South America 2026

[Tony Crocker]

Is this because I’ve skied places with only unfavourable elevation or aspect or latitude (Thredbo, Perisher, Coronet Peak, Cardrona etc) in mid September while I’ve only skied places with favourable elevation or aspect or latitude (Whistler, Banff, Altabird, Mammoth, Tignes, Val D’Isere, Aspen) in the northern spring time?

That's most of it. But in Santiago, Chile and environs average September precipitation is no more than half of what June and July are, while average precipitation in March in Utah, Colorado and the Alps is just as much as in December/January. Then you have the latitude which makes Portillo/VN Sept. 20 about like April 8 in Mammoth/LCC in terms of sun angle even though altitude is the same. I'm currently viewing this as a positive, raises the odds of corn considerably. The past month has told me that chasing powder in South America is extremely problematic.

 

[Casey E]

Uncle Bob delivers

 

[mmKUstorm]

This most recent storm cycle was a bust at VN and boom at Portillo as usual.

 

[Tony Crocker]

This most recent storm cycle was a bust at VN and boom at Portillo.

Yes. 7.5 inches at VN and 37 at Portillo.

as usual.

This season yes, and overall long term Portillo gets more, which I believe CaseyE agreed with recently. But all of these areas suffered intensely during most of the past 15 seasons.

Portillo's season total is now 359 inches (Valle Nevado is at 210). But given September climatology it's far from a foregone conclusion Portillo will get to 400. Maybe the El Nino raises those odds some.

 

[Casey E]

With the base the 3 Valleys have there’s oodles of space for 7.5 inches to provide several thousand vertical meters of minimally tracked powder

Sr Wild on Alpha

And elsewhere

Everything was skiable

We bailed just in time before the clouds took over

 

[Tony Crocker]

With the base the 3 Valleys have there’s oodles of space for 7.5 inches to provide several thousand vertical meters of minimally tracked powder

That looks delightful. With the much lesser snowpack vs. Portillo is there any concern about that snowpack holding up for another month?

 

[Skiwild]

That looks delightful. With the much lesser snowpack vs. Portillo is there any concern about that snowpack holding up for another month?

You don't know if you don't go. La Parva serves the best race training slopes in the world this year. Even the highest lift served glaciers in Rutipe can't compete.

Casey E's 42 years at La Parva make him "the guy you need to know"! 4hours to ski 15000' untracked fresh fluff before the 130pm whiteout for the rest of the day. Timing is everything?

 

[Casey E]

Snowpack should hold thru to October. North faces not so much.

 

[ChrisC]

Looks really nice! Is it easy, or even somewhat encouraged, to jump back and forth between the upper lifts of La Parva and the backside valley of Valle Nevado?

For the most part, that is where a skier would want to spend a lot of their time.

 

[Casey E]

It is very easy, and often done now that they are both on the same seasons pass.

Detail - From VN to LP, you can connect with 2 lifts (Andes Express gets you everywhere), but in La Parva it is 3-4 lifts to the top of Tortolas (4 for me below Alpha). When the new Cerro el Franciscano connecting chair goes in 2027, it will be 2-3 lifts. The touted gondola will replace one short slow platter from the traditional base, Parva Chica, and ride over the wondrous Las Vegas platter to a place where 5 lifts already interconnect and the mid mountain restaurant and the Ford showboats are. Neither lift provides new terrain, they just move more people, something not really needed in La Parva, unlike current lift upgrades and better maintenance of what they have would.

 

[Sbooker]

It is very easy, and often done now that they are both on the same seasons pass.

Detail - From VN to LP, you can connect with 2 lifts (Andes Express gets you everywhere), but in La Parva it is 3-4 lifts to the top of Tortolas (4 for me below Alpha). When the new Cerro el Franciscano connecting chair goes in 2027, it will be 2-3 lifts. The touted gondola will replace one short slow platter from the traditional base, Parva Chica, and ride over the wondrous Las Vegas platter to a place where 5 lifts already interconnect and the mid mountain restaurant and the Ford showboats are. Neither lift provides new terrain, they just move more people, something not really needed in La Parva, unlike current lift upgrades and better maintenance of what they have would.

Are both on the same day ticket? I thought they were seperate.

 

[Sbooker]

Are the dotted lines on the VN trail map not groomed but controlled where the solid lines are groomed? I can see a legend on the map.

 

[Tony Crocker]

You don't know if you don't go.

I'm already committed to Sept. 16-19 in Farallones! There was a significant snowpack disparity in 2007 between Portillo and La Parva, and I'm sure that will happen again this season eventually.

Snowpack should hold thru to October. North faces not so much.

That would be my expectation. I have monthly snowfall for Las Lenas in 2007 and half the snowfall came in June. With the big dump being in July this year's snowpack should be better.

Is it easy, or even somewhat encouraged, to jump back and forth between the upper lifts of La Parva and the backside valley of Valle Nevado?

AFAIK the day tickets are still separate. CaseyE, is that right? I'm quite sure that the Ikon Pass is good only at Valle Nevado. Since El Colorado senior tickets are only $19, we intend to ski from our hotel through El Colorado to Valle Nevado rather than drive up there. We will buy La Parva tickets, though CaseyE has given me a heads-up that they are much more expensive at the window than online a few days ahead. Tentatively I'm guessing we will ski at Valle Nevado the 16th and 19th and La Parva the 17th and 18th. Of course with Ikon we can cross into Valle Nevado any time.

 

[Sbooker]

I'm already committed to Sept. 16-19 in Farallones! There was a significant snowpack disparity in 2007 between Portillo and La Parva, and I'm sure that will happen again this season eventually.

That would be my expectation. I have monthly snowfall for Las Lenas in 2007 and half the snowfall came in June. With the big dump being in July this year's snowpack should be better.

AFAIK the day tickets are still separate. CaseyE, is that right? I'm quite sure that the Ikon Pass is good only at Valle Nevado. Since El Colorado senior tickets are only $19, we intend to ski from our hotel through El Colorado to Valle Nevado rather than drive up there. We will buy La Parva tickets, though CaseyE has given me a heads-up that they are much more expensive at the window than online a few days ahead. Tentatively I'm guessing we will ski at Valle Nevado the 16th and 19th and La Parva the 17th and 18th. Of course with Ikon we can cross into Valle Nevado any time.

Thanks for the heads up on buying tix online prior as we’re not Ikon holders.
We’ll be skiing the 16th. We might catch you for some turns. I’ll check in with you before we buy our tickets.

 

[Casey E]

Also, input the first 6 digits of your Visa card, and you get a 15% discount on normal "any day" tickets, and 30% on Wed and Thurs.

Look out for the "fondas", or improvised BBQ/booze party setups around the country, usually from Sept 17 to 19 (18 is National Day celebrations, 19 is the Military Day parade).

One such in Las Araucarias ski area years ago

 

[Sbooker]

We will be in Santiago on the 18th and I'm looking forward to seeing the fonda in the main park there. Sounds fun. I won't be day drinking though.

 

[ChrisC]

AFAIK the day tickets are still separate. CaseyE, is that right? I'm quite sure that the Ikon Pass is good only at Valle Nevado. Since El Colorado senior tickets are only $19, we intend to ski from our hotel through El Colorado to Valle Nevado rather than drive up there. We will buy La Parva tickets, though CaseyE has given me a heads-up that they are much more expensive at the window than online a few days ahead. Tentatively I'm guessing we will ski at Valle Nevado the 16th and 19th and La Parva the 17th and 18th. Of course with Ikon we can cross into Valle Nevado any time.

Thanks for the heads up on buying tix online prior as we’re not Ikon holders.
We’ll be skiing the 16th. We might catch you for some turns. I’ll check in with you before we buy our tickets.

I would be careful about the above expectation regarding Valle Nevado-La Parva.

Using my Mountain Collective was a chaotic affair of printouts, paper copies, and Spanish-only communication at the Valle Nevado ticket office. I visited pre-Ikon, and likely the first year Mountain Collective was accepted, so the process was unfamiliar; today I am sure there is a Gringo expectation/policy.

This is why I am asking questions. Again, the 2 areas are physically well connected, but administratively/lift-ticket-wise, not really. Did MCP owners do anything? Short answer: no. (Again, the entire interconnection could be remedied with a ticket system and a bit of code for revenue-sharing.)

In short, one needs to start at Valle Nevado to ski both areas - either for a one-day pass or multi-day Ikon redemption. There is not really a La Parva-to-Valle Nevado connection unless you have a season pass or did a multi-day redemption at Valle for Ikon.

Essentially, the Santiago Resorts are still best skied semi-separately over 3 days, spending one day at each.



1. Ikon Pass Usage.

No, you cannot go completely direct-to-lift at Valle Nevado with just your Ikon Pass. [1]
You must visit the Valle Nevado ticket office or guest services first to redeem your daily access. They will look up your Ikon Pass membership (via the app, your pass number, or ID) and issue you a local resort card loaded with your allotted days. [1, 2, 3]

• Redemption: Stop by the ticket window when you arrive.
• Access limit: Full Ikon Pass gets 7 days; Ikon Base/Base Plus gets 5 days.
• Tip: Cell service and Wi-Fi can be spotty at the base, so pull up your Ikon barcode or take a screenshot of your pass details before heading up the mountain

2. Day Ticket. Can only buy an add-on at Valle Nevado.

Yes—you can ski both on one day ticket in 2026, but you need Valle Nevado’s interconnection add-on.

• Start at Valle Nevado.
• Buy a Valle Nevado day ticket—online in advance if cheaper.
• Before skiing, visit the Valle Nevado ticket office and purchase the Valle Nevado–La Parva interconnection add-on. It is not currently sold online, and the price varies by date.
• The combined ticket unlocks all lifts and trails at both resorts that day.
• Use the marked on-snow connection to cross into La Parva; intermediate-to-advanced ability is required.
• Begin returning from La Parva before 4:00 p.m. If you miss the connection, returning by road is extremely inconvenient and your responsibility.
• Check both resorts’ mountain reports that morning because the interconnection can close for wind, snow, visibility, or operational reasons.

 

[Sbooker]

Essentially, the Santiago Resorts are still best skied semi-separately over 3 days, spending one day at each.

I’ll do that.
Warm up day to rediscover ski legs at El Colorado. Then La Parva. Then Valle Nevado.

I think I’ll bring my 92mm skis. Better than the 102s for groomers and fine for spring conditions.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I'm fairly sure we can ski gravity from El Colorado to the Valle Nevado ticket office on day one, show our Ikons and get the local resort card.

The Valle Nevado–La Parva interconnection add-on seems not worth the hassle for us if you can't even find out its price online. It must be easier just to buy the La Parva days online a few days ahead with some of the discounts CaseyE has suggested.

In 2007 I was able to buy either La Parva or El Colorado add-ons at the window for about $23 I think. But that may have been because I was staying at a Valle Nevado hotel that time.

This is such a TISA example with Valle Nevado and La Parva under the same ownership. But it's American ownership since May 2024. This situation does not inspire confidence in MCP's ability to improve these resorts.

 

[ChrisC]

I think I’ll bring my 92mm skis. Better than the 102s for groomers and fine for spring conditions.

I see the Chilean mountains as similar to the West Coast's coastal-climate mountains.

Post-2000, I quickly graduated to the fattest skis I could find to handle wet powder, mank, spring, and slop in the Cascades and Sierra. Groomers typically deteriorate into the described surface. I find I need the width and stiffness to push the snow around - and definitely sidecut to make decent medium turns.

I find narrower skis ok for mid-winter groomers, maybe some bumps or softer snow - more in the Rockies. West Coast groomers quickly degrade in Spring: frozen -> corn window -> a bit sloppy, mushy.

Whatever ski you used in Val d'Isere would be most appropriate.


Again, let me recreate the Portillo Grooming map. One route off the backside of Juncalillo (my arrow pointing left) isn't quite shown. But that's it.

My point: I would not want to be relegated to narrow skis for 2-3 days at Portillo when you are primarily always going to be off-piste/freeriding to ski anything interesting.

However, at worst, one could get relegated to groomers only at a Santiago resort if things are cold. Or too sloppy.