I’ve just come out of a meeting where we discussed the 10 new avalanche towers the resort is currently placing, how our 6 seater chairlift construction site is progressing, and why the suggested circus artists for our weekly “ski show” (like theatre on skis) aren’t of high enough quality.
It really made me miss…skiing. So, instead of telling you more about the fancy of our overly developed European ski industry, I’m gonna tell you about a beautiful little place in Chile: Antillanca. In 2022 I spent a European summer skiing all over Chile, and this place was one of three that truly stole my heart:
You know those ultra hipster bars that have secret doors with passwords shared on MySpace for the retro cred, overcharging for cocktails with vegetables in them? Whoever goes there, Antillanca is their Valhalla. They’d rebrand it as a “bespoke artisanal” resort with the rust stained lift pylons featured in an “authentically vintage” logo.
The road to Antillanca is long, windy, and so filled with potholes it makes for a fun game of pac-man style driving. It takes some serious commitment to get up there, but once you do, there’s a small hostel to spend the night, or you can just sleep in your car.
Founded in 1938 by a couple of expat Germans and Austrians who disagreed with the NS politics back home, the two buddies bought a couple of old drag lifts, dug out a parking lot and built a hut to have a base. Antillanca means “jewel of the sun” in Mapuche and the meaning truly rings true. Built on Mapuche land, this place is still both significant for the locals spiritually and financially. Everyone involved seems to have every job on the mountain, so don’t be surprised when you see the kitchen staff also pop up as lift operators or driving heavy machinery. Technically there are 4 T-Bars, but only three of them are either working or have the people to operate them at any given time. Off one of them, there’s an extremely steep black run perfect for race training, and on the other side of the bowl there’s a spread of chill plateau runs, with flowy tree lines scattered across.
The Austrian tradition of racing lives on, so lots of local kids are doing some serious GS and Slalom race training. Their gear is probably the most expensive thing on the whole volcanic hill. Their young mums release the kids at the base in a blur of flying poles, helmets and duct-taped gates, and ski tour up to the hut that sits bang on in the middle of the few runs, to enjoy a deliciously tangy Pisco Sour on the sunny terrace. Inside, it’s packed with grandpas playing cards, having beers, and judging by the wild gesturing, either discussing politics or what constitutes an acceptably sized steak to barbecue.
Speaking of barbecue, there is a little restaurant but most people, like everywhere in Chile, bring their own meat and veg to grill on the many readily available BBQ racks, giving the whole place a homely smokey smell / aroma. I bought a woolly hat in the little shop, that was presumably knit by one of the grandmas, and I sometimes put it on when I need to be reminded why we are all here in the first place. Because of our love of nature and a sense of community.
I often miss my ski-bumming days, and I wonder if it wouldn’t do us all good to dial back on the technologically driven convenience, and instead lean into the freedom of inconvenience. I’m also fully aware that this notion is very much first-world privilege tone deaf. I watch the news.
Maybe that’s why I miss ... real skiing so much. Places like Antillanca. There, everything seems to line up, to fall into place. Humans made sense. In my world, as I cater to the rich and not so famous, I just wish there was some kind of shortcut, some reminder, that actually,
we are all just visiting.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find my woolly hat.
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I wonder how many people would have to google "what is my space?". I also miss skiing but this weekend I'm Scraping down storage wax and getting gear in order.