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Focus on South American Ski Resorts:

Valle Nevado is now part of the IKON Pass. Photo: Valle Nevado Ski Resort.

South American Ski Resorts: High Andes: Valle Nevado, Portillo and Las Leñas – Chile and Argentina

The ski season is about to start in the Southern Hemisphere – In this post I’ll focus on the South American Ski Resorts in the High Andes. Located in Chile and Argentina, all the resorts are in the Andes Mountains, home of the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere – the Aconcagua.

Las Leñas, the biggest terrain ski area in South America - if we count it's off-piste. Host of the South American Ski and Snowboarding Extremes for many years, for a reason. Photo Las Leñas ski resort.
Las Leñas, the biggest terrain ski area in South America – if we count it’s off-piste. Host of the South American Ski and Snowboarding Extremes for many years, for a reason. Photo Las Leñas ski resort.South American Ski Resorts.

At the altitude of Buenos Aires and Santiago, going to the Andes, you have what is called the High Andes – high altitude resorts – what the Brits would called ‘snow sure resorts’ (even though there is nothing like that really in the world – I’ve had some seasons down under with no snow at all, but usually you do get a very good season). A snowstorm can last one week and bring 3 meters of powder snow.



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Snow here is very light and dry – amazing really, and the Andes mountains bring you very dramatic landscapes – think Dolomites, with rugged peaks, but no trees – this is above tree-line county.

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Boyne Resorts Acquires Six Mountain Resorts

Boyne Resorts acquires six resorts. Sunday River in Maine is one of them. Photo: Sunday River Resort.

Boyne Resorts Acquires Six Mountain Resorts. Included in the transaction are Brighton Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City, Utah; Cypress Mountain in Vancouver, B.C.; Gatlinburg SkyLift in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Loon Mountain Resort in New Hampshire; Sugarloaf and Sunday River Resort in Maine; and The Summit at Snoqualmie near Seattle, Washington.

Cypress Mountain near Vancouver. Photo: Cypress Mountain. Boyne Resorts Acquires six mountain resorts
Cypress Mountain near Vancouver. Photo: Cypress Mountain.

Boyne Resorts today announced closing of a purchase transaction with Ski Resort Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate, to acquire six mountain resorts and a scenic chairlift attraction previously leased by the resort company. Boyne Resorts has been the long-term operator of the seven newly acquired assets and also owns three resorts in northern Michigan and Big Sky Resort in Montana. As third largest based on skier visits, Boyne Resorts’ portfolio of mountain properties is the most geographically diverse among all North American ski resort companies.


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More than 1,100 attended the 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium in South Lake Tahoe

View from the room at the Harrah's - MTS 2018 Heavenly, Lake Tahoe.

Exhausted but happy participants departed South Lake Tahoe over the weekend after several intense days of buying, selling, learning, schmoozing and skiing at the 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium.

Trade Exchange Floor - 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium, Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe. More than 1,100 attendees participated
Trade Exchange Floor – Mountain Travel Symposium, Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe.

More than 1,100 participants representing 24 countries took part. Fresh snow and bright sunshine capped the week of events, and those who were there to do business said they had full schedules and lots of deals got done. Most also got in a few runs on the slopes of Heavenly Resort as well.

Virginie Koulibaly from Valais Matterhorn Region addresses with Nick Turnell and Pascal Prinz of Switzerland Tourism the invited tour operators for the Switzerland Tourism evening with raclette at the 43rd annual Mountain Travel Symposium.
Virginie Koulibaly from Valais Matterhorn Region addresses with Nick Turnell and Pascal Prinz of Switzerland Tourism the invited tour operators for the Switzerland Tourism evening with raclette at Mountain Travel Symposium.

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How to deal with high prone avalanche terrain. A talk with Coco Torres, formerly of Las Leñas, Argentina.

A Gaz-ex installation in a mountain - methods of containing high prone avalanche areas.

How to deal with high prone avalanche terrain – A talk with Coco Torres, former Mountain Manager in Las Leñas and now Operative Consultant for numerous ski resorts.

Jorge “Coco” Torres has left Las Leñas in the year 2010, having worked for several years as the Mountain Manager in charge of all the avalanches control operations, amongst all other mountain matters.

One of the maps of the off-piste of Las Leñas showcasing its couloirs, which are also coincide avalanche corridors. Las Leñas is a high prone avalanche area.
One of the maps of the off-piste of Las Leñas showcasing its couloirs, which are also coincide avalanche corridors. Las Leñas is a high prone avalanche area. How to deal with high prone avalanche terrain. A talk with Coco Torres, formerly of Las Leñas, Argentina.

I’ve contacted him as I’ve always found fascinating how Las Leñas took control of their avalanches. Every time there was a storm at Las Leñas, which could last a whole week, we went on hearing bombing all day and all night. I know that Las Leñas is a high prone avalanche terrain.

 

Skiing in La Thuile- Soft Pastels, Pan Pastels, Pastel Pencils and Charcoal on La Carte Pastel. 60 x 80 cm. In my shop!
Skiing in La Thuile- Soft Pastels, Pan Pastels, Pastel Pencils and Charcoal on La Carte Pastel. 60 x 80 cm. In my shop!

Skiing in Europe, I cannot say I have heard too many bombs at all, so this prompted me to start putting together a couple of stories that will come out on the next months, on how the avalanches are prevented or controlled in different countries of the world.

Coco told me that he left Las Leñas (Mendoza, Argentina) in the year 2010, and since then he has been working as a consultant in mountain projects and developments. He is going to tell me the process used in Las Leñas at least until he left the valley.

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Get your IKON season pass at the lowest available rate until May 1st.

www.Mattpowerphotography.com January 21 2015. Aspen Mountain to Open with Skiing and Riding Memorial Day Weekend.

The newly launched IKON season pass from the Alterra Mountain Company has its lowest available rate until May 1st. On that date, rates will increase by USD 100.



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Sportpass Top4 (Adelboden-Lenk, Gstaad, Jungfrau Ski Region and Meiringen-Hasliberg) goes into the second season.

Over 1 Million Skier Visits for the Jungfrau Ski Region Grindelwald. First Winterski - Wetterhorn. - Photo by Jungrau Ski Region.

Sportpass Top4 goes into the second season. Adelboden-Lenk, Gstaad, the Jungfrau Ski Region and Meiringen-Hasliberg have launched the Top4 Sportpass this winter. Following a successful launch with 36,200 sold subscriptions in advance sales, the offer will continue unchanged in the upcoming winter sports season 2018/2019.



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In the fiercely contested winter sports market, the four largest Bernese ski resorts have decided on a common forward strategy and in autumn 2017 launched the new season subscription Top4. The winter sports pass with access to 666 km of piste was sold in advance for 666 francs. 36’200 times the subscription to the advance sale discount went over the counter, which clearly exceeded the target of 20’000. The responsible persons have decided to continue the offer after the successful premiere.

Sportpass Top4 goes into the second season. Photo by Jungfrau Ski Region.
Top4 Ski Pass – Kleine Scheidegg Lauberhorn – Starthuesi – Photo by Jungfrau Ski Region.

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Sierra Nevada has 70 km of open pistes until the end of the ski season.

Sierra Nevada is having its pistes opened until May 6th.

Sierra Nevada has 70 km of open pistes until the end of the ski season, and is expecting to offer all their vertical drop for skiing until 6th May, which is the last day of the ski season.

Sierra Nevada has 70 km of open pistes until the end of this ski season. Borreguiles area.
Sierra Nevada has 70 km of open pistes until the end of this ski season. Borreguiles area.

This Saturday all entries to the downhill skiing in bathing suit are sold out.



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Sierra Nevada ski área has maintained 70 km of skiable pistes on all its áreas (Veleta, Borreguiles, Laguna, Cauchiles, Rio and Loma Dílar) and all its vertical drop (1,200 meters) until the end of the ski season, if the meteorological previsions and snow conditions allow.

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Several new resorts join the Powder Alliance for 2018-19 ski season:

Loveland Ski Area - Powder Alliance. Several new resorts join the Powder Alliance for 2018-19 ski season

Sugar Bowl Resort, CA, Loveland Ski Area, CO, Castle Mountain Resort, AB Canada, and Ski Marmot Basin, AB Canada join the Powder Alliance for 2018-19

Castle Mountain Resort. Powder Alliance. Several new resorts join the Powder Alliance for 2018-19 ski season:
Castle Mountain Resort- Powder Alliance

The Powder Alliance has announced that Sugar Bowl Resort, CA, Loveland Ski Area, CO, Castle Mountain Resort, AB Canada, and Ski Marmot Basin, AB Canada have been added to its list of participating resorts for the 2018/19 winter. Now spanning 4 countries and 2 hemispheres, the Powder Alliance is one of the world’s most powerful reciprocal season pass programs offering top-tier pass holders three days at 19 premier winter destinations.

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Three Spaniard Skiers have died and two others are injured in Switzerland after an avalanche in Fiescheralp.

Photo by JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock (9488635h) Rescue crews move into direction of the avalanche site to search for five hikers who were carried away on 31 March by an avalanche in Obers Taelli over the Fiescheralp, in Fiesch, Switzerland, 01 April 2018. An avalanche reportedly 'carried away' five people on 31 March in Fiesch in the Swiss Upper Valais region. Police said on 01 April that three persons were killed and two others were injured. Rescue works after avalanche in Swiss Alps, Fiesch, Switzerland - 01 Apr 2018. Three Spaniard Skiers have died and two others are injured in Switzerland after an avalanche.

This past Sunday, three Spanish skiers have died, overtaken by an avalanche and two others where found alive in  Fiescheralp, communicated the Swiss Police. This winter and spring were one of the most mortal ones due to avalanches. 

Helicopter searching the Spaniards caught in an avalanche. Photo EFE. Three Spaniard Skiers have died and two others are injured in Switzerland after an avalanche.
Helicopter searching the Spaniards caught in an avalanche. Photo EFE

As per the press release from the Police Office of the Valais canton, of a group of five skiers, three people have died and other two have been found alive. “The first investigations point to the victims being from Spanish origin. The formal identification of the deceased is being taking place”, says the release.



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The five people were part of a group that on Saturday started a ski touring trip in direction of the Fiescheralp station, in the Valais canton, near the Aletsch glacier. When they were at 2,450 meters of altitude, around 16.45 hours (14.45 GMT), an avalanche trapped the five skiers.

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Area 47 in Tirol: Non-Stop Action and Adrenaline

Area47 Water AREA Slip'n'slide- Photo courtesy www.AREA47.com . Area47 in Tirol

Tirol’s ultimate adventure park at the entrance of the Ötztal valley, AREA 47, remains at the top of its game going into its ninth season. The park, which is the only one of its kind in the Alps, offer action on water, land and up in the air. Cult sports such as wake-boarding, innovative pro camps and fantastic events make AREA 47 the place to be for fans of the outdoors in summer 2017.



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As soon as AREA 47 opened its doors in May 2010, it was clear there would be no standing still here. The location, named after the 47th degree of latitude, has a passion for innovating. The largest outdoor adventure park in Austria – with close to nine hectares – has been setting benchmarks every year since it’s opening.

Area47 - Ötztal Wake AREA - Photo by Florian Breitenberger. www.AREA47.com- AREA47 in Tirol
Area47 – Ötztal Wake AREA – Photo by Florian Breitenberger. www.AREA47.com

Visionary Hansi Neuer relentlessly pursued his life-defining project of creating a unique adventure paradise. In the first decade of the century, outdoor pioneer Hansi Neuner, the initiator of the project who died in 2015, already had the idea of creating an ‘ultimate outdoor playground’. After years of research across the world into similar top facilities and a lengthy planning and project development phase, Neuner finally got the go-ahead to complete his ambitious project. After construction officially began in August 2009, AREA 47 opened its doors in spring 2010. This was the start of a success story that continues today. The attraction has up to 250,000 visitors each summer.


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