Chile Resorts Anxious For Snow

Chilean ski resorts are getting off to a later-than-usual start due to low snowfall, and some resorts such as Portillo have pushed their opening date up a week from June 16 to June 23. Termas de Chillan, which had originally planned for a June 9 opening, hopes to open this Saturday. Valle Nevado has a wait-and-see policy as to whether they will open this Friday, June 15, due to an expected storm front that will arrive tomorrow and should last until Thursday. All ski resorts around Santiago have their fingers crossed that this storm, and another predicted for the upcoming week, will deliver the goods and kick off the 2007 season. The only snowfall that resorts at Farellones (La Parva, El Colorado and Valle Nevado) and Portillo have received so far is one storm more than a week ago that left an average of 25cm at the base and 40cm at the top. Argentine resorts have fared only slightly better than Chilean resorts, with Bariloche and Chapelco receiving more than 40cm of snow this weekend and continuous snowfall this week (see "news" in Argentina).