Second Chairlift Breaks Down at Catedral, Argentina, in Just 2 Weeks Around 60 people were evacuated by rope from the Del Bosque chairlift at Catedral Alta Patagonia near Bariloche, Argentina, on Saturday, August 15, 2026, after the lift reportedly stopped operating, marking the second chairlift evacuation at the resort in just over two weeks. The incident left approximately 60 passengers suspended above the mountain for around 1 hour and 40 minutes […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | August 17, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 2 Feet for South America’s Central Andes This South America snow forecast keeps the ongoing Central Andes storm at center stage through Monday, with the Santiago-area mountains favored for the deepest refresh. Confidence is strongest from Saturday morning through Monday evening, when the individual forecasts broadly agree on the storm’s timing but retain meaningful spread in intensity. Patagonia sees lighter snow this weekend, followed by a windier […] Weather WeatherBrains | August 15, 2026 0 Comments
The Top 5 Highest Elevation Hotels in the World Are you looking for an incredible vacation full of breathtaking views, or views that will quite literally take your breath away? Book a stay at any of these five highest hotels in the world and prepare to take in unforgettable sights right out your window, all within the comfort of your room. Related: 5 Stars — The Highest-Rated Ski Resort […] Brains Joseph Kaufmann | August 14, 2026 1 Comment
Inside Corralco and the New Wave of Chilean Multi-Destination Ski Tourism Fly in, take transit to Valle Nevado or Portillo resorts, stay and ski for a week or two, shuttle back to Santiago and boom — that’s a typical ski trip in the Chilean Andes for most. Not a bad trip either, honestly, especially on a banger winter like this one where Central Andes ski areas have been getting bombarded with […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | August 14, 2026 0 Comments
Corralco, Chile, Report: El Sidecountry Magnífico Conditions Report from Wednesday, August 12, 2026 Corralco makes its signature “Corralco sour” pisco sour drink with local piñion extract — the nuts from the giant araucaría dinosaur trees that have reptilian-like scales on their bark and razor sharp leaves that twist upwards in perfect fibonacci spirals. There’s nothing better than a Corralco sour after a long, cold, 10 kilometer […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | August 13, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 1 Meter for South America through Monday This South America snow forecast centers on a broad Andes storm that will favor the high resorts of central Chile and the Mendoza border through Monday. Valle Nevado leads the outlook, while meaningful but denser snow also reaches the southern Andes and only flurries reach Cerro Castor before Tuesday. Confidence is highest from Wednesday afternoon, August 12, through Monday night, […] Weather WeatherBrains | August 12, 2026 0 Comments
Escape the Summer Heat at Chile’s Valle Nevado This post is brought to you by Valle Nevado. Summer is in full swing across North America, with many regions enduring some of the year’s most intense heat waves. But instead of suffering in the sweltering heat and waiting months for winter’s return, U.S. skiers have an opportunity to catch one of South America’s best resorts at the perfect time. […] Featured Article Quinn Brophy | August 10, 2026 0 Comments
Brought Back from the Dead: Los Penitentes Ski Area, Argentina, Reopens After 8 Years of Closure Under a New Name Once one of the bigger ski areas in the Andes with roughly 300 hectares (740 acres), 700 meters (2,297 feet) of vertical drop, and eight ski lifts, Los Penitentes was a staple of skiing in the Central Andes region. But after over 40 years of operation, it shut down in 2018 due to administrative and legal conflicts with permitting and […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | August 8, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 30 cm through Wednesday in South America This South America snow forecast favors the Southern Andes through Sunday, then Patagonia and Las Leñas through Wednesday. Nevados de Chillán is positioned for the largest near-term refresh, while the Santiago resorts stay quieter before a more substantial but less certain late-week cycle. Confidence is strongest from Saturday afternoon through Wednesday night, when snow levels remain low enough for wintry […] Weather WeatherBrains | August 8, 2026 0 Comments
Pushed to the Brink as Ski Portillo, Chile, Faces Historic 24-Day Road Closure Route 60-CH, the only road in or out of one of South America’s most storied ski resorts, has been closed for 24 days in a row. Portillo is approaching an all-time record for the longest consecutive stretch of days that the access road to its slopes has been closed. The extended shutdown traces back to July 14, when a massive […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | August 7, 2026 2 Comments
Corralco, Chile, Report: Oh, the Sun Does Still Exist Report from Thursday, August 6, 2026 Oh, the sun does still exist in Chile. I kind of forgot. It’s been raining and snowing hard for the past seven days, each day since I arrived. My skin has gotten a lot paler, and my legs are already much stronger from ski touring and breaking trail every day. No complaints, though. But […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | August 7, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 50 cm for South America through Thursday, Bigger Weekend Reload This South America snow forecast keeps an ongoing storm at center stage through Thursday afternoon, then shifts the heaviest snow to the southern Andes from Friday into Sunday. Nevados de Chillán leads the near term with 36-45 cm still to come, while Corralco, Las Leñas, and the high resorts of central Chile also add meaningful totals. A colder weekend wave […] Weather WeatherBrains | August 5, 2026 0 Comments
How Much Money Would It Take for You to Never Ski Again? Recently, we posted a question on Facebook: how much money would it take for you to never ski again? We ended up getting some pretty interesting answers from our readers. While the majority of our readers commanded a very steep price to quit one of their favorite hobbies, others found some unique workarounds to both profit from and continue doing […] Joseph Kaufmann | August 4, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Meter-Plus Totals for South America through Sunday This South America snow forecast keeps an ongoing storm active in waves through Sunday, with the deepest accumulation aimed at the south-central Andes. Confidence is strongest from Sunday afternoon, August 2, through Sunday evening, August 9, the period covered by the totals below. Nevados de Chillán and Corralco should finish well above a meter, while lighter but still useful refreshes […] Weather WeatherBrains | August 2, 2026 0 Comments
Araucanía, Chile, Report: I Tried Snowboarding for the 1st Time at an Abandoned Ski Area Report from Friday, July 31, 2026 72 hours of travel, 8 beers on planes/at airports, 3 lost bags, 2 missed connections, 2 shitty hotels, 2 new friends, and 1 weary grin on my face and I arrived to Chile, thoroughly used up and depleted. But man, I had a good feeling about the next few months. The lovely Gabi with […] Trip Report Martin Kuprianowicz | July 31, 2026 0 Comments
South America’s July Snowstorm Could Rank Among the Largest Ever Seen Argentina and Chile are in the midst of one of the largest snowstorms the Andes has ever seen. A powerful atmospheric river has buried resorts across the region in well over 100 inches of snow since the storm began on July 16, with Portillo, Chile, reporting the highest total: nearly 17 feet of accumulation in just two weeks. Those numbers […] Weather Kien Warren | July 31, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 170 cm through Monday for South America The South America snow forecast keeps a major multi-wave storm in play through Monday, with up to 170 cm at the northern Patagonia bullseye and broad refreshes in the central Andes. Snow quality will vary sharply by elevation as warm pulses raise snow levels, while powerful ridge winds may interrupt upper-mountain lift service. Portillo is currently closed, while every other […] Weather WeatherBrains | July 30, 2026 0 Comments
Valle Nevado, Chile, Receives 62” of Snow Over the Past Week & Expands to Nearly 100% Open Terrain A series of winter storms continues to transform conditions at Valle Nevado, Chile’s premier ski destination, delivering 62 inches of fresh snow over the past week, with additional accumulation expected over the coming 15 days. The recent snowfall has refreshed terrain across the mountain, creating outstanding skiing and riding conditions, with all 13 ski lifts operating, 44 of 45 trails […] Industry News Press Release | July 29, 2026 0 Comments
3 Ways to Experience Valle Nevado, Chile: From Powder Chasers to Luxury Getaways This article is brought to you by Valle Nevado. For North American skiers, few destinations offer a better combination of reliable snow, dramatic alpine scenery, and easy international travel than Valle Nevado, Chile. Located less than two hours from Santiago International Airport, the resort sits high in the Andes and provides access to some of the Southern Hemisphere’s best lift-served […] Featured Article Brent Glogau | July 28, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 3 Meters for South America through Monday The South America snow forecast keeps much of the Andes active through Monday, with the largest reload aimed at Nevados de Chillán and substantial totals spreading north through the central Andes. Snow already underway continues early this week, a broader storm cycle builds from Thursday night into Friday, and wind may limit exposed lifts during the heaviest periods. Portillo remains […] Weather WeatherBrains | July 27, 2026 0 Comments