L O O K I N G T O G E T L O S T: 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.