Another Lean Year in South America 2012?

Tony Crocker":2k964iby said:
I read that Valle Nevado will be putting in a gondola starting somewhere below the hotels. Will it be any lower than the existing Prado base? Will it be possible to ski any of those backside El Colorado runs Geoff touts to the new gondola instead of having to arrange a road pickup?

Buildings are already built and towers are in. VN added an extra parking and services on switchback lower. The main parking has now a number of hotels. It is slightly above the Prado and heads at the base of the Andes Express HSQ. I was there today. Its more a people mover to get away from the logjam at the Hotel and base.

There seems to be some ground work lower down. If they plan do to a lift there in the future, it would be possible to return on some of the closest chutes.

Tony Crocker":2k964iby said:
The map shows one new chair at VN since 2007, Embalse. It only goes ~200 vertical deeper into that canyon than the base of Ballicas and Tres Puntas. There's a new surface lift Ancla up by Valle del Inca; that one doesn't add much terrain either.

Embalse : I was wondering if that was new or not. Its an old double. It opens up a huge areas to ski on looker s left of the Tres Puntas lift. Its an old double. You could clearly see the tracks. Ancle lift wasnt runing (not yesterday, it run almost into LaParva. I was wondering if it belongs to LP or VN yesterday).

Tony Crocker":2k964iby said:
Fabres lift at La Parva is new I think, serves the area toward El Colorado. Terrain might be OK, I'm guessing it's not well covered in a low tide year given sun/wind exposure (west).

I dont have a map in front of me, for my taste, La Parva blows everyone away in that group. Slackcountry and backcountry serious steeps from that area. Some of the stuff is inbound, ski it yesterday. There was maybe 10-15 cm of fresh. It was a great day yesterday.

Tony Crocker":2k964iby said:
I see 2 new short surface lifts and a restaurant in Valle Olympico at El Colorado. Those lifts and Fabres fill in the terrain among the 3 areas, which was ski accessible before but now a bit easier to reach or run laps.

It wasnt possible to ski there without arriving from VN or LP. I skied it coming back from LP 5 years ago, but now you can add a few steep groomers. I believe it was the Swiss girls training there on Wednesday. Quebec girls were on the front face. Quebec guys are Nevados. Austrian girls at one point apparently on my last day down in Chillan. Canadians were at VN today.

Tony Crocker":2k964iby said:
In total marginal incremental additions IMHO.

Olympic valley and Embalse adds great possibility on accessing new terrain. The Embalse and potentially Ancia (not sure) would give some backcountry skiers an easy way on getting back.
 
I agree the best potential for Embalse was to add more lines skier's left of Las Puntas.

Topographically Valle Olimpico is part of Valle Nevado. It's all a gravity traverse from Andes Express, and the return to Valle Nevado from the bottom is an easy cat road. I guess the terrain "belonged" to El Colorado and the lifts were put in because there's a saddle between Valle Olimpico and Cono Este making it a slog from the rest of El Colorado otherwise.

Now that lift integration is better, a combined 3-area ticket would be more useful. I agree La Parva is definitely best of the 3 for terrain, but it needs an above average snowpack to take full advantage since so much of it faces into prevailing winds.
 
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