If you were going skiing in Alaska, would you get a weather report from Los Angeles?
Chile is about 3000-miles from north to south. That's about the distance from Los Angeles to Haines, Alaska. And if you look on a map, you can see how the topographies of the two coasts are mirrors of each other.
Most of the bigger, well-known ski centers in Chile – those with marketing budgets – are located close to Santiago, which is in the central part of the country. Santiago has a similar climate and topography to Sacramento, California. So when you here a weather report from "Chile" it's important to understand where that is from. Imagine if you got a snow report from the "U.S." or "Europe." The distance, topography and climate from the central Andes to the area of lakes and volcanoes is very similar to the difference between Lake Tahoe and the Pacific Northwest – very different indeed. It can be sunny and warm in the central mountains and pounding snow in the south.
And in fact, that's exactly what's happening.
With that said, if skiing in Chile is on your "bucket list" I wouldn't wait for too many years. I am a ski guide, not a climate scientist, but there is a trend that is tough to ignore. The past several years have been drier than average. If you consider the same is happening in California – another coastal area, directly effected by weather straight off the Pacific Ocean – well... great, deep conditions may be harder to come by. Presently, the recent weather patterns are favorable for skiing volcanoes. The periods of high pressure between storms allow for more skiing and fewer down days. It's hard to say how long this will last.
If you want to ski in Chile, do it soon. If you are looking for good conditions, look farther south and don't put too much weight on the reports coming from the northern resorts. There's still fun to be had in this long, skinny, beautiful country.
Chile is about 3000-miles from north to south. That's about the distance from Los Angeles to Haines, Alaska. And if you look on a map, you can see how the topographies of the two coasts are mirrors of each other.
Most of the bigger, well-known ski centers in Chile – those with marketing budgets – are located close to Santiago, which is in the central part of the country. Santiago has a similar climate and topography to Sacramento, California. So when you here a weather report from "Chile" it's important to understand where that is from. Imagine if you got a snow report from the "U.S." or "Europe." The distance, topography and climate from the central Andes to the area of lakes and volcanoes is very similar to the difference between Lake Tahoe and the Pacific Northwest – very different indeed. It can be sunny and warm in the central mountains and pounding snow in the south.
And in fact, that's exactly what's happening.
With that said, if skiing in Chile is on your "bucket list" I wouldn't wait for too many years. I am a ski guide, not a climate scientist, but there is a trend that is tough to ignore. The past several years have been drier than average. If you consider the same is happening in California – another coastal area, directly effected by weather straight off the Pacific Ocean – well... great, deep conditions may be harder to come by. Presently, the recent weather patterns are favorable for skiing volcanoes. The periods of high pressure between storms allow for more skiing and fewer down days. It's hard to say how long this will last.
If you want to ski in Chile, do it soon. If you are looking for good conditions, look farther south and don't put too much weight on the reports coming from the northern resorts. There's still fun to be had in this long, skinny, beautiful country.
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