Massive Andes Storm Reverses Fortunes for South American Ski Resorts

A powerful atmospheric river is battering the central Andes, delivering the heaviest snowfall in years to Chile's ski resorts. The system began arriving on July 14 and is expected to peak through the weekend, bringing one to three-plus meters of snow to premier destinations. This weather event abruptly ends weeks of thin coverage that forced widespread delays and left facilities relying heavily on machine-made snow.

OpenSnow meteorologist Luke Stone described the event as a "massive long-duration storm fueled by a powerful atmospheric river." Forecast models indicate the system could reach Category 4 or 5 intensity, with snow levels steadily falling as colder air arrives behind the initial surge.

The operational impact for Chilean resort companies will be significant once avalanche mitigation concludes and winds subside. Facilities including Valle Nevado, Portillo, and Chapa Verde are forecast to receive the highest totals, while Nevados de Chillán, Corralco, and Antuco are expected to pick up one to two meters. Portillo has already closed its operations as access roads became impassable, pausing business to safely wait out one of the most significant storm cycles the resort has seen in over a decade.

Katie White, Portillo's ski school director, detailed the developing conditions in a video shared to Instagram. "This is the biggest storm that I’ve seen forecasted in the 11 years that I’ve worked down here," she said. The resort had already recorded roughly 10 centimeters of snow, with the heart of the storm still days away.

The storm's orientation means these operational benefits will not be shared equally across the border. The heaviest precipitation is falling on Chile's western slopes, leaving major Argentine competitors like Cerro Catedral, Chapelco, and Cerro Bayo with much lighter totals. Cerro Catedral, South America's largest ski resort, had previously opened with only a sliver of its terrain available.

Chile's sudden turnaround mirrors a recent shift across other Southern Hemisphere winter markets. New Zealand resorts like Mt. Hutt, Cardrona, and Treble Cone recently expanded operations after a major storm buried the Southern Alps in up to a meter of snow. Australian resorts such as Hotham and Perisher have seen more modest improvements, but the incoming Chilean snowfall is set to offer some of the deepest conditions in the world, fundamentally changing the trajectory of the 2026 South American ski season.