It's hard to imagine snow on the ground in 33º heat. It’s four days before Christmas, the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere. Yet here we are, driven by our hope to spread a bit of Christmas cheer, choosing this sun-soaked longest day of the year to shoot this clip.
But who says no snow has to be uninspiring? The balmy air of a southern summer afternoon, plus the wafting eternal dust clouds born of the Chilean antigrip, give their own distinctive touch and inspire just the same.
"The idea started a couple of years ago, I came up with a plan to make a video disguised as Santa Claus. We took some time to think about it and then went at it. The day of filming was pretty rough, 30 degrees in the shade, a lot of sweating and dehydration from riding in a thick Santa suit under the sun, but in the end that’s the fun part! Filming, photos, laughing, new ideas, all at once. So many hours going back up and shooting it just right, depending on the spot. But we got it all out, an unforgettable experience, Santa Claus on a bike, jumping and flowing through Santiago de Chile." - Felipe Agurto
"The idea began with the need to deliver a message to our cycling community. My phone rings, Felipe tells me: ‘Pablo, I want to dress up as Santa’. I automatically began to imagine Felipe decked in red, with a hat, beard, white hair, but skinny. I thought about dressing him as an elf because he is so thin, but he wanted to be Santa, so, well, I just had to support his idea and play along. We started to come up with the final message, and Claudio was already down with whatever, so we started to brainstorm and incredibly everything turned out perfect. 2020 has not been “normal" by any means. Nico Thumm came to my mind, and the transcendental work that medical personnel around the world have been doing right now, so the idea that they are protected was super important. We tied that in with a girl writing a letter to Santa where her wish is a mask for the medical staff to protect themselves. I hope you all like it." - Pablo Alarcon /
@4vistas.tv
"It’s always been curious to me where ideas come from. This idea came up out of a WhatsApp conversation and just started to gain momentum over time, - - - until suddenly we were in our gear and Felipe was wearing the full Santa suit, taking on the heat of December 21st. For Felipe it’s not difficult to find the flow, it doesn’t matter if he’s in head to toe Santa get-up nor a full white beard that he can’t breathe through. I only have words of gratitude for Pablo and Felipe, our desire to create unique things complements each other and it’s so gratifying to see the end result." - Claudio Olguín
We hope you find yourself in a special place these holidays, and you find a way to share them with the people you love.
TEAM
Rider:
Felipe AgurtoVideo:
Pablo AlarconPhoto:
Claudio OlguínSpecial Thanks to :
Nico ThummPablo HobonDomingo FariasJustin Root
I am more than thankful for their great work and involvement.
To all the medical personel in Chile, I wish a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and stay safe!
Claude Fortin