El Colorado/Valle Nevado, Sept. 13, 2007

[Tony Crocker]

Solid overcast all morning. We had to check out by 10AM to get lift tickets, but I spent the next hour online. At 11:30AM even east-facing Las Ballicas was still hardpack. By noon lower altitude VN runs started to soften, but that´s when I headed to El Colorado, via the expansive Valle Olympico Bowl. You can easily ski Valle Olympico for 1200 vert and hit the catwalk back to VN´s El Sol run, so no need for an El Colorado ticket to do that.

I headed up the steep Cono Este T-bar and skied to EC´s base to pick up a map and hopefully let the snow soften. Instead I was treated to pea soup fog from 1-1:30PM. And some wind while riding the snail´s pace Condor triple chair.

El Colorado´s best terrain is served by the SW facing 700 vert Cornisa T-Bar and the nearly 1200 vert Cono Este. Cono Este´s terrain is very comparable to Roca Jack´s at Portillo, but unfortunately the off-piste snow was crap. Obviously the lack of sun made it worse, but most of the snow was so irregular that it would have been difficult even if soft.

I´m not sure why the Andes corn machine worked to perfection at Portillo but was only in evidence on groomers at VN/LP/EC. No question the off piste from El Colorado down to the VN access road at 8,600 ft would be great with decent snow. As we had a driver I had set that up for my last run, but then cancelled due to the uncooperative weather today.

On return to VN, I skied my last run from the top (technically closed) of Eclipse, appropriate after the start of the VN trip in Santiago Sept. 11.

 

[Geoff]

No question the off piste from El Colorado down to the VN access road at 8,600 ft would be great with decent snow. As we had a driver I had set that up for my last run, but then cancelled due to the uncooperative weather today.

Sorry you missed out on it. That's really the highlight of the interconnected resort. I've been there twice when they got 10 foot dumps and that's fantastic terrain other than dealing with buried avalanche debris. They shell that top steep part from the Valle Nevado helicopter. That's always cool to watch on a big sunny powder day.

 

[Tony Crocker]

That interconnect is pretty weak. It would take a long time to complete a circuit: 2 lifts up Valle Nevado, ski Valle Olimpico to EC's Cono Este. Then take the T-bar up, traverse west, ski OB down to the VN road, arrange a pickup back to VN base. These places need to have joint tickets like Big Sky/Moonlight, and more importantly Valle Nevado needs to build a lift from the road 8,600 ft. up to the current lowest lift at 9,300. Though the snow was rotten down by the road, that area actually had better coverage than the 11,000+ off-piste at La Parva and Valle Nevado. Obviously there's a major wind issue at high elevation.

Pics from last day.

On the way to Cono Este:

Near top Cono Este:

Mellow sector down towards Farrelones

Central sector of El Colorado, La Parva in background:

Difficult off piste snow:

Closer views of the off piste expert cliffs leading from El Colorado into Valle Nevado or to its access road:

 

[Geoff]

Olympico is actually nothing special on a significant powder day. It's far too flat given how heavy their snow usually is. The best terrain on a powder day is off the platter lift at the top with the jog in it. Tres Puntas lift? You can also traverse from there to lots of totally ignored untracked snow fields.

 

[Admin]

Last March Liftlines users witnessed this:

I'm starting to sense a disturbing trend...

 

[Tony Crocker]

On the afternoon of Sept. 11 we skied a few runs on Tres Puntas. It appeard to me that off piste steep fall lines were short and required a fair amount of grunt work to reach relative to the potential rewards.

The longest fall lines would be traversing skier's left and then dropping into the canyon south of the VN hotels. Unfortunately VN has no lift in that canyon to bring you back into the resort.

From my Sept. 11 pictures you'll also see that coverage was lacking in much of Tres Puntas' off piste.