At La Parva

On the mountain at La Parva, just an 1.5 hours outside of Santiago. My friend Felipe and I were stopped by the side of the lift waiting for Clemente, a local Chilean skier, to come up on the chair lift to do some crazy flips. There was surreal atmosphere from the deep blue skies and a constant wind that blew snow around just about the ground.

View from La Parva

This last weekend was super productive and a lot of fun. I had the opportunity to shoot some talented skiers up at La Parva. It was a beautiful day with awesome conditions. Below is a photo of the view of the town and looking down the Andes towards Santiago. I got some shots I'm really excited about, but I'll only be able to post some of the outtakes as the best ones will hopefully be ending up in a Chilean ski/snowboard magazine. But we'll see!

Hating is In

It's safe to say the internet has changed the way the world functions and that it's reach and impact goes beyond what most people can even comprehend. The availability of knowledge is at our fingertips and we can virtually travel anywhere in the world at the click of a button. It has made the ability to understand the world around us incredibly easy.

Yet, for some reason, it is breeding ignorance and hatred just as much as it is doing anything positive. Yes, the internet is making "hating" all too easy and more popular than ever. It gives the cowards and the introverted pessimists a voice they never would have had in the physical world.  If you visit many websites there are always people who feel the need to hate on whatever somebody else posted. The anonymity everybody can retain gives people the ability to do whatever they want with little or no consequence. 

Some websites, such as Ebaum's World (I know, not the most reputable site, but still receives plenty of traffic), offer humorous,  often lighthearted content. But read the comments, and regardless of how enjoyable and fun the video or photos are, almost every single comment is a competition to see who can be the bigger asshole. It is a website where being a dick is a point of pride and the more hatred and ignorance one person can exemplify, the more they have written a "successful" comment. Websites like Youtube are sadly now like this too. 

I personally don't understand the interest in hating. I find life far more enjoyable when you try to like everything in the world. Maybe it involves a little more effort, but at the end of the day it just makes you a more knowledgable, accepting person. I know you can't like everything in the world. But if you don't like something and don't have the time to try to understand it, why not just push it aside and move on? Why spend your own time focusing on shitting all over something you don't like? Do people really not have other things they would prefer to do? 

There are people who genuinely enjoy hating and negativity and it baffles me. You can find haters in all corners of the web. There will always be that person who disagrees. And disagreeing is fine. Not everybody likes everything. That is normal, that is fine. But when people have to add unnecessary touches, or massive doses, of negativity and hatred that is what I don't understand.

If you visit any articles, reviews or profiles for bands or movies there will always be debates in the comment section about the quality of the artist or piece of work. There is ALWAYS people saying "this sucks" or "this is the worst thing I've seen in my life." That is being an asshole. No, it (probably) doesn't suck and it's probably not the worst thing you've ever seen in your life. It sucks to you, but that simply means you don't like it. By saying it sucks you are being unnecessarily negative and "hating" instead of just stating your opinion in a less offensive manner. And even if it does suck, the person making it probably doesn't think it sucks, so why put them down more than you have to?

What is the root of this hating? It comes down to the fact that hating is just easier to do. You don't have to understand something to hate it or dislike it. You can just say it sucks and not apply too much brain power to comprehending it. You can resort to your usual bank of ignorant comments that can apply to anything in the world you don't like.  It is far easier than spending the time trying to understand something if you don't naturally like it. 

To like something, or at the very least accept it, is to either understand it or have some attraction to it. If the natural attraction isn't there, too many people can't be bothered trying to understand it, so they hate on it. If they hate on it without trying to understand it there argument will mostly be "it sucks. It's stupid. I can't believe I wasted my time on this. blah blah blah it's so obvious that I have given this no thought." There are people who do try and understand something and still don't like it, and again, that is OK. But why be so negative and whiny about it? It's perpetuating a shit attitude that is becoming widely accepted across the internet. It's making negativity, ignorance and hatred more present than ever in the world and slowly making it appear OK. The internet gives everybody with access the ability to understand as much as they choose to, but too many people choose the path of ignorance. And I just don't get it.

Stray Puppy

A stray puppy hiding behind a pile of snow at Valle Nevado ski resort outside of Santiago. He was one of eight dogs running around together. More photos of the rest coming soon!

First day at Valle Nevado

Finally, after two years of a snowless existence I have made it back to the mountains. It feels amazing to be back. I love the community centered around skiing and snowboarding because no matter where you go there is a very similar energy. 

I'm in Chile now and it is certainly different from Lake Tahoe or Colorado, but when you are up at the ski resorts, other than the scenery being different, the atmosphere is quite similar. And the atmosphere is always upbeat and lively. Ski resorts are a place where people with the same passions and interests are brought together to enjoy themselves. What can be bad about that? The answer is obviously nothing.

I haven't gotten to go up to the mountains as much as I'd like to due to the fact I've got a bunch of other work going on. That, and it's kind of expensive. Without a ride from a friend or the energy to try and hitchhike, it is about $28 to get up to the mountain each day. Then if you don't have another friend to get you a half of student ticket you may be forced to pay the full price of $80 for a lift ticket. In Chile, skiing is definitely more of a sport for the rich and the tourists. Limited housing up at the mountains makes this even more of an issue.

Perhaps the biggest downside of going to the mountains from Santiago, especially for me living in Santiago Centro, is the commute. When I'm forced to take the tourist bus up I have to leave the apartment at 7am, dressed in all my gear and walk through crowded streets with my snowboard, boots and camera bag. I then have to squeeze onto a packed, rush hour metro. This usually involves waiting for 2-5 trains to pass to find an opening I can even consider fitting into.

I then have to walk another 8 blocks to the bus and wait on line with a bunch of tourists to get a seat on the next bus to the mountains. Pay $26 and then sit there sweating for another two hours up to the mountains. So a day snowboarding can cost over well over $100 and require six hours of commuting. The first time was ok, for the experience, but I can see this commute getting very old, very fast.

Once you get to the mountains it is all worth it though. July was a weak month and produced almost no snow, but fortunately they have been getting some snow the last couple weeks. It's still a little dry but better than nothing. Below are a few photos of my first day up with my friend Diego.

The road to Valle Nevado from Farellones

View of the hotel and lodge at Valle Nevado

Diego popping a little shifty into the sun

 A bigger shifty

The shuttle van at dusk

 Sunset over Santiago in the distance

Photo 3 of 3

The final photo of the series.

Photo 2 of 3

The second photo from my untitled series.

Americans Love Lawsuits

Living in another country I constantly find myself drawing comparisons between places I've lived and places I've visited. I am always finding reasons I like countries more than the US or dislike them more. One reason I have realized life in South American countries, and most likely many places in the world, is more simple and seemingly free, is that there isn't a constant fear of being sued.

Yes, Americans are beyond idiotic when it comes to legal issues and try to sue anyone and anything the second something doesn't work in their favor. When companies, restaurants, parks, public properties, and individuals need to constantly worry about some asshole suing them for their own shortcomings or stupidity, it creates a tense atmosphere. Every potential hazard needs to be clearly marked. Every person enjoying themselves doing anything less than overly safe needs to be stopped, because if they get hurt, of course they will sue the shit out of you. Every item sold needs tons of warnings, no matter how obvious. Because in America, there is always somebody trying to put the blame of being a moron onto somebody else, or simply take advantage of a situation.

It really makes for a disgusting environment. Doing a little research about this I found that in 2011 there were over 15 million lawsuits filed in the US. That's one lawsuit for every 12 adults in America*. After some investigating I don't even know how many lawsuits were filed in other countries. Apparently there is little need or interest in these statistics outside of the US(if somebody finds any I would be curious of knowing stats for other countries). I do know the US has the highest amount, but I'm not positive by how much we surpass other nations.

A little more research revealed one of the more embarrassing Americans I've stumbled upon recently. A man named Jonathan Lee Riches, at the age of 35, has filed over 4,000 lawsuits against everyone from George W. Bush, Steve Jobs, Perez Hilton, Britney Spears, Nostradamus, the Roman Empire, Adolf Hitler's National Socialist Party, the Lincoln Memorial and ALL survivors of the Holocaust. In one example he filed a restraining order against Grand Theft Auto and it's makers, stating that they "put me in prison." This is the classic American defense. This game showed "sex, drugs and violence, which offends me." So instead of taking responsibility for his own actions he chose to blame something else.

Other countries don't have this problem, or at least not to such a strong degree. If somebody is walking down the street and trips over a half open manhole cover and hurts themselves, they will deal with it and chalk it up to a mishap. In America the city will be sued for millions. If somebody gets sick because of something they eat in McDonalds in Chile, who gives a shit, that's life. Not in America, you gotta make your millions in the easiest way possible. People have no shame.

I believe this is one big reason why life feels more free in other countries. People can get away with so much more because there isn't a constant army of surveillance to keep everybody in line and from having ammunition to sue with. You could argue that it's about keeping the public safe. I'm sure that is partly true. But in Chile, people are taught to take responsibility for their own actions and not rely on other people around you to tell you you're doing something stupid or unsafe. That just seems logical, but clearly there are too many people who don't support logic.


*http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/infographic-america-lawsuit-happy-nation

Photo 1 of 3 from new photo series

This is the first image in an untitled series of three that I shot for a new Chilean magazine based out of Antofagasta. It is a mini story of a woman who sees herself on the street. The other two will be posted in upcoming days.

New Blog Layout

Any repeat visitors to this blog will know that the look has changed a few times over the last several months. I wanted to try out a different look, and at first I thought I enjoyed it. It was similar to the more dynamic looks of websites like Pinterest and 500px. But the more I used it the less I liked about it. It was nice and flashy but involved a little more effort to read posts and view photos.

I didn't like the way you could only click on one picture at a time, which opened in a new page, and then you had to click back to the posting to see other pictures. Considering the photos were the whole point of me making the blog I felt they needed to be displayed better. I also didn't like how the blog loads a little slower on certain computers since half the actions were animated. These may not seem like big deals, but then again they might, because the attention span of people is limited on the internet these days and it's important to have a smooth, seamless user experience.

I thought about going back to the old layout and black background. I then thought it may be better to have a white background since it is a little more flexible with content. I like the way black backgrounds make the photos look and the way it ties into my website. Yet, I feel a white background makes things feel a little less serious, and considering I write about a variety of things I thought it would be more flexible. Also, all the photos for each post show up in a nice little slideshow and you don't have to waste time viewing each picture in a new page. That is just a horrible, horrible design.

I may go back to black, or I may stick with white. I will see how I like it over the next few weeks. If anybody has any opinions about it let me know! I am officially making commenting available now. So please make your voices heard if you feel so inclined! Thoughts are always welcome!

In honor of being back in smoggy Santiago

Layover in Bogotá

Colombia is one of those countries that as an American growing up in the 80's and 90's, I was force fed a mostly negative image of. It is unfortunate that the media, popular culture and society tainted my image of a country before I really knew anything of what it was about. As I found out the other day, Colombia is way more than a country filled with cocaine dens where Americans are kidnapped the second they step from the airport. Yet, because of information forced in front of me at an earlier age I didn't know what to expect when finally getting to visit Colombia.

Traveling around South America I met a lot of people who have spent significant amounts of time in Colombia or planned to in the future. The image you get now, from people who actually know it personally, and not just from stories you hear on the news, is extremely positive. The saying I keep hearing is that the people of Colombia really want to shed the image of being a hostile country and go out of there way to do so.

This is exactly what I found. Unfortunately, I only had one day in Bogota, so I don't have the experience of somebody with a well developed personal opinion of the country. I got the smallest taste of what life in Bogota is like and it left me wanting a whole lot more. I had more random encounters with genuinely nice people in my 16 hours in Bogota, than I did in weeks of time in other countries. The positive image I have of this city is based upon the helpful and caring people that stepped right into my life for a moment while I wandered the streets.

Nestled amongst the Andes, with thick forests all around, the city itself is beautiful and oozing with colorful character that kept me enthralled for every minute I had there. The buildings were bright and well aged, with all the cracks, holes and peeling paint adding to the aesthetic appeal. Cobblestoned streets with vibrant grass popping out between the cracks, lead through tiny alleys and up steep hills. There is ever-present street art which really brings a unique energy to the city.

All I did, all day, was walk around, sit in plazas, eat and take pictures. I headed out of the airport at 9am and ignoring the advice of the information guy at the airport, I took a bus instead of the easier, faster taxi ride ($.75 vs $10). I really had minimal idea of where I was going. I looked at a half-loaded Google map for a few minutes and figured if I just found a bus going straight on the road out of the airport I would be able to figure it out. And it all worked out quite easily. Within 30 minutes I got to La Candeleria in the Centro which is a small neighborhood in the hills of Bogota.

My first encounter was with a nice Colombian man who happened to be homeless. I was eating a massive chocolate croissant-like pastry {photo} in a park and this thin, 20-something-year-old, absolutely filthy but completely unthreatening man approached me and asked me for a piece of my bread. I had just been thinking about how it's literally too big to eat alone, especially after a breakfast of coffee, some strange, mild white cheese, eggs with ham and bread. And he popped up to alleviate the situation. There was something about this man that I immediately saw he wished he didn't have to be asking for food, but was just so desperate he had no other choice. He cupped his hands, stood about 5 feet away and asked in the least threatening way possible for a piece of bread. I couldn't say no, so I ripped a tiny bite off for myself and handed him a piece the size of my hand. He said "que bueno, gracias," about four times before devouring it. He couldn't hide his sincere gratitude if he tried.

This looked even more appetizing before it was stuffed into a plastic bag, smearing all the chocolate drizzle on top.

Being from New York you get trained to ignore most, if not all, beggars. There are simply too many of them and more often than not they are ungrateful or overly annoying. But this guy was alright.

Twenty blocks later I had worked my way through a number of tiny side streets and I was crouched on the sidewalk shooting some biker making his way around a bend. An old man in his 70's with a thick white moustache stopped walking beside me to avoid getting in my way. He then proceeded to ask me how I was liking Bogota and told me about streets nearby I should check out. I got the feeling he was just walking home and saw some young foreigner half lying on the ground in his neighborhood. So why the hell not stop and talk to him? It was genuinely friendly moment between two strangers.

A few hours later I had made my way higher up into the hills. I had heard it's best not to go high up because it can get more dangerous. But everything about the day so far had been so enjoyable and I didn't feel the least bit threatened or anything less than pleasantly surprised by the people here. As I was taking photos of a window cleaner rappelling between two windows, a cop came up to me out of nowhere.

Generally when this happens I have no interest in talking to them and I assume he wants to complain about something I'm doing wrong. But this young cop came up to me just to recommend that I don't walk farther up the hill,  and even around here it is better to keep the camera out of sight, just in case. We then talked about why I was in Colombia for the day and what I do in Chile. He also let me know that he would keep any eye out while I was shooting around there. He was just really damn nice. What is it with these people?

While sitting down in a restaurant for lunch I asked the waiter what he recommended because I didn't know anything about Colombian food. He recommended trout with some sort of mushroom sauce. He came back to ask how my food was, and when I told him it was very good, he immediately flashed a smile. He was no doubt feeling proud that he made a good selection. Again, genuinely nice.

Getting a bus back to the airport proved to be a little bit of a hassle. Traffic here in the Centro at rush hour was chaotic. There was an endless stream of buses coughing out black exhaust, sitting in gridlock traffic across massive roads with no real lanes. The buses don't really have designated stops and just hit the brakes for whoever waves at them, where ever they are. That, or  it passes them by for no apparent reason.

After 25 minutes of confusion and realizing this location wasn't going to work. I headed to another mass of people on the side of a busy street and finally crammed my way onto a bus that was well over capacity. What I found fascinating is that people would hop on through the backdoor and to my surprise, every single person would pass money through a packed bus of strangers to the driver up front. The driver would then send their change back and it would pass through a dozen hands before returning. Somehow it would all make it back, every time.

I had several other encounters with nice Colombians throughout the day and it just left me feeling really good inside. It was refreshing to have so many strangers treating an outsider like family and experiencing an environment unlike a majority of cities I've been to. I don't know if all of Colombia is like this or if I just happened to stumble upon an uncharacteristically nice chain of events. But either way my first impressions are overwhelmingly positive and I can't wait to go back.