Enjoying the Culture 193Basketball
Basketball is popular in southern Chile because it can
be played indoors during the long, wet winter. There is
a professional league, with players imported from other
countries. You can follow the sport at http://www.latinbasket.
com/chi/chi.asp. The Chileans generally do well at Latin
American basketball tournaments.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Skiing is a popular sport in Chile among the wealthy. There
are a number of ski resorts just outside of Santiago, making
it easy to ski on weekends. Their location also makes it
convenient for international tourists, who can fly to Santiago
to ski when it is summer in the northern hemisphere. Skiing
in Chile offers challenging slopes that are well groomed with
good chairlifts. Most ski resorts are above the tree line and
offer a unique panorama. Some resorts even have a sea view!
Ski season is from June to September or October. There are
16 ski centres in Chile, most found between Santiago and
Osorno. The most important resorts are Portillo, 160 km
(100 miles) from Santiago, and the Farellones-La Parva-Valle
Nevado-El Colorado complex only 50 km (31 miles) away,
high up in the mountains.
Children’s Games
If your children have Chilean friends or attend a Chilean
school you may be surprised by the new games they learn. Of
course, Chilean children play many games that are common
to all cultures, such as bolitas (marbles), luche (hopscotch),
escondida (hide and go seek), pillarse (tag), checkers, jump
rope, roller skates and kites, and assorted video games.
Rayuela, popular in the countryside, is a coin pitch game
that originated in Spain. Disks or coins are thrown to a line
drawn on the ground. The player who gets closest to the
line wins the other players’ coins. Little kids will enjoy a
run-run, a makeshift toy made by passing thread through
the holes of a large button and twisting it. Pull the ends, and
the button spins.