Valle Nevado Ski Ticket Prices 2008

Ski Lift pass rates (person per day in US Dollars)
High season | Regular season

Adults (over 12 yrs)
59 | 44
Children (5 to 11 yrs)
40 31
Children (under 5 yrs)
16 | 10

High season: Weekends, holidays and between July 7th & August 15th
Regular season :Monday to Friday (other than high season dates)

Chapelco Planned Opening 28th June

Chapelco Ski Resort (San Martín de los Andes) have just announced their new planned opening date of Saturday 28th June for the 2008 season.

Lifts Open at Bariloche

On Wednesday 25th June the following ski lifts will be opened:
Lift Chair (6 person)
Lynch
La Hoya
Punta Nevada (4 person)
The Princesa Lift will only be open for pedestrians

Please note: From the Lynch intermediate level downhill the ski runs will not be opened permanently just yet.
The areas where you are able to ski will be very well marked with signposts until the snow reaches its normal level.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us

Bariloche Only Partially Open

Yesterday there was a very limited amount skiing on the upper slopes at Bariloche although we are told this was just for beginner classes. We will hopefully have more info today. In the meantime here is the forecast for the upper slopes in the next few days.. At the time of writing this there were some light snow falls forecast on the upper slopes with siginificant snow forecast for Thursday 26th August.
If you are due to visit Bariloche with Snoventures we are currently looking to see if there are any suitable alternative options for you and either our partners or ourselves will be in touch very soon.
Bariloche Cerro Catedral Detailed Snow Forecast

Snow in Bariloche

Although Bariloche postponed their opening from the 14th June, today it has been snowing on the mountain and in the town. We are waiting confirmation of the lifts starting for the 2008 ski season at Catedral Alta Patagonia.

Valle Nevado Road Schedule

Note: For safety reasons, the Chilean Police department restricts the use of the access road to the Mountains throughout the ski season. Below are outlined the restrictions:
Monday – Friday (except holidays)
Ascent and descent throughout the day.
Saturday, Sundays, and holidays
Only ascents from 8:00 – 14:00
Only descents from 16:00 – 20:00
No restriction from 20:00 until next morning 8:00 AM.

Chaiten Volcano Rumblings

Since it's eruption on 2nd May Chaiten Volcano had been calm. In the last days there have been more ash emissions and rumblings from the volcano so the local geologists are now keeping a close watch on the volcano.
The May eruption had sent clouds of ash over a large area of Patagonia and appeared to have settled until just recently.

Whilst no immediate danger in the ski resorts the ash clouds may be seen over nearby resorts if this continues.

The closest ski resort to Chaiten is La Hoya near to the town of Esquel. Bariloche is quite some distance from Chaiten although if the ash clouds turn out to be significant it may affect air travel.

We will update if and when we hear any significant and relevant news or if this could affect the skiing.

Argentina Ski Resort Opening Dates

Revised Ski Resort Opening dates for Argentina:-
Las Leñas - June 13th
Cerro Castor - Ushuaia - June 14th
Chapelco - San Martín de los Andes - June 21st
Bariloche Catedral - Postponed from June 14th to 21st (to be confirmed in the next few days)
Cerro Bayo - to be confirmed

Snow Parks in Chile & Argentina

There seems to be some confusion and misinformation about where the snow parks are in South America. let'stry to correct this with the information we have.
In Chile Valle Nevado has a large snow park and half pipe.
Termas de Chillán does not and will not for this season according to the resort staff. Termas however is a natural snow playground with the extensive and varied terrain they have. They had one about 10 years ago but have not had one since.
El Colorado normally has one.
Portillo doesn't have a snow park.
In Argentina Las Leñas will have if they get enough snow.
Bariloche usually has a good one.
Chapelco normally has 2 small ones, one main one and one for training and camps.
La Hoya in Esquel normally has one.

If you have any further information on snow parks updates from 2008 please leave a comment.

Portillo Announce Ski Pass Prices for 2008

**Please note our hotel and lodge packages at Portillo all include ski lift passes**
Portillo 2008 Ticket Prices - High Season Day Tickets
Adults CP28,500 : USD58.71 : GBP29.92
Children (5 a 12 años) CP18,000 : USD37.08 : GBP18.90
Seniors (65+) CP15,000 : USD30.90 : GBP15.75
Infants (-5 años) Free

Portillo 2008 Ticket Prices - Low Season Day Tickets
Adult CP22,000 : USD45.32 : GBP23.10
Child (5 to 12 yrs) CP14,000 : USD28.84 : GBP14.70
Seniors (65+ yrs) CP12,500 : USD25.75 : GBP13.12
Infants (<5 yrs) Free

Portillo 2008 Ticket Prices - High Season Day Tickets with Lunch
Adults CP32,900 : USD67.77 : GBP34.54
Childrens CP21,900 : USD45.11 : GBP22.99
Seniors CP18,900 : USD38.93 : GBP19.84

Portillo 2008 Ticket Prices - Low Season Day Tickets with Lunch
Adults CP25,900 : USD53.35 : GBP27.19
Childrens CP17,900 : USD36.87 : GBP18.79
Seniors CP16,900 : USD34.81 : GBP17.74

CP = Chilean Pesos with tax included
CP:USD:GBP exchange rate conversion at CP1000 : USD2.06 : GBP1.05
Tickets with lunch include lunch taken in the self service cafeteria e.g. Soup & Salad, Dish of the Day, Dessert & Drink

High Season: Saturday, Sunday, Holidays and between July 5 & August 15 (inclusive)
Low Season: Weekdays outside of high season dates and holidays.

Bariloche to Open Thursday 12th June

Catedral Alta Patagonia Ski Resort Bariloche, Patagonia will open their lifts this Thursday 12th June, slightly earlier than normal after the early snowfalls in the Andes.
Various packages are still available at Bariloche for 2008 with choices of staying in a wide range of accommodation either at the ski resort or in the town if cost or the need to party is an important part of your holiday!

Snow Forecast for Bariloche this Weekend

Heaviest snow fall is likely to be Saturday evening/night with more forecast for Monday.
More detail here Bariloche Snow Forecast

Iberia New Baggage Allowances

Hold Baggage Allowance

Europe to Argentina Economy 2 pieces x 23 kg (each) Business Class 3 pieces x 23 kg (each)
Europe to Chile Economy 23 kg Business Class 30 kg

Each individual item checked in may not exceed 158 cm (calculated by adding length+width+height), with the exception of special items of luggage.
Please note this is only applicable to journeys to which the piece system applies.

Although we can accept no liability, in our experience sports equipment counts as special equipment. Please check with the airline.
Full article here ... Iberia Luggage Allowances

El Colorado Opens June 5th 2008

El Colorado will open their lifts for the 2008 season on Thursday June 5th. So early, a clear indication on the amount of snow that has been falling in the Andes.