We could no longer resist reports of record snowfalls in the Andes, so we packed our ski bags and booked a flight from Vancouver to Santiago.
Established Chilean resorts such as Termas de Chillan -- and lesser-known powder havens including Ski Arpa -- opened as early as May this year, having received more than 150 centimetres of snow. This kind of inundation hasn't happened in more than a decade, just about ensuring that many runs will remain open until late September this season.
At Santiago airport, my ski buddy Magali Roy hailed a taxi for the hour-long drive to the small town of Los Andes, one step closer to the Ski Arpa experience the two of us were craving. The owners of our rural accommodations -- the beautifully restored Casa San Regis -- showed us around the 19th-century hacienda and served us tender Chilean steaks and, of course, some fine local wine. Our plan was to ski two resorts in Chile that are off the mega-resort path, but still offer great terrain.
Early the next morning, after a traditional breakfast of bread, ham, cheese and eggs, we were picked up in an SUV by Brian Pearson, the American owner of the Santiago Adventures tour company. (A four-by-four vehicle is required to reach Ski Arpa, as the dirt access road is challenging to say the least.)
After an hour's drive, we were met by Ski Arpa owner Toni Sponar. Born in Austria, Sponar is in his late 60s but has the looks, attitude, enthusiasm and skiing ability of a twentysomething.
Two decades ago, he used the money he had saved working for more than 35 years as a ski instructor in Aspen, Colo., to buy 4,000 hectares of land in the Chilean Andes from families and farmers. His dream was to run his own private ski resort, and to do what he loves on his own terms. Today, Ski Arpa's only lifts are two Sno-Cats -- tank-like grooming machines with passenger cabins -- that take skiers wherever they want to go on the mountain.
Jumping into the Sno-Cat 10 minutes after our arrival, we were excited to be heading up to about 3,500 metres in elevation -- and about having an entire mountain to share among just five skiers: myself, Roy, Pearson, Sponar and Les Manley, a professional skier from Whistler, B.C. Because Ski Arpa is a bit of a trek, it's rarely crowded (call ahead on weekdays to make sure the Sno-Cats are running).
The views from the summit ridge were breathtaking, with the 6,962-metre peak of Aconcagua rising behind us as we began our descent. Just as spectacular was all the snow and terrain. We asked Sponar where we could go, and he replied: "Wherever you want."
Manley, Roy, Pearson and I all chose different routes, from steep pitches with chutes to wide-open bowls, but we were still able to meet up in the same area lower down on the mountain. The snow was a bit wind-blown, but there was definitely plenty of it, with more than three metres covering the slopes. And we could go as fast as we wanted with all that elbow room. After a long run over rolling terrain, we were picked up by the Snow-Cat again. It was time to go a bit higher for another run starting on a different ridge.
This time, we skied down Avalancha, Sponar's favourite. We stayed on this ridge run all day -- it yielded the deepest, fluffiest powder -- and took in surreal views of the Los Andes desert in the background. After a great day, we headed back to Santiago to pick up a rental truck for the drive to our next stop.
We arrived in the town of Las Trancas, near the Termas de Chillan ski resort, at about 3 a.m. Not surprisingly, no one was awake at the Las Trancas International Hostel/Lodge, and the front door was locked. So we pulled out our sleeping bags and down jackets, and made ourselves comfortable in our own "Casa de Nissan."
