South American Winter 2015? Anyone?

[uniboyskiier]

Hello All,
Heading down to South American May 29th. Taking a spanish class in Vina del Mar near Santiago. During and after the course I am ski touring wherever possible. Would be great to meet up with fellow skiers if you are around the Santiago area.

[P.A.B.C.]

Hey, Ive been living in Viña for the last year. Last winter I didnt get much skiing in due to equipment and logistical problems, but this year i hope that changes. It is definitely pretty hard to get to the mountains from here without a ton of money and a car, but its doable, especially if youve got more than one person. There are also not that many skiers living on the coast.

Send me a PM and we can figure out some spots to check out!

[Casey E]

Hi, PM me if you want to hook up some time. I live in Santiago and will be skiing here and the south most of the winter.

For touring, you first have to get to the snowline, which is not easy outside of the ski resorts. This makes a trip from Viña at least 3 hours. The epic descents you might see on TGR or elsewhere are normally made after a long approach. One option is to go to Lo Valdés, at the end of the Cajon del Maipo, and tour from there, where lots of 5,000m to 6,000m peaks are located, going up the Valle de Las Arenas or the Volcán San Jose.

The Ski Arpa cat operation offers a touring option, you get one ride up and tour from there. This is located west of Portillo, with views of the Aconcagua, which by the way, can be seen from Valparaiso on a clear day (Museo Naval).

Hopefully the snowline will be low this year....