Chi Chi Chi, Le Le Le, Viva Chile

After all the planning we are ready to begin filming “Breaking Trail.” Up North, summer is in full swing, but in Chile, winter is hitting its stride. It’s time for Zach and I to trade in our sandals for ski boots.

Today I fly down to Chile. The last week has been hectic with last minute preparations and planning. For days we’ve pored over gear lists making sure we have everything we need and nothing we don’t. From ski gear, to camera gear, to sleeping bags and passports – we’ve got it all (we hope). As is familiar to everyone who’s done a lot of traveling, there is an incredible art to getting it all to fit.

I arrive tomorrow morning in Santiago, and hit the ground running. After I touch down I will somehow negotiate myself and my small army of gear all the way to Los Andes - and finally to San Esteban. With good luck, by the 3^rd I’ll be up at El Arpa. The next week and a half is dedicated to getting gear in order, working out logistics, and beginning to shoot. Zach will join me in a week and a half's time and then we commence principal filming, i.e. game on!

Personally, I’m excited to get back to Chile. My last time in Chile was two years ago, but I was there during the austral Spring for mountaineering season – this will be my first time in Chile in winter. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good snow, and if you happen to be in the area, give us a shout out, or better yet a high-five.

We are excited to share this story with you and look forward to your following our progress online. Thank you everyone for supporting our project and special thanks to High Society for their support and their awesome gear. We couldn’t do it without you!

-O.

Breaking Trail: The Story

Toni and Anton Sponar, 77 & 28 respectively, work as ski instructors in Aspen, Colorado during the North American winter months. When the lifts stop running in the Rockies and most Coloradans set their sights on other seasonal pursuits, the Sponars pack their bags and leave behind a wife, girlfriend and friends to work a mirror winter season in the Chilean Andes. Toni and Anton are trying to establish a destination backcountry ski operation, El Arpa, located outside of Los Andes, Chile. It is an area where skiing is seen as an oddity, at best, as the operation far removed from the beaten path of the traditional ski industry.

In the past four seasons, The Sponars have built El Arpa from the ground up – financed by the modest life savings of Toni – who has worked as a ski instructor and guide for more than 40 years. Toni first arrived in Chile in the 70s, after driving a well-used VW bus from Colorado, in search of the eternal winter season. Working many years for the benefit of other business owners, Toni hopes to establish a stable skiing operation of his own that he can pass on his son. The Sponars are determined to make their dream a success, but many hurdles lay before them, and any season could be their last.

Sent Production will be filming this project in the summer of 2011, and plans to release the short documentary as a 2012 submission to the outdoor and action sports-oriented film festivals. Please visit our Kickstarter page for a fuller description of the project: (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1195210432/breaking-trail-a-skiing-familys-great-dream).