When I walk up to a ticket counter wheeling two trollies with my 7 pairs of skis, 2 pairs of ski boots, massive duffle bag, and carry-on I always get death glares from flight attendants, and I got the same disbelieving reaction from the lady behind this desk that I usually do. “This is ALL yours?!?”
It was a long flight from Toronto to Santiago and all my new teammates were thrilled to witness how “gifted” of a sleeper I am. Apparently I slept right through breakfast but they still gave me a tray of food that ended up getting confiscated when, in my comatose state, I squashed the tray into the seat in front of me with my knees. I only woke up to the bump of the plane touching down in Chile!
Everyone loaded their stuff into a huge cargo van that was waiting for us and we set off for the mountains in a big greyhound bus, stopping along the way to pick up last minute supplies. Sarah Elliot and I tried to play a game where we said the Spanish name for anything we saw… it didn’t last very long!
The landscape on the drive out of the city reminds me a lot of the desert outside San Diego- small bushes and cactuses. Except here and there were small farms with fields being worked by hand in front the huge looming mountains where we were headed! I’m really happy I don’t feel carsick because the crazy narrow switchbacks were taken pretty fast for a big bus, especially when there are semis coming just as fast in the opposite direction. After a while you could start to feel the pressure on your lungs, as the air gets thinner climbing up to our final destination of 9,500 feet.
Looking back on the road we just traveled
Portillo is a 4 star resort nestled by a lake on the border of Argentina. Compared to the last time I was here 3 years ago, the lack of snow was shocking. The intense Downhill track I was hoping to spend most of my time on has been reduced to a mellow 10 gate course. The snow doesn’t extend to the bottom of the second chair so we have to either skidoo or take a van back up. Our team was hoping to train for three weeks, but the Men’s team has already shortened their camp a week and the Women’s team is exploring our options of trying to go to a ski hill further south.
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| The first cold morning |
We are not staying right in the hotel but have our own little hut called the Octagon. The BC Ski Team is on the first floor and the whole American Men’s Team is on the second. It has been really fun having them around, they are all such phenomenal skiers. I feel like I improve just by watching them! Yesterday I was biking in the gym watching World Cup Winning Runs and as I was watching Bode Miller win Beaver Creek, he walked into the gym. I was slightly embarrassed until he stopped to watch and started commentating about the hills and the skiing.
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| My hangout for the next two weeks |
My ankle is hardly noticeable anymore and isn’t bothering me when I ski. I’m thankful because I would be really regretting having to cancel my West Coast Trail trip if it wasn’t any better. Even though there is limited snow and I won’t get the speed training planned, this camp, however long it is, will still be beneficial, working on much needed technical aspects of skiing.
It is weird to think that I left the Rockies only four days ago and am now skiing in the Andes!
Sunset from my Grandma's house the night I left
What an amazing beautiful world!!!
