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The Chilean andes now have snow from the tropics to Cape Horn
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https://www.perfil.com/noticias/actu...istorica.phtml
The Pachayatas volcanos, 6,300m each, at 19 degrees south, V Pomerape south face looks skiable
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Big polar high pressure system in effect, resulting in frost warnings, and couple days of Puelche winds in the Araucanía. This is a reversal of wind direction in certain watersheds, with Argentine pampa air blasting the lakes and, some times all the way up the volcano, as now:
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https://www.facebook.com/share/16v1N...ibextid=wwXIfr
This also implies high levels of woodsmoke contamination mainly, implying restrictions in many of the Central Valley cities. Good old temperature inversions….
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Elsewhere in the south there is loads of snow up high
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It should be said that the central zone base is still lacking. While the base is solid at the bottom, it is thin, and being winter holidays, overskied.
La parva has about 2/3 of the lower mountain (most of the steeper runs) closed, and many of the upper runs. Black is closed as of last Friday
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All of those black areas were skied out powder though.
Portillo has the west half closed (Roca Jack and Juncalillo).
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Thin pickings up for the central zone, but something is on the horizon for the south
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Get into the groove with Andes Touring, exploring Arenas, O'Higgins, Maule, Araucanía....
https://youtu.be/ikvjGe2yMoU?si=uUWWrEaBx_b3hUKj
Great soundtrack, big bloopers, rad terrain.
Heat wave for a couple of days, snow destroyer
“Nosotros tuvimos generosas precipitaciones durante la primera quincena de junio, se acumuló buena nieve y buena parte de esa nieve se va a perder en los próximos tres días como consecuencia de este evento anómalo de calor"
20C+ temp difs during the day
https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacion...ndaciones.html
Local yokels to the rescue in Lonquimay
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1B9...ibextid=wwXIfr
Kudos to our friends in green too
MCP stirs the 3 Valleys pot further, and beyond, buying into Andacor. 5 ski areas, about half of the market, would be under its hat if this goes thru
https://www.df.cl/empresas/industria...y-farellones-y
The same paper lambasts La Parva
https://www.df.cl/df-mas/coffee-brea...25-de-la-parva
Corralco looks good, but a closer look reveals the new high speed quad isn’t running, and the old double is.
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Gonna be interesting to see what MCP does with their new aquistions. https://www.saminfo.com/news/sam-hea...ompany-andacor
I heard a rumor about the MCP purchases this past winter. Connecting the three big areas is pretty sick.
Go south for new snow
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So no new snow for 2 weeks, heavy traffic from winter holidays, and warm temps the last few days have done a number on the 3 Valley groomers. Pebbles and dirt are spreading up the mountain. Off piste is less hazardous than piste.
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The upper mountain has a good base, and the snow is still packed powder.
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So with no new snow forecast, things will get increasingly restricted. Too warm.
On the other hand, avalanche hazard is down
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So this is an apt photo of people who are “aperrado” or brave and stout. Full pack heading up 2000 vertical meters, hot day, sinky snow.
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And it was a good day for mini monster trucking
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And selfies
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Chillán has better snow, for now. Here celebrating the end of winter holidays
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Now the new quad is running….
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Run down on the state of the 3 Valleys…
With 16 days since the last snowfall, hard work is required to keep the piste in shape, and elsewhere is highly variable
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The lower LP La Paloma lift kinda abandoned, for the brave only
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So what better excuse do a ski-about, going high (3,000m up), hunting the recently groomed packed powder with my 7 year-old granddaughter.
Here heading to take the “cool” double chair In VN
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Vals on Tres Puntas, which was the only packed run
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Then the high road to the hotel and around the lower bowl
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What could be finer?
Well maybe La Leñera
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Some b side shots:
More irregularities
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I finally got a definition of “irregular” from the ski patrol - no “fresada”, o no “pisada” in Chilean. Yet more “newspeak” from MCP, which best describes the apparent policy of packing one run per lift, at best.
Dumpers with a view of Sta Teresa
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Yet another “Mechanical failure” leaves Ancla out of commission for the last 10 days.
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The other upper lift “Del Inca” shut down too. So VN 2nd highest run was only accesible from LP.
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Dry times everywhere
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A drought in the making. This is supposed to be the snowiest month of the year.
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Meteo.cl has something to say about that. June ended with deficits in most of Chile
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And predicts generally lower than normal rainfall for the rest of the winter.
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In these ranges
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A high snow line is looking like the norm for this season, which is more bearable in the south, where volcanic pebbles and sand get covered ver easily. Antillanca is boasting
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16k...ibextid=wwXIfr
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A blip appears on the horizon for Tuesday, maybe
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For those in need of guiding, cheap, check the excursions by DAV, the German mountaineering club
https://dav.cl/cmcal-event-category/ski/
Dos tiempos boys getting it for their guests in Parque Arenas, a few days ago
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19r...ibextid=wwXIfr
https://www.parquearenas.com/
Right altitude, aspect, and time of year (shade).
The folks getting out there and mapping routes and guiding are Andes Touring.
https://www.andestouring.com/lugares...ctor-frontera/
Here their map of routes on Cerro La Parva, which I have known about for decades, pretty well classed
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And point out local peaks, here at Paso Pubuenche
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