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!

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(s) of the Day - LA

I was in downtown LA last night for a little photo shoot on the rooftop of my friend Jan's apartment. After leaving it had gotten a little foggy and had a surreal hazy atmosphere about it. So obviously I had to take advantage of having downtown LA, the freeway, palm trees and this hazy atmosphere to hopefully get some portfolio worthy images. Which I think I did, so it was a successful night. Here is one image so you can get an idea:

Downtown LA

Adam - Trapped in LA


Hollywood & Vine


Los Angeles

I had a fun 10 days down in LA and Vegas and tomorrow I'm heading back up to SF for about a week.

Lake Tahoe Back Injury

So it has been a week since my injury and I'm starting to go crazy. I can't stand for an extended period of time without problems and I certainly can't snowboard. I am in Lake Tahoe and they are getting snow every few days and I am forced to sit around and watch it from a sleazy motel room.



Last Thursday a few friends and I were up at Squaw Valley and were taking our last runs. We were by the bottom of the Solitude lift and I traversed and climbed up a little to hit a fun looking 8 foot cliff. I shot off the cliff and landed solid but with a lot of speed. It was getting bumpy and tracked out so it was hard to slow down. I saw a patch of powder ahead and I planned on carving through it to slow down and get a nice turn in. I hit a bump off-balance and nosedived on the landing which sent me into the air backwards. Expecting a soft, powdery landing I put all my weight in to it. But I was immediately stopped by what felt like a jagged brick wall in the middle of my back. It made a sickening noise, similar to the sound you get when trying to snap a soggy branch. I gasped in pain and imagined all my organs being punctured and leaking all over my insides. I looked behind me to see what ruined my day, which probably wasn't smart at the time considering the trauma to my back seconds earlier. It was a gnarly tree stump or bit of exposed fallen log maybe 6 inches in diameter.

After my friends and I decided against calling Ski Patrol, we headed back over to the gondola and down to the base. Nick ran to get the car while I waited. He returned moments later with the car idling 50 yards away. He came up to me, grabbed our snowboards and headed to the car and returned again, to tell me he locked his keys inside, with it still running. Perfect. At this point it was two hours after the accident and my vision had been blurring for ten minute stretches and I tasted blood at random moments. So my imagination was going wild, inventing rare medical cases I'd most likely have.  I saw all the blood and other fluids from all my organs spilling down my body on the inside to my feet. Each moment making my chances of survival less and less. It's amazing the thoughts that can run through your head when something traumatic happens and you just don't know what is going on.

Twenty five minutes later, loaded into my own car, I was being driven by a Chilean friend to the hospital in Truckee with another riding on my bed in the back. Fortunately it turned out I was wrong and wasn't dying . All I had was a fractured rib, a bruised lung and what would soon be, a nasty bruise in my middle back. I also happened to be very lucky. The doctor told me if I had hit the log an inch to the right on my spine I could have broken my back or even been paralyzed. Lucky indeed. So they gave me a prescription for painkillers and sent me on my way.

Now, a week later and I feel no closer to getting on a snowboard. After several days in this motel room I began to go crazy. I had sacrificed too many hygienic standards and the mess, constant noise, disorder and stench pushed me to my limits. 72 hours straight there would drive even the most open minded person mad though. No offense to the people living there. They are good friends and good people, but they are living in a shithole. The last few days were spent with my Aunt in Portola Valley and now San Francisco with a friend. The recovery was going well until I spent six straight hours on my feet yesterday taking pictures at my friend Taylor's parents' home in Sonoma. I head back to Tahoe tomorrow to hopefully begin shooting photos again, but we'll see if I'm up to it.

Here are some photos from my time in Lake Tahoe so far:

Nick, Foster and Cote building a jump near homes in Alpine Meadows

Jump building - the jump throws you over a tree and down a slope

Cote hiking

Cote, rodeo

Alpine Meadows homes

Nick Ellis on a North Lake dock


The three roommates minus one - Foster, Nick, Cote

Sunset at North Lake

Crested Butte and Telluride

I haven't had internet access in a few days, or my desktop to upload all of my new photos, so it's been difficult to post on my blog. But I stepped into a small coffee shop in Telluride to get a little work done and utilize some wifi. So much has happened in the last five days I can't tell it all in the 10 minutes I have to type this up. Crested Butte and Telluride have been my favorite towns and resorts so far, so there is a lot to be said.

I spent three days in Crested Butte and Laci and Kirsten with CBMR PR synced me up with two tele skiers to photograph and show me around the mountain. Colin and Seaton MacMillan made my time in Crested Butte unforgetable. They not only showed me the best runs, the longest lasting powder stashes and the best places to eat in town, but they invited me into their home, took me snowmobiling and even invited me back anytime (which I'm taking them up on and returning tonight). They are two very talented skiers and all around great people who are making it difficult to leave Crested Butte.

The last two days were spent in Telluride which is a breathtakingly beautiful area. A rustic mining town in a box canyon, surrounded by 12,000-14,000+ mountains. My time is up and I have to run. There is much more to say about both places and as long as I can find some internet access I'll be posting more ASAP.

I'm heading to Ouray which is nicknamed "The Switzerland of America" to hit up some natural hot springs and vapor caves (suggested by Colin and Seaton). Then I'm returning to Crested Butte for a backcountry shoot with the twins.

Last day at Winter Park

My last day at Winter Park I finally found some sun, and it was perfect. It was the kind of day you want to live every day. Where everything seems to rub you the right way. Sunny and warm with 8 inches of fresh. Then it began snowing around 2pm, but no wind, and still a little sun seeping through, so it was just great.

I even got to drive in the snow on the way back to Denver, which I love to do. I really enjoy driving in the snow. I find it very peaceful, but fun. It's a challenge, something else to know how to do.

Anyway, great day overall. Here are a few photos

View of Mary Jane

Surefoot Colorado Ski Cup


Rainbow rail in the Railyard terrain park


Railyard terrain park


Winter Park

Tomorrow is my last day in Denver and then I head down to Crested Butte. There is supposed to be a storm coming in tomorrow so hopefully I'll have another powder day at CB.