What a shred. Got up well early this morning and headed up to Valle Nevado, at 3025m, an hour and a half away from the city centre. I`d heard a mixed bag of reviews from various people and websites etc, so I didn`t really hold much hope for the hill. The runs themselves are pretty straight-forward, and there`s not that much in terms of cliffs or cat tracks to boost off. However, all was right with the world once I`d ridden all the runs (there`s only 9 lifts so all done in a couple of hours) and got into the park.

2 perfect booters on the Large line, and the longest up-flat-down box I`d ever seen in real life or on vids and in mags. An epic day - spent most of it flying over the 15-metre up-table, such a well-shaped landing. Obviously nailed myself a few times but stoked to get it dialled in the end.

Valle Nevado itself is pretty ugly; it`s just a purpose-built group of dreary looking buildings drilled into the high Andes. It`s a sight, from the top lift. The mountains stretch away from you endlessly, and the blanket of smog which covers Santiago is very apparent indeed. It just sits, menacingly, not moving. Lunch was kind of a McDonalds-ish experience, queueing for an eternity to buy an over-priced, over-cooked soggy burger that in the space of minutes firred up my aorta and increased by tenfold my chances of becoming diabetic.

On the bus met a cool bloke from Montreal called JC; tonight we`re off out to meet the boys from Termas who arrived in the city yesterday. After this park day, I´m thinking the road to happiness might well be paved with empty tinnies and major hangs in the morn. Love to you and yours peeps x