Featured Image: Courtesy of Valle Nevado Resort
South America’s Andes Mountains have been having a historic start to the 2024 winter season. Now, after copious snow has already led to early openings throughout the area, another whopper storm delivered this past weekend. Valle Nevado, Chile, received several feet of snow this weekend, with the skies finally clearing on Monday morning. According to Open Snow, their storm total from Thursday was 69 inches, making their track record stand at six feet in the last seven days.
Perched around 10,000 feet in the Chilean Andes, the resort is known for treacherous high alpine storms and the incredible skiing that can be had in the days afterward. However, this massive delivery is more than what can often be expected. The resort averages around 240 inches of snow in any given season. But this year, they have already clocked around 130 inches. The most staggering part of this story is that storms are slated to continue, with Open Snow meteorologist Luke Stone reporting that there is “so, so, so much more snow on the way.”
6/17 Storm Totals from The Andes Mountains:
- Valle Nevado: 69 in.
- La Parva: 60 in.
- Ski Portillo: 52 in.
- Farellones: 40 in.
- Las Leñas: 41 in. (base)
- Corralco: 16 in.
After the first series of storms at the beginning of this month, Valle Nevado announced plans to open three weeks early. Advancing an opening by a few days is one thing, but three weeks in advance is a whole other animal. So far, this has not been one freak storm, but several back-to-back. It can create challenging conditions for the resort to operate in, so we tip our hats to all members of the team at Valle Nevado and its neighboring resorts for bearing the storm and putting all hands on deck.
If there was ever a time to head to the Chilean Andes, that time is now. Ikon Pass, Power Pass or Mountain Collective Pass holders, you could be on the steeps at Valle Nevado right now! Since the resort normally runs lifts from 9 AM to 5 PM, longer than many North American resorts, you’ll have all day to take advantage of these abnormally deep conditions. These storms are supposed to continue on and off in the Andes for the foreseeable future. At the time of publishing, Alto del Padre leads the charge with 191 inches forecasted over the next 10 days. Be sure to time your travel window with developing forecasts.
And if you do decide to head into new terrain, we urge you to consult locals and pay close attention to the changing snow pack. Powder fever can be debilitating, and it’s vital to keep your head on your shoulders and make rational decisions with the end goal always being to ski another day. With that being said, grab your snorkel and get out there if you can! We hope you score some of the days we all dream of.
