A 4-Meter Plus Snowstorm Hit The Andes Earlier This Month Closing the International Highway For Over Two Weeks
The Andes – The Andes are off to one of the best starts to a winter season in decades. After a massive snowstorm pummeled the Andes at the end of May and in early June, the Andes have seen over 4 meters of snow up high. That’s over 13 feet!
See More Photos here and here.
The snow near the Chile/Argentina border, close to the legendary Portillo Ski Resort, shut down the Los Libertadores Pass at 3200 meters for 15 days. The pass which is one of the major trade routes crossing the Andes has not seen a closure like this since 1996.
The Chilean government reopened the road to Portillo and the Pass last weekend to over 1200 semi-trucks that have been waiting to cross the Andes enroute to Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It is now open fully and skiers are heading up to go skiing at Portillo and Los Penitentes.
It’s time to kick off the 2016 South America ski season. Are you planning a trip to South America this year? It looks like it’s going to be an amazing season.
In other news, Ski Arpa had the earliest opening ever – June 11. Definitely put Arpa on your hit list if you’re heading to Chile this summer.
Read more about this massive storm in the Andes from these sources:
