Ripley's Mountain Adventures

Ripley's Mountain Adventures Closed for Business

2010-08-12T14:05:00.003-06:00

I regret to say that after 12 years of serving clients and facilitating the achievement of many dreams in the fom of planning, coordinating, and booking magical ski vacations, Ripley's Mountain Adventures is shutting down. Most of the Ripley's Mountain Adventures sales force and staff have been hired and are now working with the Ski Vacation Group (www.skivacationgroup.com). The new company is owned by The Vacation Group LLC that also operates Rocky Mountain Getaways. Best wishes and warmets regards to all of our clients, suppliers, and friends in the industry. It has been an honor and a whole lot of fun to be able to work with everyone and be of service to our loyal clients!

Ripley's Utah Site Tour Complete With Beautiful Mountain Fall Foliage

2008-09-23T15:50:00.010-06:00

The Ripley's Staff including Julie, Justin, Tench, and Brian just returned from a whirlwind tour of Utah Ski Country. The tour consisted of 3.5 days of Park City lodging property tours and inspections along with Deer Valley lodging, and lodging at The Canyons Resort with the goal of freshening up knowledge of Utah ski lodging options for the benefit of our clients traveling to ski Utah.

Special thanks to Jason Nelson of Deer Valley Lodging, one of our local lodging partners, who put the crew up in the brand new and higly impressive Silver Star Condominium complex. This place was big, new, and gorgeous. It was one of the nicest condominiums I had seen. Highlights included an in wall Ipod dock, private hot tub, surround sound system, premium appliances, personal robes, gigantic deck overlooking the Park City Golf Course, and ski in ski out proximity to the brand spanking new Silver Star Chair accessing Park City Mountain Resort. This is a luxury ski-in/ski-out option a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of downtown Park City, but still a short shuttle ride away from all of the fun! This option would be perfect for discriminating families or those wanting to relax and enjoy some mountain peace and quiet in the heart of luxury with easy lift access. These Silver Star Condominiums add a boost of newness and luxury to a generally aged Park City lodging base! Jason Nelson also treated us to a beautiful new Deer Valley property called the Silver Baron Lodge. This brand new complex features short on demand shuttle ride (300 yards) proximity to the Deer Valley Snow Park Base Area, beautiful appointments, and a great heated outdoor pool and hot tub complex complete with a great waterslide. A family could really have a great ski vacation in this really nice new complex between its proximity to the slopes and the pool/waterslide. Kids would have it made and subsequently parents as well! Thanks again Jason! We greatly appreciate it!

John Duncan of Resorts West also deserves recognition and thanks for giving us a great site tour which culminated in a walk through of the 19 million dollar 14,000 square foot skiers dream home in the exclusive gated Deer Crest subdivision of Deer Valley Resort. This house was simply unbelievable replete with two wine cellars, a movie theatre, multiple full apres ski bars on different levels, elevator, message room and spa, ski in ski out access, outdoor pool and hot tub, and amazing views of the Jordanelle Resevoir and Deer Valley Resort. Anyway, the purpose of these site tours is to continually keep our staff educated on the cutting edge of Park City, Canyons, Snowbird, and Deer Valley lodging options in order to share expert knowledge with our clients when they plan Utah ski vacations through Ripley's Mountain Adventures. A side benefit of the trip was the beautiful turning leaves witnessed decorating the area, especially vivid over Gaurdsman Pass in between Deer valley and Big Cottonwood Canyon. We were in Utah at the perfect time to see some beautiful fall foliage. We also caught one of the best double rainbows I have seen after a light sprinkle in Park City. If you are looking to ski Utah this season and want the best deal available for your Utah ski vacation plese call (877) 752-6754 or visit www.ripleysadventures.com

Andean Condor Sighting!

2008-07-14T15:33:00.007-06:00

While Off Piste at Ski Portillo we were lucky enough to get a sighting of the rare Andean Condor! With a 10 foot wing span this condor is the largest flying bird in the world. The Andean Condor has been making a good recovery since being almost hunted to extinction and put on the Endangered Species List in 1973. This bird was huge! He looked like he might swoop down and pluck a skier off of the mountain!

Ski Portillo, Chile- A Resort Steeped (pun intended) in Skiing Tradition and History!

2008-07-10T12:04:00.014-06:00

I had heard a lot about Ski Portillo Resort, but the descriptions were confusing because it was hard to picture an isolated group of buildings surrounded by steeps and off piste terrain galore, a beautiful alpine lake (Laguna de Inca), with a traditional, verging on formal, culture all located high up in the Andes above tree line. It sounded funky, and funky it was!

The Hotel Portillo is really the only full service hotel. All of the amenities, which is a formidable amount, are located in the Hotel Portillo. The other two lodges, The Octagon Lodge, where we stayed, and the Inca Lodge, are extremely moderate to hostel style and deal mainly in bunk beds. The Hotel Portillo with approximately 120 rooms represents the majority of the lodging capacity. The Octagon has about 15 rooms and the Inca Lodge is pretty small as well! All the lodges are within 50 yards of each other and you may as well consider everything ski-in/ski-out. A Portillo ski package comes with lift tickets and 4 meals a day in the semi formal dining area Inca Lodge guests use a more casual dining are, but meals are still included).

The service, especially in the main dining room, is really exceptional. While we were on site we learned that full capacity at Portillo, approximately 400 guests, are outnumbered by about 500 employees. In other words there is more than one employee for every guest. You basically stick to the same for every meal throughout your stay which is typically a mandatory Saturday through Saturday. This stimulates conversation with both your wait staff, who are quite entertaining, and fellow guests seated next to your table throughout the course of your stay and definitely fosters a sense of camaraderie.

Portillo is a unique experience that every avid skier should try at least once. From the Saint Bernards greeting you outside the hotel to the steep off piste terrain combined with family friendly groomers, to the sit down family dining experience, to the US and multiple international ski teams training in August, Portillo is definitely steeped in skiing tradition and history. One can also heliski as a part of their Portillo ski package. For information on setting up heliskiing at Portillo contact Ripley's Mountain Adventures (877) 752-6754!

Please contact Ripley's Mountain Adventures for the best deals on Portillo ski packages! We can get your Portillo ski vacation booked at the best available pricing!

Road to Portillo, Chile!

2008-07-10T10:58:00.007-06:00

After leaving the temperate Aconcagua Valley we headed northwest towards Argentina on route 60 also known as Los Libertadores. This route was apparently an escape route for the Chilean army in the fight for independence from Spain in the early 1800's. Apparently they fled the Spanish army in the mountains, were able to reorganize across the Argentine Border with the help of the Argentinians, and return to claim victory in a battle that also took place along this route. But I digress. As you climb ever higher the road gets ever steeper and the mountains ever bigger and snowier until only 3 miles or so from the Argentinian border you see ski lifts actually spanning the Trans Andean Highway. You then pass a Chilean Army Base and the next thing you know you are in Portillo. The entire resort is above treeline and stands alone in isolation across some pretty severe and beautiful terrain!

The Road to Portillo, Chile through the Aconcagua Valley, The Highest Peak in South America!

2008-07-09T15:34:00.005-06:00

Well a nice bonus on the road to Portillo was passing through the Aconcagua Valley heading towards both Portillo and Argentina, and catching views of Aconcagua, the highest Summit in North or South America at 6959m (22831 ft) Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas, and the Highest Mountain outside Asia. The mountain is actually in Argentina kind of near Mendoza, but obviously can be seen from a long ways off on a clear day. We were lucky to get such a good view of it because Jaun, our intrepid and knowledgeable driver, said that fog and haze often prevents views of the mountain. Bueno! We had a good day!

Heliskiing Chile -A Dream Come True!

2008-07-08T14:10:00.006-06:00

For information on heliskking as part of your Valle Nevado ski vacation package please contact Ripley's Mountain Adventures (877) 752-6754.

I had every intention of heliskiing Chile if at all possible while there, but the helicopters had not been fired up this season yet and the writing on the wall was that we were a bit early in the season to heliski, not necessarily because of conditions, multiple 6 foot dumps had provided plenty of snow, but because the go to heli operation, Eco Copter, was not ready to go yet. So much for fulfilling a life long dream! This was the initial word we received from Valle Nevado Headquarters in Santiago when we arrived in Chile, and basically a reiteration of the same upon arriving up at Valle Nevado Resort. Claudia, who runs the marketing on site at the resort approached us with good news however a short time after the initial discussion with her. The heli operation was going to do some testing of the equipment and terrain because we had expressed such an interest in getting out to heliski. We were catalyzing an early kickoff to the heli skiing season in Chile. This same operation operates out of Valle Nevado, Portillo, and even Santiago. If everything worked out right, we would be the first heliskiers in Chile this winter! We needed four spots so we had to present the idea gently to a hesitant Julie. Once she overcame her initial hesitation, the game was on. When we got the definite on heliskiing we were all positively giddy pervaded by a little apprehension on the part of some. Some of us were so excited, we certainly spent too long in the disco tech the night prior to heliskiing! I paid for that personally on the hill the next day! Enjoy the photos of pristine back country Andes Skiing Terrain. I have posted many videos below as well!

Julie's Heli-skiing Adventure

2008-07-08T13:51:00.003-06:00

“Was I really going to get on a helicopter and be dropped off in the backcountry of the Andes?” I thought as I woke Friday morning at Valle Nevado. The sun was out and the snow looked great, but a fear was eating at the pit of my stomach. We weren’t 100% sure this was going to be a reality so I put it out of my mind and began working on booking a trip for my new friends I had met the night before. Somewhere during the morning I had lost the boys and went on a mission to find them. I went back to my room where to my surprise the “Heli-skiing Waiver” was sitting on my pillow… my stomach dropped like a ton of bricks!! I ran out of the room to find the guys, which they were geared up and ready to go in the ski storage room. It is now when all of my fears came to a head and the tears began to flow. Tench and Brian comforted me and said I was under no obligation to go, but how could I return to the US and tell my friends that I passed on the chance to heli-ski in the Andes…fat chance! I went to the room and tried to calm myself while gearing up and packing for our return to Santiago.

I arrived in the heli-ski office to realize that everyone was looking out for me and they had picked a run that was a bit easier to help ease my nerves. Miguel, Andrew and Claudio, our incredible guide, assured me that if I could make it down a black run at Beaver Creek I would have no problem with this run. So that was that and I was on my way to the most amazing adventure of my life.

We took off on the 500 yard walk to the heliport where Claudio began with the avalanche safety training (yes my stomach was still in knots at this point and only getting worse), but assured us that Chile was not known for major avalanches. This made me feel better considering I was having thoughts of my body being swept away by a wall of snow. Next we had to get weighed with gear in hand to make sure of seating and fuel for the helicopter. Then out of nowhere the helicopter rose over the ridge and landed at the heliport. I’m still thinking in my head, “Am I really going to do this?” We went over all of the safety instruction for the helicopter, took the obligatory pictures, loaded up and we were off. What a feeling it was to lift off and head off over the ridge into the Andes. The views were beautiful and breathtaking. When we landed on top of the mountain it was in the matter of a minute that Claudio had us out of the copter, gear unloaded and off went the chopper. My first thought, “Well I guess there is no turning back now!” I took a deep breath and looked around at the most wonderful scenery this gal from KY has ever seen. We took some pics and started to gear up.

Claudio called me over to the easier of the two drop in points. Jumping a cornice to get down was not my idea of fun, so I scooted over on my butt until I felt comfortable. After a bit of coaxing I finally made my first turn, into my second turn on my heelside (oh yeah I forgot to mention that not only was I the only gal on this adventure I was the only snowboarder) and then a double back flip fall. It wasn’t the most graceful entrance, but it knocked the fear out of me and I was good to go. I made it down to the first stopping point, caught my breath and watched the boys drop in from a much steeper point. From here it was smooth sailing. The powder was soft in most spots, crunchy in a few spots, but overall the best terrain we had ridden the entire trip. With Claudio leading us to the best lines we made it down the 6000 ft. vertical run in just over an hour in seven stages. It was really relaxing and we all went at our own pace. There was no pressure, just having fun enjoying the scenery. When we finally reached the last leg the snow was getting heavy and wet, which made for some hard turns, but still fun! My legs were killing me at this point and I was glad to see the pickup spot. We all celebrated the success of the day, took some more pictures and waited for our flying blue chariot to arrive. As he came over the ridge my excitement started to boil over. I wasn’t sure if the riding or the helicopter ride was the more thrilling part of this adventure. Once again Claudio loaded the gear and directed us into the copter. The pilot lifted off and took us up over the lines we just came down. He hovered above to let us see the magnitude of the line we just took 6,000 ft down. ..crazy! We headed back to the resort where to my surprise we were dropped off in the middle of the resort, able to ride back to the hotel to end this brilliant day and head back to Santiago.

In the end I am so happy I made the choice to conquer my fear and join the guys on this trip. I know I would have kicked myself in the ass had I not gone. I also feel like this gave me the boost of confidence needed to take me to the next level of riding. My board is stored for the rest of the summer, but my head is looking forward to next season already…wanting to push myself farther.

More Copter Views Of the Andes

2008-07-08T13:09:00.004-06:00

Riding in the helicopter through the Andes Range in winter was equally as spectacular as skiing the Andes back country. The views and the sensations of being in the helicopter in the midst of this majestic mountain range were simply amazing! I recommend this experience to anyone who has ever dreamed of heliskiing and who has achieved and advanced level on the slopes. The Andes snow pack is generally more stable than that of Alaska or Colorado so slide danger is generally a lot lower! For Information about heliskiing chile Information contact us at Ripley's Mountain Adventures. We can customize a trip based out of Valle Nevado, Portillo, or even Santiago and do multi day and overnight heliskiing adventures all at surprisingly reasonable rates (877) 752-6754.

Heli Landing & Pickup Valley

2008-07-08T12:32:00.007-06:00

This is a very brief video (I wanted to get more, but operator error resulted in shutting off the camera somehow!) of the helicopter approaching the drainage at the end of a 6,000 vertical run called Peekaboo to pick us up. Our legs were pretty tired and I could feel the burn on the very last face we descended into this drainage. It wasn't until the bottom that the snow displayed some wetter characteristics because of the lower altitude combined with the prodigious amount of sunshine. Thousands of feet of pristine, dry, fluffy, untouched powder was indeed a surreal experience, good for the spirit, and a dream come true for all of us!

Staring Down the First Ascent of "Peekaboo" Ripley's Crew Heliskis Near Valle Nevado, Chile!

2008-07-07T18:24:00.005-06:00

This heli terrain was straight out of a Warren Miller, TGR, Matchstick Productions Movie! Untouched steeps opening up into wide open bowls with perfectly dry, fluffy, deep, pillowy powder for thousands and thousands of feet! What a great experience! This was a dream come true!

Copter Drop Off Point at "Peekaboo" a 6,000 Foot Vertical Run Backcountry in the Andes!

2008-07-07T17:47:00.007-06:00

After some stomach churning mountain hugging and ridge navigation the Eco Copter Chopper (Call us at 877-752-6754 to set up your trip) let us down high up in the Andes on a relatively flat and snow covered shelf to begin our descent. Needless to say, the mood was giddy! Cloudio, that's right Cloudio, not Claudio, was our guide who split time between Alaska and Chile based heli ski operations. Julie was especially fond of Cloudio. All of us would recommend him as a great heliskiing guide!

Big Andes Backcountry Copter Views- Heliskiing Near Valle Nevado Ski Resort- Ripley's Mountain Adventures Crew Heliskis Chile!

2008-07-07T11:28:00.009-06:00

I am not sure that any of us had ever been in a helicopter let alone one that was hovering and dipping over snow capped Andes Mountain Peaks. Basically we were in awe of the views and the the severe terrain all unfolding below and around us to the point of being speechless, a rare occurence for this crew! Wow!

Ripley's Mountain Adventures Staff Visits Valle Nevado Ski Resort, Chile June 25/27 2008 (Short Video Below)

2008-07-01T08:58:00.049-06:00

With the Intrepid Jaun from CTS Turismo at the wheel we departed in a van from Santiago heading East towards Valle Nevado Ski Resort to get our first glimpse of some high alpine Andes landscapes and ski terrain. This was on June 25th so it was early season in Valle Nevado. Luckily, the resort had experienced multiple 6 foot dumps early season and had complete coverage.

The road to Valle Nevado is legendary for precipitous switchbacks and it lived up to the hype. In general the road was dry so Jaun did not have to apply chains, something that only happens in early season from the looks of this road. Having traveled over just about every pass in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West, I am very used to this kind of driving, but this particular ascent consists of 70 plus switchbacks climbing straight up from about 1,800 feet to 9,000 feet. Likely it is the biggest pass with the most switchbacks I have ever witnessed, and by a good margin. Jaun told us he had navigated the pass about 53 times the previous season, 3 times in a day at the pinnacle. With inclement weather, that would be worthy of the Medal of Honor.

We stopped at La Parva and El Colorado near the tiny Alpine Village of Farallones. These two smaller resorts can be added to a Valle Nevado lift ticket for a marginal upgrade fee and both supply a fair share of beginner through advanced terrain if you need to stray from the formidable amount of terrain offered by Valle Nevado. This collective lift ticket offers the most amount of skiable terrain in Chile and perhaps South America overall. The atmosphere at El Colorado was very quiet, cozy, and family oriented and the lodging options consisting of apartments and cabins reflected that. This was a very cozy little resort that can be used as a base area to ski all three resorts, Valle Nevado, La Parva, and El Colorado without as many minimum night limitations or as much cost or bustle as staying at the Valle Nevado base area and its full service hotels and apartments. Many people are interested in the far larger amount of action and nightlife offered by Valle Nevado however.

Valle Nevado Resort feels like it is perched on top of the world. It sits atop a 7,000 foot pass and offers vistas basically unparalleled to anything I have seen as far as looking down upon big mountain panoramas. Everything is above treeline giving you the impression that you are on the surface of another planet. The collection of buildings offer a stark contrast to the surrounding high alpine environment like an Antarctic outpost hanging over the abyss. Service is relatively formal with uniformed bellman and attention to detail. The three lodges, Hotel Valle Nevado, Hotel Puerta del Sol, and Hotel Tres Puntas offer an upscale, middle of the road, and economical alternative in the order listed. I was surprised at how nice the Tres Puntas was however. This was not hostel style, but more of a Holiday Inn Express with access to far better amenities than a Holiday Inn Express as the amenities for all three hotels are generally collective. The Tres Puntas was not just full of backpackers, it definitely had its share of families and travelers simply opting for an economical option without sacrificing too much quality.

The Hotel Valle Nevado was, as expected, pretty nice with a spa, the nicest restaurant on premise, La Fourchette, and a slightly more luxurious interior and location as far as lift access than the other two options. The Puerta del Sol where we stayed was my favorite hotel on premise. It had a casual demeanor, was the most centrally located, and seemed to be the focal point of activity for the Resort. It had two decent restaurants, a Fondue and an Italian pasta restaurant with a killer make your own pasta station, multiple lounges including an internet lounge and bar, as well as easy access to the snow.

I was unsure of what to expect from the ski experience of Valle Nevado, but was delighted that the vast high alpine terrain, all of which is above treeline, had full snow coverage due to major early season storms. It was truly remarkable. The off piste snow consistency was soft and maneuverable. The steeps were plentiful if sought out. We were all impressed with this resort and its large amount of terrain. Julie was especially fond of what she termed the "gully", a lengthy natural half pipe that separated two drainages that afforded much entertainment riding back and forth up and down its curving natural walls for an extended duration. We skied for two full days and loved it. The views from high up in the resort are also incredibly noteworthy. "On top of the world". I will let the pictures and video footage posted with this article paint the picture. We were thoroughly impressed by Valle Nevado Ski Resort. This place was amazing! It is also worth mentioning that the discotech located in the Hotel Tres Puntas offers about all a person can handle as far as nightlife. There is no boredom here at night despite the isolation. This resort is hopping!

Ripley's Staff in South America Skiing Chile Meets With Wholesale Partners in Santiago June 24, 2008 On the Way to Epic Andes Skiing!

2008-06-28T01:30:00.023-06:00

Dear friends:

I personally arrived in Santiago, Chile at about 8:00 am on Tuesday, June 24th. Since then the schedule has been so hectic, that it has been difficult to post to the blog. My apologies for that! As the pace of our whirlwind tour settles down slightly for a few days, I will attempt to post more frequently. I assure you there is much interesting feedback to share. I also have great images to post, but manipulating (sizing) the images is taking a little help from home, so the overall process has been a bit slow.

Where to begin? My flight from Denver to Dallas was uneventful. From Dallas to Santiago was an 8-9 hour red eye that arrived in Santiago at about 8:00 am. This is a typical flight schedule getting into Santiago from the states. I had a hard time sleeping on the flight mainly based on the excitement of the trip. I was up a good portion of the night. Needless to say, sleeping on a plane isn't extremely comfortable to begin with.

The first real evidence that indeed I was actually traveling to South America and this all wasn't just a dream came when the captain pointed out the beautiful views of sunrise over the Andes Mountains. I quickly made a beeline for the other side of the plane and gawked in sheer awe. That is when the reality and excitement of this trip truly kicked into high gear. It was truly a beautiful site to behold. It was evident to me after flying in to many mountainous destinations that the Andes were on a larger scale than most. In fact, Cerro Aconcagua, located near Mendoza, Argentina, about 15 miles from the Chilean border and not that far from Santiago, is the highest mountain in the Americas at about 22,000 feet. It is one of the seven summits and the highest mountain in both the Western and Southern hemispheres.

I soon learned that these mountains were towering! Where you have a base elevation in Santiago at somewhere just under 2,000 feet above sea level, you have near bye mountains literally rising 10,000 plus feet straight out of the ground and straight up making for stunning visual impact! Because Denver is already at 5,280, getting up to 10,000 obviously doesn't take nearly as much vertical rise from ground level. These mountains are huge!

I was a bit trepidatious about what to expect from customs in Chile. I do not have a great handle on Spanish and was wondering how difficult the process of muddling through the airport, collecting my luggage, meeting my ground transfer, and getting to my hotel in Santiago would be. I had received an email from Julie Waters who had arrived in Santiago two days before and had largely and expertly coordinated most of our logistics, explaining a slightly hectic disembarkation process and giving me the name of the driver from CTS Turismo, one of our wholesale partners for skiing Chile. His name was Jaun and I was told he would have a sign with my name on it that would be evident once I picked up my bags and cleared customs. That was good news!

Assisted by Kevin, a friendly university professor from Baltimore who contributed to a teaching program at the Catholic University in Santiago and my flight seat mate, I found the process relatively painless. You have to pay a $130.00 reciprocity fee as they call it to enter the country. I was happy that they had recently started taking most of the major credit cards from American tourists to cover this fee, something not even the guidebooks, or even American Airlines as they detailed the customs process on the tarmac, have caught on to as of yet it seems. Everyone still says it is cash only. Anyway, This fee is good for the life of your passport so in theory is a 1 time deal if you plan on returning to Chile on the same passport. Luggage was scattered about the floor of the baggage claim, but it only took me a few moments to locate mine and everything was accounted for.

I had carried on most of the electronic items that I was taking on the trip out of paranoia and first hand feedback that baggage handlers have an affinity for electronic devices stored in luggage so my laptop case was weighed down with Ipod speakers, webcams, charging units, etc. Julie had mentioned in an email that people would try to grab your luggage and carry it for you for tips even if they were not associated with your scheduled ground transfer, so I held on tight after having collected my luggage and emerged from security into the general fray outside of security. This was my first encounter with Jaun, our very friendly driver from CTS Turismo.

There it was right when I emerged from security, a sign with my name on it and a very comforting sight in general. Jaun drove me from the airport to the Times Suites in the Las Condes district on the eastern side of Santiago. He spoke English well, something you can specify through this company when making a reservation for a private transfer, and proceeded to give me a pretty decent verbal tour of the city on the way in from the airport as well as answering the myriad of general tourist questions that I had for him. I recommend this route for ease of assimilation, less stress, and general convenience if you don't mind spending the marginal additional amount amount on a private transfer with an English speaking driver rather than a shared ride. For specific information and pricing on ground transfers from Santiago contact us at Ripley's Mountain Adventures.

Anyway, we were very lucky. This was a very nice man with a patient and laid back demeanor, something characteristic in my short experience of Chileans in general. We would get to know Jaun pretty well over the course of the trip as we had him on just about all of our transfers around Chile. He was nothing short of phenomenal! Thank you Jaun! More on that later.

Driving through Santiago I was struck by the variable conditions in different parts of the city as we drove in from the airport. There were definitely some shanty areas on the outskirts of the city, but as we proceeded East the city became increasingly nice and increasingly cosmopolitan. This is a pretty large city with a population of around 6 million people. Most tourists stay in one of three upscale districts, Las Condes, Providencia, and El Bosque Norte, all next to each other on the east side of town and all very nice with a wide variety of upscale accommodations available from luxury hotels to trendy boutique hotels. Downtown is another popular area to stay, but its popularity is diminishing a bit because it isn't as quite as clean, safe, nice, or modern as its eastern counterparts. There are a few major players as far as accommodations downtown, the Plaza San Francisco Hotel for one, that are still good options. This hotel is one of the more established hotels in the city and is very traditionally fancy. It markets itself as Santiago's only 5 star hotel, although the rating system here is self imposed. It is a very nice hotel and the service is formal. It also has one of the most famous restaurants in town, the Bristol. If you want to be close to the Presidential Palace, government ministries, and other downtown attractions, then this hotel is a good option. For more information on Santiago lodging options contact us at Ripley's Mountain Adventures.

When I arrived at our accommodations, Tench was already in the suite sleeping after having arrived earlier from LA from after 3 nights of Widespread Panic. He seemed in need of some good sleep! Julie arrived from her other hotel shortly after my arrival. She had been in town for a couple of days. We were simply waiting for Justin, who had been traveling around South America for weeks, to arrive on his flight from Buenos Aires. Then the Ripley's Mountain Adventures Chile Crew would be complete.

Justin's flight ended up being a bit delayed so the rest of us were picked up by the intrepid Juan from CTS Turismo and we went to visit our business associates at CTS Turismo headquarters, including Andrea, Victor, and Hugo. CTS Turismo enjoys a large office on the east side of town and is running a sizable organization that offers a wide array of products including scheduled and private ground transfers, ski tours, tours of the Atacama Desert, wine country tours, Patagonia tours, combination tours inclusive of lodging, and even tours and cruises down at Tierra del Fuego, the Straight of Magellan, and in to Antarctica. We plan on offering a lot of this fabulous product to our clients at exceptional rates. For more information on the abundance of Chile Tour Packages we are able to offer encompassing everything Chile contact us at Ripley's Mountain Adventures. These Chile Tour packages are amazing!

Next we visited the Valle Nevado Ski Resort Corporate Office in Santiago and met with our colleagues including Paz, Andrea, and Xemena! It was great to meet people that we have dealt with over the phone so many times and it it was quite a festive occasion for all. These ladies have incredibly sunny dispositions and are incredibly sweet and nice. During our visit we made a light inquiry regarding the possibility of heliskiing when we arrived on our tour of Valle Nevado Ski Resort. Paz was uncertain whether the heliski operation was ready for its first outing of the season, but promised to make the inquiry. They had to test the chopper, inspect the back country conditions, etc. Much more on that later!

The rest of the day involved Tench, Julie, and me on an exhaustive yet thorough tour of most of the primary hotels and lodging options in Santiago. We got a good tour of the city thanks to Jaun who knows his way around and knows how to maneuver through some confusing streets and crazy traffic. Thanks again Jaun! We were able to visit a dozen or more of the best hotels in Santiago, Chile, look at rooms, and tour the amenities. This knowledge will serve our clients well in the future. After this exhaustive tour, it was time to get some dinner and prepare for our departure to Valle Nevado Ski Resort the next morning. This journey would happily include Jaun once again on one of the most interesting transfers imaginable through the mountains to a ski destination. Much more on this in my next posting!

Thank You & Good Luck Melinda Smith: Welcome Holly Kelly!

2008-06-12T10:47:00.007-06:00

The Ripley's Mountain Adventures Crew is undergoing some changes! After 5 years with one short break, Melinda Smith, Director of Operations, is leaving to pursue other career avenues! We will sorely miss Melinda! Thanks Melinda for all of the hard work you have put in with us at Ripley's Mountain Adventures and all of the good times we have shared! It has been a wacky roller coaster of a ride and your contributions have been crucial in managing the rapid growth of this company in an extremely dynamic work environment in an extremely dynamic industry!

I would also like to take the time to welcome Holly Kelly to our staff! Holly will be replacing Melinda! I am excited for her integration with our team and our clients and partners can expect a lot of interaction with Holly who is doing a great job training with Melinda! We look forward to working with Holly!

Again thank you and good luck Melinda! Welcome to the team Holly!

Advice From a Seasoned South American Skier

2008-06-12T10:11:00.003-06:00

Thanks for the advice in your comment base on our June 4th posting on dining and general confirmation of the awesomeness of Valle Nevado and Portillo ski resorts skippyski! We are anticipating a world class adventure to Chile and scouting out the heliskiing and hope to participate! Thanks for the dining recommendations! For those of you spending some time in Santiago skippyski recommends Aqua restaurant highly! We will be trying it!

Justin's Pre South American Ski Trip Jungle Adventure Update!

2008-06-12T09:48:00.005-06:00

Hey hey!

Sorry I havent written sooner but the first few days were quite the
adventure travelling from Lima to Cuzco (long bus rides). We have
finally settled down a bit having spent the last couple days here in
Cuzco and things have gone realtively smoothly. So far we have taken
a dune buggy ride and sand boarded these massive sand dunes, took a
horse back ride through incan ruins, and tommorow we go to the mac daddy macchu picchu!
This place is pretty wild, but everyone is very friendly and the
spanish is going suprisingly well. We are leaving for Bolivia early
friday morning and we really don´t know what to expect from there, and
I may not have internet access right away but will check in the first
chance I get.

11 Days and Counting!

2008-06-10T12:42:00.004-06:00

I have become addicted to looking at the webcam on the Valle Nevado website...is it snowing, is it snowing?? After finding out they had 6 feet of fresh snow as of last week the idea of skiing in the Andes finally started to sink in. As I have been planning this vacation over the past month I guess it never really was a reality...even after buying the plane ticket. Now as the days move by and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel I have gone from being excited to literally bouncing off the walls. I am so excited, but have some fears as I have never truely traveled out of the country...I don't count Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean. I know I will be fine since I have turned the Rough Guide to Chile into my new bible. I have been teaching myself Spanish as well as local customs and the general lay of the land. I need to go into this adventure armed with as much knowledge as possible, although I'm always up for something new. I am looking forward to meeting the great folks at CTS Turismo and the Valle Nevado office in Santiago. I wouldn't have been able to plan my trip or my client's without the help of Ximena, Marta and Victor....THANK YOU ALL!

As this trip progresses we will do our best to update the blog with some pictures and tales of our adventures is the amazing country. Stay tuned...it's not that far off!!

BTW, here is the latest shot from the Valle Nevado webcam...blue skies and fresh snow, it doesn't get much better :)

South American Summer Ski Trip Coming Up Soon!

2008-06-04T12:19:00.005-06:00

The Ripley's crew including Justin, Julie, Tench, and Brian will soon depart for South America (I leave June 23rd) to Ski Chile on what is shaping up to be an epic ski adventure that also includes a wine tour, lodging in Santiago, and for a few of us, namely Justin and Julie, an extended adventure exploring a Chilean nature preserve on the beach and other portions of Chile & South America at large on an extended vacation. The atmosphere in the office is one of relatively contained excitement!

For my part I leave for Chile on June 23rd. I will arrive in Santiago and visit with a few of our wholesale suppliers including CTS Turismo and the Valle Nevado Resort corporate office located in Santiago. The next day the crew and I will be whisked up to Valle Nevado Ski Resort high in the Andes where we will be staying in the Hotel Puerta del Sol for 2 nights for an extensive site tour and a couple of days on the slopes. This is the single largest ski resort in Chile when considering one has skiable access to both El Colorado and La Parva resorts that neighbor Valle Nevado. The additional terrain is accessible by a marginal lift ticket upgrade fee from the price of the standard Valle Nevado ticket so you can access more terrain at will on a daily basis. I also hear interesting things about the mountain pass leading up to the resort so this may be a little bit of a white knuckle drive! Incidentally I will post a few pictures of the most recent snow conditions for Chile, whose ski season generally starts up in a week or two from today and it looks like the snow conditions are starting off on the right foot! Valle Nevado also offers a heli skiing service that we are considering indulging in if time and schedule permits! Imagine the bragging rights! "I heli skied Chile" etc., etc. You get the idea!

After a couple of days staying on the slopes in Valle Nevado we return to Santiago to soak in some of the local culture and take a wine tour. We will be staying in Santiago for 3 nights and then departing for Portillo Resort, the oldest and most well established of the Chile ski resorts, for 2 nights and 2 days of skiing. We will be staying at the Octagon Lodge steps away from the slopes! Not too shabby! Portillo is also well known for its pretty serious access to off piste extreme terrain so we are pretty excited about that!

After returning from Portillo I will be departing Chile and heading back to Denver! Between the crew and me, we will attempt to post as many blog entries as possible while on the trip. Incidentally, thank you to Julie Waters for meticulously organizing this tremendously exciting South American ski vacation for the rest of us!

Any clients busy imagining your own South American dream ski vacation that would like to make it a reality please contact Ripley's Mountain Adventures at (877) 752-6754 or browse on line at http://www.ripleysadventures.com/. We provide the best rates in the industry, professional service, and expert coordination for any ski adventure you are interested in. Much more on this trip and some of the individual South American Adventures that some of our staff have planned in the future!

Brian Ripley