Ski Chile 2025

[Casey E]

A frosting was in order, with 5-10 cm






A hare showed the way

[Casey E]

[Casey E]

[Casey E]

Thursday Salvation day? Or just another bluff?

[Casey E]

My goodness

[byates1]

Getting.us through another summer w stoke!! Good stuff!!

[Casey E]

Today had everything from overcast to bright sunshine to dense fog

Racing on La Nevada



Valle Nevado pumping the snow guns



It is now tour groups and racers time of year, here testing mettle on the Muela



Turns on the front side of La Muela



A wild man on Shake




And the clouds converged on the slopes





Forcing us down to the brown



The connecting runs are hurting, here LP/VN connector

[mcski]

I saw someone hyping on incoming storm this week. Hope it delivers for you

[Casey E]

Here are the estimates from Meteo Chile



Low temps and precipitation also headed to the south, where it is even more needed




For those wondering about lift ticket prices

[Casey E]

A lot going on meteorologically speaking, storms in Argentina, showers and snowfall in the Atacama desert, and a cold front sweeping up from the South Pacific could bring snow to the Central Valley, including Santiago. Wind, of course, too.



Alternatively



Freezing levels are finally falling!

[Casey E]

While we await the arrival of this front, some shots from Maule early August.

On the ruta 5, I took some shots of the front range, south to north, on the way to Rio Teno

Starting with V Longaví, north of Chillán



And so on until the Rio Maule watershed




To Curicó and the Rio Teno watershed


Romeral, the entrance town



And Los Queñes, the last hurrah for civilization, here the school with its Araucaria angustifolia trees



We’ll, unless you count La Picá del Puma, by the miners monument




That truck was one of many barreling up and down the road, which is well maintained until the mine, and Tierras Bayas, my destino. Forget getting to the pass, it is under repair.











Where I blew a tire



And was rescued by my host and ushered up the last few Km to the Refugio

[Casey E]

The next day dawned with a light drizzle, which continued off and on for the morning, soaking the snow. Rather than trying to ski in a swamp, I took a walk when it cleared up.

Austrocedrus chilensis, a mountain Cyprus bonsai



The view back down the valley


The view east, where I was to tour





Front range





I figured it would freeze overnight and was right, here heading out from the Refugio, while a heli group pulls in from Santiago



More to come

[Casey E]

The first 200 vertical meters was one layer of about 40cm compacted from the snowfall 5 days earlier. Snow looked funky near rocks up to 2,200m aprox





But still it was beautiful. The lone pine marks the decision point



Rather than go onto a more north facing slope, where the snow was evidently rained on



I continued up the first bowl



Up to the red spot



Where I indulged in a classic ave palta



The way down to the lodge



Had to have one



The home run

[Casey E]

The Refugio

[Casey E]

The link to the lodge is https://www.instagram.com/baqueanos/...on_share_sheet Macarena and Nicolas are gracious hosts with great food.

Just across the border, Las Leñas is planning on moving up valley, to "Valle Hermoso", via a 27km dirt road to some domes on a lake. Not sure where along that route they plan to put a ski area in, because the lake is the same altitude as Las Leñas. The road gets up to 2,800m then drops to 2,200m at the lake.

The lodge https://www.instagram.com/stories/hi...4734172/?hl=es

The news https://www.latecla.info/160495-las-...-valle-hermoso

Cat skiing too with a Pisten Bully 300 https://laslenas.com/actividades-invierno/

[Casey E]

It snowed some 10cm last night but it took a whole blustery day for the real front to hit

A peak at the Cordon del Quempo





At dusk it rolled in



And is now snowing and blowing hard



Snowing low in Corralco as well



The word for the remaining 20 hours or so of the storm



And the word for the rest of the season

[Casey E]

https://www.instagram.com/p/DNo-iFMs..._web_copy_link

CIERRE DE CAMINOS

La Delegacio?n Presidencial Regional Metropolitana informo? el cierre de la Ruta G-21 (Camino a Farellones) y del Camino Juan Pablo II (Pie Andino) desde hoy 21 de agosto.
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[Casey E]

Still snowing, Farellones road closed, supposedly.



A given that the Portillo road is closed.

[Casey E]

[liv2ski]

The first 200 vertical meters was one layer of about 40cm compacted from the snowfall 5 days earlier. Snow looked funky near rocks up to 2,200m aprox





But still it was beautiful. The lone pine marks the decision point



Rather than go onto a more north facing slope, where the snow was evidently rained on



I continued up the first bowl

Great series of photos Casey. Thanks for posting that up.

[Casey E]

6am, gridlock and not even starting the switchbacks

[Casey E]

Lots of casualties on the way up





The VN road was closed for avalanche control. La Parva only managed to get 2 lifts open, kinda half running, in the morning. Las Aguilas chair opened briefly but was closed again after a skier-provoked slide above the Barros Negros traverse. I guess a couple were caught but no damage. The other two slides in that area were detonated and ugly.

Got a good video of the first biggie on Manantiales which I will load up later.

[Casey E]

Scaly powder



But doable

[Casey E]

The two lifts



About a meter, settled. Folks shredding north faces too. I took evasive action, following the hare tracks





And crossed over to Fabres



Looking back at Tortolas





Back in Manantiales a few slipped through before the closure

[Casey E]

The slide

https://youtube.com/shorts/Vh7Ursxlw...kkInB4WDHTR47V