Chile Launches South American IFSA FWQ Season
With snow on the peaks and more on the way, conditions are rounding into form for the 2018 Andes competitive Freeride season.
This year Chilean ski area La Parva enters the fray with the first ever IFSA FWQ event hosted by this venerable Central Andes ski area. After La Parva will follow FWQ 2* competitions at Chapelco, Antillanca, and Corralco, making the South American winter the best yet in terms of the opportunity for athletes to grab some FWQ points before the northern hemisphere’s competition season shifts into gear in January of 2019.
Just think, you could be doing this while everyone back home is sweating out the hot dry days of summer.
Kicking off the Andean winter is the first-ever IFSA /FWQ event to be hosted by La Parva, from August 3-5. Located high above Santiago (you can see the city far below on clear days), this unique ski area has hosted a variety of competitions in the past, including FIS speed events and informal freeriding competitions. Blessed with varied terrain, including steep couloirs, broken faces, and rolling, open gullies, La Parva is a freeride paradise that’s known as one of the best ski areas in the Andes. The terrain is complimented by a fast, modern lift system and wonderful on-mountain dining options, making it easy to spin laps all morning before tucking into asada at Base Camp Farellones or enjoying a cerveza while looking out at the vastness of the surrounding mountains.
“La Parva is special,” says Fernando “Focha” Ochigaivia of Freeride Chile, the Freeride World Tour’s FWQ partner in the region. “The diversity of the terrain, the lack of crowds and the history of the ski area, which is one of hosting the most important events in Chile, makes La Parva an ideal location for a FWQ event.”
The Andes are second only to the Himalaya in terms of mass and elevation, but the access to great skiing is simple and easy, which means that you can be making turns on faces like this the afternoon you arrive from North America.
After La Parva, all eyes turn southward, as the extended FWQ family heads to Chapelco, Argentina, for the third annual installment of the Chapelco Back Bowls FWQ 2* competition from 24-26 of August. Last year’s event battled stormy weather and deep snowfall before Mother Nature delivered a weather window that saw athletes charging untracked terrain in an unforgettable demonstration of Freeriding that left spectators and participants in awe.
The southern adventure continues after Chapelco with events at Antillanca (September 7-9) and Corralco (September 28-30). Both stops feature unique volcanic landscapes with steep terrain above tree line complimented by Arucaria forests, hot springs, and rustic towns where locals live pure and organic lives far away from the stresses of urbanization.
“Southern Chile is renowned as one of the most beautiful places on the planet and rightly so,” says Tom Winter of the Freeride World Tour. “The unique landscapes, the active volcanoes, the friendly locals, they all combine to make any visit to the area unforgettable. It’s fantastic to be returning to both Corralco and Antillanca and I’m sure that Fernando and his crew at Freeride Chile will do an amazing job in hosting both events.”
Andes IFSA FWQ Schedule*
La Parva, Chile IFSA FWQ 2*: 03 - 04 - 05 August
Chapelco, Argentina IFSA FWQ 2*: 24 – 25 – 26 August
Antillanca, Chile IFSA FWQ 2*: 07 -08 -09 September
Corralco, Chile IFSA FWQ 2*: 28 -29 -30 September
* For the latest updates and schedule info, check these pages often!
Forget Facebook, if you really want to make new friends travel is the best way to do it. And what better way
than to make meaningful friendships that last a lifetime than skiing in strange and exotic places?
