Snow Skiing In Chile

Where to Ski and Snowboard in August

Kiltarlity, Scotland, UK – August is the month when the ski-obsessed can dare to start dreaming of the coming winter and hope for a snowy one.  There are only 10 places in the Northern Hemisphere currently open for skiing, but healthy snowfalls on the glaciers of the Alps in late July and the increasing flow of teasing news for next winter from resorts and tour operators can get pulses racing. And from September on more and more resorts will start opening  for winter 2011-12.   Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, winter 2011 is now in full swing.

In Europe, the Norwegian ski season ended early when cracks appeared in the underlying ice beneath glacial snow so the only areas open are in the Alps.

Switzerland has some of Europe’s highest ski areas at Saas Fee (90cm snow base) and Zermatt (100cm base) with lifts operating to nearly 3,900m at the latter, which is amongst the 10 highest ski lift-served points in the world.  Both are now open right through to spring 2012 — in fact, Zermatt’s ski season never ends — and have benefitted from over 30cm (a foot) of fresh snow in the past few weeks.

In France, Les 2 Alpes (125cm base) and Tignes (30cm base) will be open right through the month of August, as Les 2 Alpes closes on the 28 .  In Tignes it is hoped that the snow will last into September as planned.

Austria was a major beneficiary of the big July snowfalls, but three of those resorts that reported receiving at least 30cm of new snow last month — Kaprun, Stubai and Solden — are all closed until September.  You can still ski, however, on the Molltal glacier (160cm base) and at year-round Hintertux (85cm base).

Italy has three ski areas currently open and the deepest snow reported anywhere at present – a full four meters at Passo Stelvio.  You can also ski above Cervinia (120cm) on the only cross-border summer ski area, linked to Zermatt and at Val Senales (60cm).

Across the Atlantic in North America there were a dozen areas open at the start of July in the West of the continent, but a month later following the closure of both Boreal in California and Whistler’s glacier slope in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia a few weeks ago, only the usual lone choice, Timberline (117cm) on Mt. Hood in Oregon remains open through August.

In the Southern Hemisphere around 100 ski areas are currently open in Australia and New Zealand, Argentina and Chile and even Lesotho in southern Africa. Australian ski areas are thus far having an epic winter with most boasting base depths of at least a meter and regular snowfalls to refresh surfaces.

(Sharky) Powder in Las Lenas!

Las Lenas has been struggling a bit this season in terms of snow. Like most of the northern resorts in Chile/Argentina, they didn’t pick up the early season snowfall that resorts in the south got. Thus, they don’t have as deep and settled of a base going into the middle part of their winter.

That said, it was still pretty phenomenal yesterday in Las Lenas. It snowed up to a meter on the upper mountain and probably about 50cm toward the base. Marte, the only lift accessing the upper mountain and the really good skiing, has been fickle. It’s been open a few hours here, and a few hours there. Basically, you just have to keep an eye on it and split right for it when it opens.

The snowpack on the south and southwest facing aspects seems to be the deepest and the driest, with the sun getting to the more easterly facing slopes. But still, in areas that look like you can charge it’s necessary to ski cautiously. It seems just as you get into a groove you’ll find a shark just under the surface of the snow.

Just as things seem to be turning around, there’s some other bad news worth mentioning: it didn’t freeze last night in the valley and freezing levels are supposed to rise to above 3000m this afternoon. This could make things pretty interesting. More to come on rising temps and the light snow forecasted in the next couple days.

American ski annual

Footprint Chile

New York Magazine

Chile

Chile, The Bradt Travel Guide