Blue Skys and Soft Snow in La Parva, Chile

I Didn't Know My Line Would Be This Much Fun

I have to admit I was bummed not to ski the second day of the La Parva Freeskiing Competition. The second day of competition was cancelled due to weather; the wind was nuking and there was no visibility. The storm lasted three days and we were all trapped due to avalanches closing down the only road up to the mountain. After three days of skiing in white out conditions, the skies turned blue and it was well worth the wait.

Hoping for a Ride

Once the competition was over, all of the athletes were forced to move to a smaller more affordable town. The only problem was trying to get to La Parva in the morning. There are a couple of options hitching or hiking. I was lucky enough to catch a ride after 15 minutes, just in time for opening.

The Last Freeskiers in La Parva

La Parva had turned into a ghost town. There were only a few freeskiers who waited around to shred the day 2 venue. We all hooked up and had a sick pow day. I’ll let the photos tell the story!

Edward Dujardin

William Dujardin

Cliff Bennett

Cliff Bennett

Clare Burns

William Dujardin

La Parva was Good!

William Dujardin

La Parva Day 1 – Freeskiing World Tour

[Vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/6436780[/Vimeo]

The first day of the La Parva Freeskiing Competition went off! The competition was held on McConkey’s face. The venue was technical with lots of features to play around with. It was amazing to watch the athletes compete. Most people had one or two days of skiing under their belts since last year, but skied like it was mid-season.

Day 1 Venue - McConkey's Face

There were 43 athletes from around the world who came to compete in the first stop of the Freeskiing World Tour. It has been over a year since I have competed in a Freeskiing World Tour event. It felt like coming home. It was so nice to see all of the good people from MSI and of course Jim Jack and Shcmitty, along with all of the IFSA athletes.

Jim Jack and Schmitty Enjoying the Local Cuisine

The venue for day 1 was a challenge for me. I had a difficult time finding a line that would showcase my best skiing. I chose a line that was very tight and technical. It happened to be the same line that all of the women skied. It is not very often that all the women ski the same line. It was very difficult for the judges to make a decision, but Jacqui Edgerly came out on top with a score of 35.94. I skied into second with a 35.38 and Soledad Diaz from Chile finished third with a 35.25.

The women are stacked and we were all looking forward to charging the second run. The day 2 venue is perfect for my style of skiing. I could barely sleep with the anticipation of ripping my line. Mother nature seemed to have other plans. When I opened my eyes at 6:00 this morning snow was gently falling. All of the athletes loaded the t-bar at 7:00 to find out that the wind was nuking at the top. With 100 mph winds and no visibility, MSI regretfully had to call the competition. I am super bummed I will not have another run to prove myself, but tomorrow should be an epic powder day.


[Vimeo]http://vimeo.com/3915104[/Vimeo]

La Parva, Chile – 1st Stop of the Freeskiing World Tour

McConkey

The Freeskiing World Tour is starting early this year and in Chile. The competition will be held on McConkey’s run. I can’t tell you how cool it was to hike to the top of the venue and see the face of an icon stoked that you came to enjoy one of his play grounds.

McConkey

The competition will be held on Friday and Saturday. The first run will be held on the skier’s right side of the main chute. Saturday will be held on the skier’s left side of the venue.

Looking Down Day 1 Venue

Both venues appear to be really fun. Day one is very playful. There are a ton of super fun features and nothing with heavy consequences. Day two is the day to put your “Grandpa Boots” on. It is the day to do some stomping. The venue is wide open. I would expect to see ripping fast skiing and huge airs. I am super stoked to be competing in Chile!