COMUNE snowboarder Ben Rice recently took a trip to Chile. Naturally, he neglected to plan for his trip in any possible way. No plan, no worries right?
Well, all he has to show for it are these one-hour-photo prints and some lousy stories that I had to squeeze out of him. Thanks Ben, glad you had a blast and learned nothing!
Play this song while reading. Ben listened to it on repeat during his travels.
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Corey: All summer you’ve been doing absolutely nothing. Why did you go to Chile?
Ben: The opportunity arose and I decided I wanted to rip powder in Chile rather than slush on Mt. Hood.
Corey: What did you do while you where there?
Ben: I mainly just snowboarded and didn’t really talk to anyone cause I don’t speak Spanish. I don’t even speak English that good. I spent most of the time just soaking up the amazing landscape and checking out the biggest mountains I have ever seen.
Corey: What were some of the highlights?
Ben: Riding Heli lines with out paying for the Heli was amazing. When I was a few miles into the the Andes backcountry I saw a frozen dead horse. I also saw a bunch of bushy tailed Red Foxes.
Corey: What was some of the weirdest moments?
Ben: People thinking I’m from Chile and asking me why I’m speaking English. There is this place called “Coffee and Legs” it’s a café strip club. I ordered some Joe from a naked stripper, that was kinda weird. Another weird moment was this Washington guy that was with us got all crazy and got into a fight with that old snowboarder Romain Demarchi. He layed him out with one punch. The guy was kinda a jock but to each their own.
Corey: Would you go again?
Ben: Every summer I have a chance to. I really want to go with a group of friend it’s AMAZING.
Corey: Did you go to resorts or mostly just backcountry?
Ben: I went to two resorts while I was there El Colorado and Navados Chillan.
I also went snowmobiling in the Andes San José Volcano.
Corey: What was the snow like?
Ben: When I was in San José Volcano it was dry light powder and snow stayed cold because of the elevation. When I went further south to Las Trucas the snow was really wet like Sierra cement Tahoe shit. The higher I went up the drier it got. There were so many different snow conditions everywhere I went. In one day you could experience every snow condition.
Corey: Where exactly did you go?
Ben: Santiago, San José Volcano, Chillan, El Colorado
Corey: What were the cities like?
Ben: Well, it was pretty crazy. Parties don’t start till 2:00 am kinda like Tahoe. Wild people not the best fashion but the €0$&@#% is amazing $40.00 US dose Grams of the best. It’s like “no come-down film the next day” kinda stuff. FYI weed is just as illegal as any other drugs down there and the weed sucks… It’s leafy as Hell and lots of seeds. Clubs are everywhere and people get loose. Chiles’s drink of choice is Pisco and Coke a Cola. It’s wild stuff and way too easy to drink for what it does to you. The craziest thing I saw in the cities was riots in the streets over education. People were breaking into private schools and destroying them because the poor didn’t have the opportunity to receive that kind of eduction. Total class war.
Corey: What were the locals like?
Ben: Very nice and welcoming even more so if you can speak Spanish.
Corey: What did you know about Chile before you went there?
Ben: Not a god damn thing…. Total stupid American. I came to learn!
Corey: How does the snowboard scene there differ from the one here in the states?
Ben: There is no scene just straight snowboarding and what it should be. It changed my whole perspective on what snowboarding is and what it should be. Just people in love with snowboarding and the mountains. No haters, no fashion scene, just real people loving snowboarding.
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