do these pp really think they will be skiing 10ft of snow?
Somewhat unfortunately. I am watching many influencers recreate an Alta/Snowbird Interlodge or get skunked in Alaska/stuck in a lodge for a few days. I cannot wait to see what they post: a lot of zany activities while stuck, and some shots of very flat terrain, skiing deep snow.
If one skis in Tahoe/Mammoth with some regularity, you know a storm of this magnitude just shuts everything down, and the best terrain (steepest) will not open for a week. All of these South American resorts are above the treeline, on the stormy/winwardside of the blizzard, and some barely above the freezing line (rain further south at lower ski areas).
The moisture content of this snowfall will be very high, and winds will compact it in places (maybe load it in others?), and even feet of snow will ski like 6-18 inches. With fat (or powder skis), one will sink even less - i.e., 'float'.
It takes a very cold storm to ski really deep snow in California - and cooperative winds. In the Tahoe area, Kirkwood is best situated - high altitude, Sierra crest, leeward/N-NE facing. One can find feet of powder.
The best part of this storm is that it creates a big, solid base: all the chutes/couloirs at Portillo and Las Lenas will become skiable by August 1st. Valle Nevado and La Parva too - but they simply have less steep/cliffy/rocky terrain. They do not need as much snow.
