GENTEMTRIPS THE ANDES

Chile, the Andes. A vast, pristine world of white stretching out to the horizon, framed by raw, rugged rock faces. Traveling through this breathtakingly grand and fiercely unforgiving landscape, there are fleeting moments when the mind drifts across the Pacific to another snow country far away—conjuring the deep, silent forests of Niseko and the ethereal whispers of its legendary powder snow. The connection between these two distant worlds was captured and sent to us straight from the Chilean peaks by two unique individuals.

Federico Mekis, a Patagonia Ambassador and a rider leading the charge in Chilean mountain culture. Alongside him is Rodrigo Manns, a photographer based in Central and South America. The lives of these two figures, icons of the South American outdoor scene, shifted profoundly upon encountering Taro Tamai and GENTEMSTICK. Since that meeting, they have begun to carve beautiful, unprecedented lines across the familiar mountains of their homeland.

For Federico, who grew up by the ocean and spent over twenty-five years living a snow life centered around competition, snowboarding had always been a "sport"—a challenge to conquer the mountain. However, the moment he witnessed Taro Tamai flowing down a snowy peak as if riding a single, seamless wave, a striking revelation flashed through his mind. Drawn by this newfound inspiration, he stepped onto a GENTEMSTICK. In that instant, snowboarding transformed from a competition into something deeper. His "third eye" opened, allowing him to read the swells of the terrain, surrender to the natural flow, and truly face the essence of the mountain. Federico, who once stared at the fierce peaks of the Andes as a challenger, now looks upon them with a gentle gaze—as if watching the waves of his beloved ocean.

Rodrigo, the photographer who captures Federico’s riding through the viewfinder, was also deeply drawn to and inspired by Tamai’s life as a photographer, athlete, and craftsman. Having spent years pursuing visual storytelling, shooting GENTEMSTICK in the heart of the Andes became far more than just recording action sports. To capture those boards—shapes born from a philosophy that begins with the water cycle, flowing effortlessly and respecting nature—is to breathe visual life into the timeless spirit that Tamai envisioned in Niseko, right there amidst the vast South American peaks. Through Rodrigo’s lens, the philosophy born in Japan seamlessly dissolves into the rugged, distant crests on the exact opposite side of the globe.

"This season, due to mountain conditions, we couldn't achieve everything we initially hoped for," the two reflected. Yet, having survived the harsh Andean winter, there was no trace of despair in their eyes. Instead, their hearts held an even greater, unwavering resolve toward the mountains. The philosophy of GENTEMSTICK, which began as a single droplet in Japan—a land rooted in a profound culture of craftsmanship—has crossed the Pacific. It has become flesh and blood for these passionate Chilean leaders, taking firm root deep within the Andean snow.

And their journey has only just begun.