South America
Paolo Ciotti
I went skiing the first time in South America exactly 10 years ago. At the time, even before I left, I was struck by read a note on a travel guide that mentioned the skiing opportunities Chile and Argentina, which described the local skiers very little accustomed to the off-piste skiing .. Indeed the great potential of freeriders South American stations have been for a long time almost exclusive field of action of the fans foreigners, mostly Americans, with their spectacular style and exhibitionist. Certainly, however, in recent years things have changed a lot: a spirit of emulation option powder has become very attractive even South American skiers are more motivated and more and more those who test themselves, and successfully. Also grow their teachers, and local guides who bring in any ski resort is professionally available. Moreover, the opportunities are huge.
Friday 12 July 2013 5 minutes reading time
The Queen of the South American discipline is definitely the station of Las Leñas, in the Andes mendozine: one of the meccas of off-piste world, where the proposal "powder" is organized in every detail. This is due to its immense slopes on open ground which made possible the mapping of hundreds of routes of all levels and length, many already reached by the lifts, otherwise with the snowcat or, for the more affluent, with heli-skiing. Should be prepared to get down from peaks as yet unnamed, from which it is impossible to see any kind of human settlement ..
Do not mess even in Tres Valles Chilean, from which you access the heli-largest airline mapped off-piste skiing in the Andes and in any case, staying near the slopes, you can try freeriders in international competitions such as the prestigious Swatch Skiers Cup or participate in the "Eye of the Condor", the contest only one of its kind in the world, where several teams of well-known brands in the industry composed of 2-3 athletes with a photographer, documentary filmmaker and editor, in a week must create a 5 minute video and 5 photographs. Obviously, in the context riders.
Going down in Patagonia, especially in the north, you start to ski even in the midst of huge forests and do it in powder in the woods of lengas, beech Andes, is one of those opportunities that alone are worth the trip: plants are normally between them sufficiently thinned, and the humidity of the lakes region, are often completely whitewashed .. is pure magic!
The notes Chapelco / San Martin de los Andes and Bariloche / Catedral have, in recent years, done much to the delight of many fans: Chapelco has made available the beautiful and wild south side, a huge funnel from which you can return with one snowcat, while at the Catedral, thanks to the expansion plant around Punta Principesa, is now within reach of many of its free zone embarrassing scenic beauty, first in open ground between granite towers and then into the woods. Not bad also Cavihaue, where, with the snowcat is possible to climb to the top of the imposing volcano Copahue and then tackle 8km descent into pristine land to the beaten tracks of the station.
Veering further to the south there is an opportunity to test the powder probably best of the continent La Hoya / Esquel flakes that fall are exceptionally dry and soft: it is an indescribable pleasure in sciarvi beaten track; imagine galleggiarvi long off-piste skiing in the adjacent the ski area!
The Cordillera is really very, very long and its end, in Tierra del Fuego, holds other surprises: how about coming to do heli-skiing to snow-covered beaches? August is the perfect time, of course!
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Ultimi in Regioni
Chiesa Valmalenco
La Valmalenco offre uno dei comprensori sciistici più panoramici della Valtellina, sviluppato principalmente nella conca dell’Alpe Palù e circondato dalle grandi montagne del gruppo del Bernina. Boschi di conifere, ampi pendii in quota e il lago Palù compongono un ambiente alpino ancora relativamente integro, con vedute che spaziano verso il Pizzo Scalino, il Monte Disgrazia e le cime che separano la valle dall’Engadina.
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