The final countdown...

We should be getting enough snow by around mid June. The slopes are quite OK. In Argentina, I like very much a place called Las Leñas. There's another place called Bariloche which is nicer in the ski - but also lots of other stuff kinda category but for skiing only (+ the usual ski resort nightlife) Las Leñas is better. Its snow is usually more reliable, as it's at a higher altitude. There's also at least 2 very good resorts in Chile.

From wiki:

Las Leñas is the largest Andean ski resort in Argentina, located in the western part of Mendoza Province. It is well known for its powder snow, good climate and excellent opportunities for extreme and off-piste skiing. The ski area has a good diversity of slopes ranging from very easy to extreme, including a good range of off-piste areas apt for extreme skiing. The skiable area base starts at an altitude of 2,240 m above mean sea level (7,350 feet) and goes up to 3,430 m (11,253 feet) for a total drop of 1,200 m (4,000 feet). The skiable surface amounts to 2.3 km² (one square mile), with 27 pistes and a maximum non-stop skiable distance of 7 km (not including off piste alternatives). The total ski area reachable by land is the largest in South America.

unquote:

Full link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Le%C3%B1as
Maps: https://www.laslenas.com/Default.aspx?te ... apa&Id=178

Wanna come? Let me know if you are headed this way.

Cheers. L.

4000 ft is quite a vertical drop, surpassing even some of the best resorts in the Rocky Mountains. More importantly, how is the snow quality in the Andes? Is it mashed potatoes or champagne powder, or somewhere in between?

I have seen some Burton big air shots taken in Chile. Definately double black diamond terrain.

Las Lenas has been on my must do list for the last 10 years. You lucky lucky man.

Have you ever been skiing outside of the US? The US has pimples for mountains. I used to ski in Verbier (8,000 ft vertical drop) and Le Diablerets (6000 ft drop) in Switzerland years ago. Now those were fricking mountains. Here was the view looking down from the cable car ride at the Le Diablerets glacier:

https://ski.intermaps.com/gstaad/glacier ... uell=Lifte

I think the photo was from the P5 Cabane.

Well,
I think pimples might qualify as hyperbole. Summit Elevation at Kirkwood is 9800' (2 987.04 meter) or just under 100' less than the map shows for Le Diablerets. The difference in vertical drop is enormous though... what is a typical day's skiing there like? Do you ski the upper reaches of the mountain and ski down at the end of the day?

At Las Leñas you can get lots of powder between mid July & mid September. People still ski upto mid October, but the snow is kinda of mashed potatoes by then. Another issue is that the most of the pistes are levelled - flattened or whatever those big machines do is called. So your powder becomes flattened powder = mashy on piste, but you can still hit lots of powder off - piste.

L.

Ok fair enough Still, the mountains seem far more majestic there... probably because the drop is so much. Honestly, I rarely skied from top to bottom - its long and tiring. 95% of the time I did what you described, ski the upper reaches and then ski down at the end of the day... but often I'd take the gondola back down from mid mountain too.

The drop is incredible, and I'm sure the apres-ski options are not to be dismissed. When I get the chance I'm sure I'll jump on it. There is one stat where Tahoe kills though... HAD or "horizontal access distance"... it is close enough to make it an easy round trip (for me).

What we need here is course, "macroeconomic considerations in the travel and tourism sector - eurozone" After week three ("determinate models for analyzing value considerations in the sector") a study trip will be undertaken to expose students to the industry and allow for the field research project to be undertaken. This will have to be winter quarter elective of course and I suggest some diligent preparation will be necessary on the part of interested students. Remember, you will be at altitude, and the days (and nights) will be long. You would not want to bonk on the way back from gastro/oeno minitrip to Pontresina and miss any valuable research opportunities...