one of the rapids and totally flipped in front of the first pull out with tons of people...it was hilarious! The trip ended with the traditional Moab diner greasy food and ice cream....mmmm! Can't wait for next year!
