Industry News
Chile is the place to be right now for skiing with record snowpack totals so far this season. One resort has already surpassed its season average. This May, which is Chile’s Fall season, temperatures broke records along the coast of the country. Temperatures were near freezing, making it the coldest May the country has seen since 1950, according to the Chilean meteorological agency. One of South America’s biggest winters and deepest snowpacks over the past decade happened during a very strong El Niño cycle in 2015.
Fast forward to the end of June and the Chilean Resort of Valle Nevado has over 209 inches of snow which is 87% of its yearly average snowfall. Ski Portillo just received its TOTAL season snowfall average of 569 cm (19 feet) already and the ski resort is not even open yet. Ski Portillo is scheduled to open this Saturday, June 29. There is no denying that the weather is unpredictable and these early-season snowfall accumulations do not guarantee Chile will have a great ski season this year.
-
Related Article: South America is Having the Snowiest Start to the Season in 30 Years
The Chilean ski season usually runs from late June to early October which means winter is just getting started in South America. Valle Nevado opened on May 31, which is three weeks earlier than usual. The resort was able to accomplish this by a massive storm that dumped almost six feet of snow and another storm dumped an additional two feet of snow onto the slopes. These snow totals are now leading to claims that this is the snowiest start of a ski season there since the 1990s. The majority of ski areas in Chile and several in Argentina had already opened early for their 2024 seasons. Initially, the plan was to open for the season this weekend until the snow started falling six weeks ago.
You could not ask for a better start to the ski season in Chile and some are thinking the season could run into late October with the great snowpack conditions already. The skiing is already epic at Valle Nevado and having a great snowpack will only make it better. July and August should produce phenomenal skiing conditions if Mother Nature cooperates. With record snowpacks already this season, this may be the year for anyone who wants to ski in the Andes to finally make that trip a reality.
