Freeriding In Chile

I say yes a lot. It’s a common joke among my friends that if there's something happening, I’ve already said I will be there, even if it seems to coincide with other plans. When the chance to go to Chile to freeride came about, I naturally said yes and then put the wheels in motion. Those wheels didn’t require much turning. As you read on you’ll see that’s just the freeride way.

I got added to a WhatsApp group that required constant translating from Spanish to English which I quickly found didn’t work very well as Chilean is its own flavour of Spanish. Lots of memes and a reservation at a hostel saw me booking a flight to Santiago and another one up north to Antofagasta.

Antofagasta lies in the Atacama Desert, the driest, non-polar desert in the world. What’s wild, is that this desert meets the Pacific Ocean, providing a wild contrast of moisture and dry. Rolling hills carry on seemingly forever, only ending at the shore of the turquoise Pacific. Every ridge looks promising and your eyes can easily find rideable routes. I came to ride these mounds but also, to take part in the Roca Park Jam.

Roca Park is the brain child of Bastian Nunez. Bastian started riding bikes in 2003, moving into downhill shortly after. His love of pushing himself led to scouting around Antofagasta and eventually the current site of Roca Park. He wanted a place where bigger features could be found. Mistakes were made as he learned from the ground up how to build lips, landings, and link lines. He even made a trip here to Canada to learn more about the art of feature building. As the park developed, so did the ridership and Roca Jam came to life in 2017. Initially, the Jam was open to the public but moved into a professional event in 2019.

Over a week, riders from all over the world gathered, not only riding Roca Park but also being exposed to all the other areas that Bastian and his comrades had found to ride. La Rinconada, Camp De Tyro, Calienta Frenos, and my favorite, El Murallon, just to name a few. Natural drops, huge big mountain lines that felt like proper skiing, and views made for some of the most memorable riding moments I’ve had to date.

We took on a general free ride schedule. Wake up, eat, ride while it’s not windy, come back to the hostel to siesta, and then repeat well into the evening. It was a treat leaving the cold Pacific Northwest on the cusp of winter and being transported to summer where the light begins to wain at 9 PM rather than 5 PM. The owners of the Surf Hostel were kind enough to share their ocean bounty with us, caught fresh daily. Octopus, Chilean Abalone or ‘Locos’, and ceviche arrived at our door.

On the last day, the public was invited to watch a jam at Roca Park where the features were sessioned. A DJ set the mood and sessions went down. The main jumps were massive and some heavy tricks were laid down.

From the freeriding to Roca Park, to the people and the incredible food, Northern Chile provides a unique travel experience that can be built around the bike. I've now dedicated myself to Duolingo and I am determined to go back, perhaps with a quick visit up north before the rest of the country is explored via two wheels.

@rocapark.co