CHILE POWDER ADVENTURES
  • Exploration
  • Information

info about skiing in chile

Long, Skinny Country

7/16/2014

0 Comments

 
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.   
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Chile 
    Powder Adventures Blog

    Stories from, and thoughts about, ski experiences in Chile.  Sharing the culture, the adventure and, of course, the skiing in a wild place.  This is the info you want to make your trip to Chile that much better!

    PHotos!

    Picture
    Click on the photo above to open a gallery of moments throughout the years

    Archives

    December 2016
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    December 2012


    Categories

    All
    Avalanches
    Culture
    Faqs
    Invernada
    Language
    Skiing
    Travel
    Volcanoes
    Weather


    RSS Feed

Exploration

Invernada
Classic Volcanoes
Southern Volcanoes
Antarctica
Inspiration

Photos
Reviews
Information

​Guide / Owner
FAQ's
Pricing, Payment and Cancellation Policy


Donny Roth
donny@chile-powder-adventures.com
+1-970-497-4132

Ski Mentor Services dba:
Chile Powder Adventures
83 Rocky River Lane
Gunnison, CO 81230