Powerful Andes Storm Cycle Transforms Ski Conditions Across Chile and Argentina

South America's July Snowstorm Could Rank Among the Largest Ever Seen

Ski Portillo in the buried under several meters of fresh snow and counting. | Photo: @SkiPortillo Instagram Argentina and Chile are in the midst of one of the largest snowstorms the Andes has ever seen. A powerful atmospheric river has buried resorts across the region in well over 100 inches of snow since the storm began on July 16, with Portillo, Chile, reporting the highest total: nearly 17 feet of accumulation in just two weeks. Those numbers…

Powerful Andes Storm Cycle Transforms Ski Conditions Across Chile and Argentina

A powerful series of winter storms has dramatically changed the outlook for the 2026 South American ski season, delivering exceptional accumulations to the Central Andes and fresh snow across resorts in Argentina and Chile. The snowfall marks a major turnaround from the uneven beginning of the season described in our recent South America Ski Season 2026 opening and conditions update. The most extraordinary totals were recorded in the high mounta…