Sam Anthamatten, Sophia Rouches, and Duncan Adams are no strangers to exploration. They set out for Chile with a purpose beyond crossing a new descent off the to-do list, though, skiing through the crater of Volcán Villarrica while getting a sense of the volcano’s significance to its locals.
“For us Mapuches living around the volcanoes, we see them as huge power generators. They protect a territory. They maintain the entire ecosystem surrounding the volcano,” says Isaac Huenchunao, a local. Volcán Villarrica has erupted several times over the past 60 years, making headlines recently as Chilean officials have put locals and tourists on alert for another possible eruption. Local ancestors believed the volcano explodes “when they see too much imbalance in people and in the environment,” Isaac explains, “to generate positive changes when the path has been lost.”
They believed that spirits went into the mountain as soon as they died, and all the volcano’s activity was what kept them connected to those ancestors looking over them. For Anthamtten, Rouches, and Adams, it puts an entirely new perspective on making a descent down Volcán Villarrica.
“Skiing and touring the Volcán Villarrica was almost like an intimidating experience for me,” said Anthamatten. “I usually feel pretty comfortable on the mountain but — to see this almost living mountain, to see the smoke coming out — this was an experience that is new for me. It is incredible to stand on the crater where you feel the Earth.”
