Wintersports Rediscovered
The new eight-person Elk Camp gondola will open this winter, linking the new multi-billion dollar village development at Snowmass near Aspen in Colorado to the top of Elk Camp Meadows. The ascent will take 8.5 minutes.
Combined with last season’s new Village Express six-seater lift and the Sky Cab gondola, the expanding lift network at Snowmass is providing ever more efficient high-speed connections between the growing resort and its ski area.
The exceptionally cold and snowy winter that has blessed Chile’s ski areas this year is continuing to pay dividends for skiers and resorts in the region.
The country’s capital, Santiago, received its first snowfall in eight years last week and falls of up to two metres (nearly seven feet) were recorded in parts of the country. This ongoing snowfall is on top of earlier falls which helped many areas open all their lifts and terrain on a day one of the season in June and July.
The country’s oldest resort of Portillo reports it’s snowfall this season to date at 7.3m (730 cms / 24 feet) with current base depths of up to 2.3m (7.5 feet).
Although great news for skiers, the snow and cold weather has caused problems for the country’s fruit and wine industries with some estimates claiming losses will amount to $250m.