Industry News
The FIS Masters Cup 2019/20 took place at the beautiful resort of Nevados de Chillan, Chile last week against an unusual dramatic backdrop – an exploding volcano.
Nevados de Chillan is part of the Chillan Volcano Complex, which has been active for the last 650,000 years. One volcano in the complex, the so-called New Volcano is still active and located only three miles away from the start of the super-G and giant slalom competitions. The volcano spewed out molten ash and the plume of smoke could be seen for around 60-miles.
- Related: VIDEO: Skiers Capture Nearby Volcano Exploding from Chairlift at Nevados de Chillán, Chile
Chile is the land of natural disasters – some more beautiful than others. Enormous earthquakes and huge volcanic explosions seem the norm in Chile and skiers carry on as normal. Pucon ski resort closed for a season after the volcano it lives on erupted in 2015.
Nevados de Chillan welcomed more than 100 Masters racers from 16 different nations on four continents. The start list included various World Champions and the oldest racers were Gaetano Demattei, born in 1929 and Marietta Frinell, born in 1936, both from the USA. Both showed impressive performances, participating in a very demanding race program on steep slopes and with one day of very difficult weather conditions.
This season’s Masters calendar features 65 competitions, 56 of those valid for the FIS Masters Cup (FMC), spread across Oceania, South America, North America, Europe, and Asia. A new record number of starters of over 10,000 are expected for the upcoming winter across the 65 races.
