Blog from Portillo, Chile

Greetings from up high in the Andes Winter Wonderland—Portillo, Chile! Since landing in Chile I have been blessed by a constant stream of soulful, generous and super fun people who have made me feel right at home. My efforts to find a titanium welder to fix my broken bike frame in both Iquique and Santiago were fruitless so I had to send it to the USA for repairs. At first I was pretty bummed out about this but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Check this video out!



I met up with my good friend Sara in San Pedro de Atacama for some R&R and to formulate my plan of attack. While there I ended up meeting a cool cat named Brandon who worked at Tierra Atacama Hotel and he mentioned that the manager there Chris Purcell is connected with Portillo Ski Resort down south. I had already sent a proposal to them to see if they would host me during the bike repairs and allow me to do some skiing but the proposal was not moving along so well. Sara and I stopped by Tierra Atacama to chat with Chris and share the current challenges and intentions with him. Chris and I got along like brothers right from the get go and I took him on a spin on the tandem while explaining my goal to do some skiing in Portillo and to use the Atacama as my launching pad when I get back on the road.

Chris and I connected on a solid level and he really liked the Peace Pedalers project. Before I knew it I was being hosted at the hotel (you gotta stay at this place if you head to Atacama—it’s divine! www.tierraatacama.com) and he also helped move my proposal along down in Portillo. The day before I made my way down to Santiago to send the bike frame I got an email from Ski Portillo accepting my proposal and they offered me an all inclusive 3-week ski vacation! I was jumping for joy! Sara was also invited to stay, ski and eat with me too. We were jumping for joy! Still am!

Down in Santiago my best buddy Garryck pimped Sara and I out with a killer 4-star hotel room with this Sheraton points and the next day we charged up to Ski Portillo where I’m currently resting my sore legs after four days of beautiful skiing. The food, hotel, scenery, skiing, entertainment, people, staff—all totally first class but without the pretentiousness at some nice resorts. There are accommodation options ranging from bunk beds and cafeteria-style dining to posh suites with world-class meals a day. I have to honestly say it is my favorite ski resort on earth—and I’m only a few days into it!

As if this is not enough—the magic continues. I spotted a white-haired man named Tom sporting a Mammoth Ski Patrol shirt on the first day. Turns out he was there traveling with his son Dan and his girlfriend Nicole, both ski patrollers at Mammoth. My little brother Nick is also a patroller and they are good friends with him and his wife Kari! Small world, eh? So I found great new friends and ski buddies right off the back and have my brother Nick’s spirit with me as I charge the terrain with some of Mammoth’s finest.

So a huge storm is on the way and everyone is awaiting the monster dumping of 3-6 feet over the next few days. Chris is on the way here so I’ll have another ski buddy and brother to chill with as I enjoy the slice of Andean Mountain Paradise. Some pics of Chile to date can be seen in the photo album below:



I highly recommend a ski holiday down here—it’s like nothing you ever experienced and will leave you smiling and coming back for more! Check out www.skiportillo.com for more info.

Over n out from Portillo!

Jamie