Unofficial Andes

Photo By, Timothy Konrad of UnofficialAndes.com

Every year it seems that more and more people hear about the unbelievable skiing that is going down in June, July and August in Argentina and Chile. Stories like this from the New York Times is cluing people into the idea of “summer” skiing.
Skiing The Powder Of the Andes

By NATHANIEL C. NASH

THOUGH it was August, there was more than a foot of new snow. This was ski season in the Andes, and the Chilean resort of Valle Nevado, about 40 miles from Santiago, looked like mounds of melting vanilla ice cream.

There are at least half a dozen major ski resorts in Chile and Argentina that are worth visiting, and another half dozen smaller areas. Valle Nevado is the newest, begun only six years ago, and with about 22,000 acres of skiable terrain, one of the largest. There is no town at the area, just two hotels, a condominium complex and four restaurants in a modern utilitarian style reminiscent of newer resorts in the French Alps.

Atop Three Peaks, one of three summits in Valle Nevado, the smog from Santiago, 60 miles away, could be seen. In another direction were the almost endless snowcapped mountains of the Cordilleras, the rugged spine of South America that runs from Colombia to Cape Horn.

The winter ski season in the Southern Hemisphere began early this year, in May,and good skiing should continue through next month with skiers in shorts and T-shirts negotiating the wet spring snow.

Set in the middle of a valley that starts at about 9,000 feet and rises up to more than 12,000 feet, Valle Nevado is one of the most accessible ski resorts for travelers in the southern part of South America. While many skiers think they have to plan a traditional ski week and go deep into the mountains, Valle Nevado is so close to Santiago — an hour and a half drive when roads are not snowy — that travelers to Chile can considera ski weekend, or even a day trip. Full Story HERE

Share This