Southern Hemisphere Skiing

Portillo, Chile ski area map

With such an embarrassing wealth of riches in terms of ski resorts and mountain ranges, we northerners often completely discount the Southern hemisphere. But with world class resorts in Argentina, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, we should take another look and realize that we can get our fix year-round!


Photo of the Remarkables, New Zealand. Taken today.

In South America the season usually starts in late June and winds down in September. Whakapapa, in New Zealand, is planning to open this Saturday. Perhaps owing directly to lower populations, the skiing/snowboarding communities in the Southern hemisphere tend to be tightly-knit, at least for those who work at the resorts. Everyone who follows the dream of endless winter has a bucket of stories about being blissfully trapped at the Valle Nevado hotel due to a storm, or wearing a trash bag as a matter of uniform to handle the occasional monsoon rains that run through New Zealand. And yet, stories always come with a laugh and a smile, because when you get to ski or snowboard for a living - how can you possibly complain?

The Dog Days of Summer

Even though it was snowing in Southwest Colorado last weekend, it seems as though winter has finally given up its grasp. In a mere 19 days we'll celebrate summer solstice. For a bit of random trivia, the word solstice is derived from two latin words. "Sol" means sun and "sistere" means "to stand." It's quite the visual reference, the sun stands as high as it will reach in the sky for the year.

For over 20 years, we've been known as the leading brand of wintersports base layers. But, Hot Chillys embraces every season with equal enthusiasm. Most of our long-sleeved tops have a UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) of 30+ and our lighter fabrics are perfect for a brisk summer morning. A friend of mine favored his Hot Chillys Geo-tek crew while surfing (something about overly-snug rash guards not meshing with his intense appreciation of chilled cervezas).

We don't really market any of our fabric lines as summer-weight, but reviewer after reviewer tells us they love their Chillys year-round. Check out the Hot Chillys Product-Find-O-Matic to find the lightest weight line for your chosen activity: surfing, hiking or barbecuing.

Checkin' in on Chilly

Our erstwhile protagonist.... Okay, our adopted sea turtle has been out the news, but not out of our hearts. I just returned from a surfing trip to Mexico, where a few compatriots were lucky enough to witness a baby sea turtle making its way to the ocean. A spectacular site. The witnesses opted to stay back and let the little guy make it through the surf on his own.



Apparently, sea turtles hatch all year-round, but predominantly in the summer. There are different schools of thought on whether or not humans should intervene and help a baby sea turtle make its way to the ocean after hatching. One source says humans should not disturb the turtle in anyway, since the treacherous walk into the ocean imprints it with the knowledge it will need to return and lay eggs later in life. Others believe that humans should at least intervene to protect the eggs.

The mystery surrounding these prehistoric animals is part of what makes them so interesting. (As if being cute weren't enough!) Through our affiliation with ProPeninsula and Grupo Tortuguero, Hot Chillys supports efforts to protect sea turtles and their habitats.

Taos Ski Valley Finally Welcomes Snowboarders

Wow, talk about being off the back on this one. For years, I skied the Toas Ski Valley with my family as a kid; but have not been back in a long time. I finally picked up my first snowboard in 1998 and have been a sort of ambidextrous skier ever since; sometimes skiing, sometimes snowboarding.

But I always thought Taos had it bass ackward with not letting snowboarders mingle on its slopes with its catered skiers. How weird is it to ban a certain type of skier from the slopes? I mean, did they allow telemark skiers, even though that is technically different too?

Well, finally I think Taos got the hint and will be opening its runs to snowboarders and skiers alike starting on March 19, 2008. What took them so long? Who knows, but it will be interesting to see their privied skiers react to the first snowboarders on the slope.

You can check out some new options for snowboarders on their website (even their website is skitaos.org), and check out this article that has more information about the big change for this Northern NM "ski" resort.

Bode Miller - Doin' It His Way

Bode Miller broke ties with the US Ski Team at the beginning of the 2007-08 season. The independent athlete is now dominating the World Cup and is on track to win not only the combined medal, but also the overall. (Of course, it's a long season. I don't want to jinx him.)

In true Miller style (which I'm nearly certain is a phrase he's completely sick of), he's posted a video to YouTube about his new ... ahem ... non-US Ski Team training regime.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58AOloYB7t4

The Flying Tomato aka Shaun White Sees Double Gold At Winter X Games 2008

This guy knows no limits and doesn't know how to take it easy on the snowboard. After taking gold at the Olympics, it is not a surprise that he is seeing gold again, in double vision, at this year's Winter X Games.

Rocking it in superpipe and slopestyle, The Flying Tomato, or some would prefer Shaun White, blows away his competition and nabs gold in both styles. Flying refers to his ability to fly through the air, regardless of the weather or the competition, and tomato conveniently refers to the stark red hue of his curly hair.

Going commando style, check out Shaun ripping it up in the Superpipe...

Check out more about what's happening at the Winter X Games at ESPN.com.

Fiesta! At SIA 2008

Hello from SIA, our annual buying show held at The Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. This is the place to see all the new and hot products from all the top names in the industry, including Hot Chillys! Our model, Wendy, is wearing one of our new pieces from the Salsa Plush line. Pictured Left: Wendy, Jaimie, and Jamie.

We are excited to offer our customers a new Hot Chillys line for the 2008-2009 season! We are introducing anti-microbial properties in products like Peach Skins, MTF 4000, and La Montana to add the the already popular Micro-Elite Chamois, Geo-Thermal, and Seamless fabrics. We are doing this using Bio Del Mar, Bio-Carbon, and Bio-Silver. We are also introducing our Eco Moisture Fibers that are made with recycled polyester fibers. Along with all of our great new products and anti-microbial properties, we are happy to introduce new packaging made from recycled paperboard and printed with recycled inks. We are trying to keep things green!

For those of you not attending SIA '08, you missed out on our yearly Fiesta! Usually, this is held the first night of SIA. If you are here next year you have to attend! Please enjoy The video of the Mariachi Band at Fiesta SIA 2008...

You can follow everything that happens here in Vegas by watching "The Goods" on RSN.

Pray for more snow!

Permite Piedra!....LET'S ROCK!