one-man show

It looks like I will have my busiest season in Chile since starting Chile Powder Adventures.  I am thrilled that people want to ski in Chile and get away from the standard fare.  While I still have a couple open weeks in my calendar, I know they will fill.  When I think about the prospect of "selling out" a season, I think about when people ask me if I will ever hire other guides or allow the operation to get bigger.  The answer: Not in the foreseeable future.  Why?

Mirza and Steve on the approach to Mocho-Choshuenco, with Villarrica in the background.

The short answer is that I love to guide and want to share the experience on the mountain with each client.  The longer answer is that once I hire another guide I have to hire enough guides so that I can afford to be a full-time manager; because I can't manage other guides and still work on the hill at the same time.  And I don't spend three or four months a year in Chile so I can sit at a desk and run errands.  

Guiding in Chile is still my favorite because it feels like hosting people in my home.  Sure for several hours each day we are out on a mountain and I am using "hard" skills learned through courses, exams and apprenticeships.  But for the rest of the day, I am sharing my favorite place on Earth.  I can't imagine missing out on this.

Chile Powder Adventures will be a very small operation for as long as I can get out into the mountains and inspire people to explore.  This means I will only be able to accommodate a limited number of guests each season, which means I may be losing some money by some accounting.  Well, that's the way it's going to be.  I still want to provide the highest level of service and share this place on a very personal level.  And because of this, I am still a one-man show.  I hope to see you down there some day.