Wednesday, June 25, 2008

24/7 TV Chile Action Sports Channel


I recently met some of the guys from 247TV chile and worked together with them during an episode (#143) they shot on Manuel Diaz. They have around 144 episodes so far, and its some good stuff to watch. Its all in Spanish so be prepared. They have features on snowboarding, motocross, skateboarding, surfing, mountain biking, and more. It cool cause they profile a lot of Chileans as well as international pros that come around. The show is hosted by Felipe Costa, and a lot of it is filmed by Marcello Flores.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Farellones Hostel to Stay

Hey Readers,
I asked my friend Brian Wiley to send us some info on his hostel in Farellones, Chile which is near the resorts of Valle Nevado, La Parva, and El Colorado, the closest ski areas to Santiago. A lot of people have trouble locating a place to stay, and I will highly recommend this place: The Farellones Ski Hostel. Its fairly crammed when loaded with people, but just about every spot in Farellones has 5 people more than it should. You'll be happy knowing you have a bed to rest your body upon after the all day riding + after riding Happy Hour + all night discotheque missions to Los Montañes, Valle Nevado, or La Parva's Powder disco. Its location at the base of the bottom t-bar of El Colorado allows for instant access to the resort in the morning and a walk across the street to the Farellones market and the local restaurant/discotheque Los Montañes. In reality, there isn't that many options to stay, so unless you're prepared to negotiate with a local upon arrival (which I did my first year to Chile) for a month long-term rental, then hit up my man Brian.

Jeremy:

Here's my description of The Farellones Ski Hostel along with 3
photos.Let me know what you think....cheers Brian:


The Farellones Ski Hostel is only a two-minute walk from the lower
ski run at El Colorado Ski Area in Farellones, Chile. Our hostel is in
a cozy and comfortable A frame that has wonderful views of The Andes
from the spacious common room. We have 2 shared rooms with comfortable
bunk beds and storage space. The shared room costs $45/person per
night and includes an American style breakfast and fresh coffee. Our
private double room costs $90/night. For dinner hours, we have an open
kitchen so that you can feel at home and prepare yourself what you
like. We also sell many common food items that you can cook for
reasonable prices.
Our living room has a DVD player along with many movies to choose
from. Since the hostel only sleeps a maximum of 12 skiers/snowboarders
per night, you will feel at home and make new friends while enjoying
your stay. We are located minutes from two pubs/restaurants. We also
provide free information about skiing in Chile and Argentina. We can
arrange your stay in Santiago along with transportation to and from
the airport.
Ski Chile - Stay with Us!
The Farellones Ski Hostel
for reservations contact Brian at: fskihostel@gmail.com
or call: 011 (568) 989-9730,011 (568) 839-1092

Sunday, June 1, 2008

El Colorado, Chile Ski Area Opening Day Thursday June 5th, 2008

Good news for all you skiers and snowboarders traveling to Chile this South American winter. We have been receiving heaps of fresh snow down here. The Andes mountains are freshly painted white and looking very enticing. Looks like El Colorado Ski Area is opening on June 5th. Next-door neighbor Valle Nevado Ski Resort and hotel is opening on June 13th for what could be some of the most coverage ever seen at this time of the year.

The current view at Valle Nevado Ski Area
Portillo is opening for skiing on June 14th. Also the resort formerly known as Termas de Chillan is no more, new owners have bought the rights to operate the slopes while the owner of the actual termas (natural hot spring) and gran hotel of Chillan retained the name Termas de Chillan. Look for an update to this article when we find out the new name, its website, and opening date if they are opening this season. Rumors have been flying about that the former owner is refusing to sell the actual chairlifts, possibly causing a delay in opening the mountain for riding. It might be a good idea to take Chillan off the itinerary for your planned ski vacation as you might end up slightly disapointed. Pucon hasn't listed their opening date yet.

Update Saturday June 7: La Parva Ski Area is open.
Update June 25: Most ski areas are open. Chillan should be up and going with new operations management.