Industry News
As the snow finally starts to fall, South American ski areas have started announcing their opening dates.
The season is starting a little later than usual. Often resorts open in mid-June or even as early as late May, depending on the early season snowfall. This year’s tardiness can be blamed on a combination of lack of snow and the pandemic.
However, with some areas reporting over a foot of fresh snow in the last few days, it’s time to start getting excited about lifts turning.
The first South American resort to open will be Corralco in Chile, which will open tomorrow, Tuesday, June 29th, closely followed by El Colorado, in Chile, on Wednesday. La Parva announced on social media yesterday that the day we have all been waiting for, their opening day, will be Monday 5th July.
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In Argentina, Cerro Castor will start their lifts turning on Saturday, July 2nd, and although no official announcements have been forthcoming, Cerro Catedral and Las Lenas are also expected to open this weekend. Caviahue has announced it will be opening on the 9th of July.
Last season was mostly a write-off in South America, despite some record snowfall. Many areas did not open at all due to the pandemic and national and international lockdowns, and such restrictions are expected to play a huge part in this season. International borders into both Chile and Argentina remain closed, and both countries are implementing lockdowns at a local level as and when infection rates dictate.
