Days 0-3 Cerro Catedral Weather Summary:

A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Thu morning. Temperatures will be below freezing (max 30°F on Wed afternoon, min 12°F on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Thu night, near gales from the NW by Fri afternoon).

Days 4-6 Cerro Catedral Weather Summary:

A heavy fall of snow, heaviest during Fri night. Temperatures will be below freezing (max 27°F on Fri night, min 18°F on Sat afternoon). Winds decreasing (near gales from the WNW on Fri night, light winds from the W by Mon morning).

snow-forecast.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

Are you thinking about extending your winter by traveling below the equator to South America for earths next winter season but are apprehensive because you don’t know what to expect? Well, this video might help. Here is a look at a typical day in the life of a gringo ski bum in Las Leñas, Argentina.

Video shot on August 7, 2009.

It is the equivalent of late October below the equator and  Valle Nevado, Chile is already getting pounded with snow. Here are some photos from their Facebook Page showing the extent of the new fallen snow.   For more info on Valle Nevado and their new gondola check out this article by The Ski Channel - Chile Prepares For Big Winter.

Jackie Paaso in Las Leñas (Photo by GP Martin)

Tim Dutton About to Tee Off in the Las Leñas Slackcountry (Photo by GP Martin)

Walking back to the Village of Las Leñas from another backcountry adventure (Photo by, Erik the Swede)

Road to Valle Nevado, Chile (Photo by GP Martin)

Skiing the western side of the Andes in Nevados de Chillan (Photo by GP Martin)

John ‘Goggle Tan’ Karlström eyeing down the greatest meat in the world. (Photo by, Erik the Swede)

Mike Hattrup Enjoying some South American Powder (Photo by GP Martin)

Chilling in a hot tub at Hotel Mission Impossible near Nevados de Chillan (Photo by GP Martin)

‘Road Run’ at El Colorado (Photo by GP Martin)

Skiing off the Valcano Chair in Las Leñas, Argentina (Photo by GP Martin)

Nevados de Chillan (Photo by GP Martin)

Rock, Wind and Snow – Welcome to the Andes (Photo by George Davison)

Tim Dutton Sending a Big Backfil in Las Leñas, Argentina (Photo by GP Martin)

Bluebird and Powder – Las Leñas, Argentina

Getting Ready for a Day of Powder Skiing, Las Leñas

Another Mission into the Andes  (Photo by, Erik the Swede)

For more South American Ski Stoke Check Out UnofficialAndes.com

The Minerva Area of Las Leñas, Argentina

Unofficial Networks has obtained this official email from Valle de Las Leñas. 

On a historical occasion, Valle de Las Leñas is pleased to inform you about the purchase of a new cutting-edge ski lift, featuring state-of-the art technology, provided by Austrian company Doppelmayr, world leader in quality, safety and technology in ski lifts.

The new ski lift is a quad chairlift, featuring a modern system for entering the lift which allows comfortable access and reduces waiting time. Prior to ascent, the skier slides over a moving mat, which propels her/him up to the right speed so that s/he can sit on the chair in a smooth and effortless manner.

The new ski lift will be installed in the Minerva area, the busiest area on the mountain, and, together with existing ski lifts (TS Caris and TK Minerva), will allow a total of 4,230 people per hour to access the area, thus tripling current capacity.

Technical information:

• 1,190 m in length
• 296.50 m in vertical elevation
• 7.91 min. to ascend
• 2,100 passengers per hour
• 4 passengers per vehicle

The purchase of this new ski lift belongs to the first stage of mountain redesign, which will enable us to decentralize activities towards other skiable areas of the resort.

The project is part of an expansion and investment policy introduced in the past years in all areas of the Valle, which, through technology, gives rise to the safest and most modern mountain in South America.

Therefore, year after year, Valle de Las Leñas continues providing all its visitors with an excellent service, always being the place where you dream of skiing.

Warm regards,

Valle de Las Leñas

 Our inside source has also informed us that the much talked about Paraiso Project is on track for 2013. If this project is in fact in the works it will be an absolute game changer for not only Las Leñas but South America skiing as a whole. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

As the North American season begins to wind down many skiers thoughts turn to the next ski season. Not the 2012/13 season but the “Summer Season” below the equator in the Southern Hemisphere. Believe it or not ski resorts in Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand will be gunning for opening dates in mid to early June. Thats just two months away!

Here is a look at Carston Oliver’s self edited remix from the 2010/11 Season in Argentina.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Swatch Skiers Cup Is Back | 2012 teaser

The Swatch Skiers Cup is based on a simple concept first developed by Freeriders Kaj Zaricksson and Sverre Liliequist: bringing together the world’s best Freeskiers in a “first of its kind” intercontinental team competition. The idea will turn into reality for the second time this September: sixteen riders in two teams, led by their respective captains, will fight for the Skiers Cup in Valle Nevado (Chile). The sport’s elite will be going at it “mano-à-mano” with both a cash prize and the all important bragging rights up for grabs. It promises to be a classic and a mainstay in the Freeride agenda for years to come.

The new and unique format will consist of a series of head-to-head contests featuring one Team America rider against one Team Europe rider in both big mountain and back-country slopestyle disciplines. There will be two rounds of eight heats per discipline with every rider obligated to feature in a minimum of one Freeride and one Slopestyle heat. The winner of each heat wins one point for his team and the team with the most points wins the right to keep the Swatch Skiers Cup for 12 months.

Lake Nahuel Haupi and Lago Moreno este.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Julian Donatelli is a local professional photographer in Bariloche, Argentina who was nice enough to share these photos with Unofficial.  His photos more than speak for themselves.  If these pics don’t make you wanna get down here, you’ve got some serious problems…

Julian’s contact: juliandonatelli@hotmail.com if you want any shots or are looking for a pro photog in Argentina.

Catedral ski resort.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Catedral ski resort.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Catedral ski resort.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Cerro Otto.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Lake Nahuel Haupi and Lago Moreno este.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Catedral ski resort.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Cerro Negro.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Cerro Tronador.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Bariloche, Argentina.

Lake Nahuel Huapi.  Bariloche, Argentina.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks to Trevor Martin for the edit and the following words about the event…

A few great things about Valparaiso Chile: 

Telluridian Trevor Martin Racing Down South

Drawing crowds of more than 10,000 screaming fans and international competitors from around the globe, this is a mountain bike race like none other in the history. This year marked the 10th  event that has run annually since it’s first race; a marketing gimmick for a local cycling magazine. Each year that passes brings larger crowds, larger jumps and more sponsors taking claim in the events success. 

Stair Gap About To Cause Some Issues...

This year was my third trip to central Chile for the Valparaiso Cerro Abajo and I feel I couldn’t have been more prepared for it. I have placed as good as 20th in past competitions and was aiming for a crack at the top 10 this year. I felt strong during the morning’s practice until disaster struck while trying to dial in a challenging stair gap midway through the course. This part of the course held one of the more challenging options with a descent time advantage to double a stair set. This advantage comes with higher consequences as well which I fully felt the wrath of. Upon landing the gap, there are four or five sets of steep, tight stairs that lead to the street at the bottom. The stairs were a little more than I was prepared to handle at the speed I was traveling and I ended up getting bucked forward near the last set. At that point I was merely hanging on and preparing for the inevitable impact at the bottom of the stairs. My bike veered offline ever so slightly and my right hand, still clenching the handle bar, landed on top of the metal handrail, crushing my fingers and the break lever. Before I could blink, I knew the time had come to let go, tuck, roll and hope for the best.

Trevor About To Go For A Ride

Amazingly, I was on my feet sliding backwards looking up the course just as quickly as I had hit the ground. Despite my index finger being absolutely crushed from the handrail I survived relatively unharmed. The front wheel of the bike was destroyed in the impact and my finger had little to no function. A local woman spectating the action quickly ran inside her house, about 10 feet away and came back with a bandage, gauze and ice. The locals had me back on my bike in a matter of minutes with an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm and applause when I waived that I will survive. 

For a full speed spectators view of Trevor’s crash and all the other crazy features check out PinkBike.com for their event video.

On 31 May 1970, an earthquake off the coast of Peru caused a substantial section of the north slope of Mt. Huascaran to collapse. [Situated in the Cordillera Blanca, the world's highest tropical mountain range, Mount Huascarán rises to 6768 m above sea-level.] The avalanche moved down hill at a speed of 100 MPH with a mass of roughly 80 million cubic feet of ice, mud and rock. It ran nearly 11 miles, burying the towns of Yungay and Ranrahirca in up to 300 feet of rock and debris. Estimates suggest that the earthquake killed over 20,000 people.

* The avalanche started as a sliding mass of glacial ice and rock about 3,000 feet wide and one mile long. The avalanche swept about 11 miles to the village of Yungay at an average speed of more that 100 miles an hour. The fast-moving mass picked up glacial deposits and by the time it reached Yungay, it is estimated to have consisted of about 80 million cubic yards of water, mud, and rocks. Photo courtesy of Servicio Aerofotografico Nacional de Peru, 13 June 1970. – landslide.usgs.gov