Ski Chile & Argentina - Andes Skiing & Snowboarding Blog

PowderQuest 2010 Early Bird Discounts

2009-10-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

PowderQuest South America's 2010 dates are live!

Early Bird Specials:

2009 rates until December 1st!

Be one of the next 10 reservations and get an additional $450 Off!

Your Adventure Starts Here:

www.powderquest.com/ski-south-america/tour-schedule.aspx

"Messi" Gets Deep in Valle Nevado, Chile

2009-09-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Argentine soccer astro Lionel Messi, eat your heart out. Global travel writer Spencer Francey might be your Canadian twin, but hes got more game and gets to shred powder at places like Valle Nevado, Chile, while you are suffering in the World Cup qualifiers.
Check out the Canadian powder astros recent jaunt to 3,000 meters above the South Pacific, here on Push.ca

Chile's Chopo Diaz wins FWT event in La Parva

2009-09-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Chopo Diaz winner of the World Freeskiing Tour event in La Parva, Chile.

Watch it on You Tube

Dakine Supports PowderQuest

2009-07-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

For close to a decade, Dakine has supported PowderQuest Tours, outfitting our team of guides with the best backpacks, gloves, and travel gear in the industry.
It is essential to have gear you can trust when exposed to the elements of the Andes, Dakine has been flawless.

PowderQuest Guides choice Dakine gear:
Backpacks: Heli-pro, Poacher, Guide
Gloves: Apollo, Bronco, Cobra
Travel Bags: Split Roller, High Roller, Concourse Double

Dakine website
Dakine on Facebook. Become a fan!

Freeskiing World Tour In Chile

2009-07-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

News is flying in Chile and on freeskiers.org that The Freeskiing World Tour will host a stop in La Parva, Chile, scheduled for September 3-7, 2009.
According to freeskiers.org, the event will be announced on July 16th on Freeskiing World Tour website.
For Trips in the area during the event visit http://www.powderquest.com/ski-south-america/tour-schedule.aspx

La Parva, Chile Honors Shane McConkey

2009-07-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

La Parva, one of Chile's finest ski resorts for off-piste and backcountry access, has honored freeskiing great Shane McConkey in creating a memorial off-piste run, "McConkey's".

Rodrigo Medina, head of La Parva's marketing, was a long time fan of Shane and his inspirational skiing. Saddened by McConkey's death, Medina and friends decided to name one of The Andes best off-piste runs in his honor.

Listed on La Parva's 2009 trail map, McConkey's is accessed via a boot pack hike off the top chair, Las Aguilas, above 3,574 meters.

Nevados de Chillan Photos Part 2

2009-07-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Nevados de Chillan Photos

2009-07-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

July 7-8, 2009
PowderQuest guide Mo Rasiah and I spent 2 bluebird days checking out the conditions in beautiful Nevados de Chillan and Las Trancas, Chile. Conditions are early season, but were pretty good above 2000 meters where we spent most of our time riding the off-piste and back country off of Otto chairlift. There is snow coverage all the way to the base of the ski resort.
Yesterday we summited Volcano Chillan Nuevo, 3150 meters, had lunch in the crater by the warm rocks with an epic view East to Argentina. The 1,500 meter descent back to the base was a great way to start the year.

Early Season Ski Touring Pics

2009-07-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Late Fall ski touring on the first snows of the season in Patagonia. Locations: San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina and Villarrica National Park, Chile.

Transworld, A Must Read For Your Flight To South America

2009-06-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

If you haven't picked up a copy of Transworld Snowboarding Summer Ride Guide yet, what are you waiting for? It will keep you stoked during the off season and if you are lucky enough to be snowboarding in South America this Summer, TWS (along with the free booze if you fly with LAN) will keep you entertained on the flight down.
There is a short but sweet article on shredding Argentina featuring some great shots by Andy Wright and hey, they mention PowderQuest along with other good tips on riding in Patagonia and Las Lenas.

First Snows of the 2009 Andes Ski Season

2009-06-17T08:17:00.001-07:00

Central Chile's ski resorts received 30-40 cm (up to 15 inches) of fresh snow on Sunday/Monday (as seen in the picture provided to us by Valle Nevado Resort) with more in the forecast.
Starting tonight, most of Chile and areas like Las Lenas, Argentina are expecting to receive up to 5 feet of snow by the time it tapers off on Saturday.
Some areas of Chile, including the rustic ski resort of Villarrica-Pucon, have already seen close to a meter of snow (3.5 feet) since Saturday.
Numerous ski areas, including Valle Nevado and Portillo plan on opening this Saturday...assuming they can clear the roads.
Storm updates can be followed on Facebook.

ESPN features PowderQuest Snow Adventures

2009-05-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

ESPN has recently featured PowderQuest's Snowboarding With The Pros trips. Here is a sneak peak:

"You're off to Chile or Argentina to experience endless winter just like the Burton A team. And you're going to do it with the best tour guides possible: Shin Campos and PowderQuest.
...this once-in-a-lifetime mission with Shin Campos and PowderQuest might be the best way to max out that credit card since iTunes."

Full ESPN Article

Direct Snowboard Tour links:
Ride Argentina
Ride Chile

PowderQuests Biggest Savings of the Season

2009-05-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Be one of the next 30 skiers or snowboarders to book a guided South America adventure July to September and save:

$400 off Argentina Tours
$300 off Chile Tours

PLUS

Additional discounts on select trips for small groups!

Reserve your spot now! info@powderquest.com / 1-888-565-7185

New Snowboarders Only Adventures in South America

2009-04-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

PowderQuest and pro rider Shin Campos out of Whistler, B.C. present 2 unique guided snowboard adventures to the best terrain in central Chile and Patagonia this summer.

Take your riding to the next level learning from Shin and select guest Pros on these culturally intensive, powder freeride road trips through The Andes starting this July.
3 guides (2 pro riders and 1 trip coordinator), and up to 8 guests per trip.

For more details:
Snowboard Chile
Snowboard Argentina

Smart Adventure Travel Deals

2009-04-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

Popular travel blog writer, Everett Potter, includes PowderQuest Tours amongst 30 Adventure Travel Companies offering Smart Deals worth checking out:

"...a great adventure travel trip -- and that’s what all of these companies are noted for -- can take you out of yourself, transform you, and return you to your everyday world energized and rejuvenated. We all need that, especially now. And that’s something that you can’t put a price on."

Shane McConkey RIP

2009-03-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

We were very sad to hear the news that legendary pro freeskier Shane McConkey died today in a base jumping accident in Italy.
Often seen skiing the biggest lines in Portillo, Chile and a smile on his face at Tio Bob's, Shane was an inspiration to the sport and will be missed. RIP Shane:

More on Shane and the accident

2009 Early Bird Discounts for South America Ski Tours

2009-01-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

From January to March, PowderQuest Tours is offering big early bird discounts on all South American guided ski tours. For more details, visit, PowderQuest.com

Patagonia Update: Volcano Chaiten's Effect

2008-06-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Since our last post on Volcano Chaiten (please read), activity dropped and flights into Bariloche returned to almost normal. However this weeks increase in volcanic activity has once again released ash high into the atmosphere causing flight delays and cancellations into Patagonia.

Lan Chile and Aerolineas Argentina are reducing their flights into Bariloche for later June and even into July, the start of the high season for skiing. If you have flight plans into Bariloche be sure to check with your airlines regarding changes or cancellations. Some flights will be redirected to the Argentine city of Neuquen or Puerto Montt, Chile.

2008 South America Ski Season Underway

2008-06-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

Another 2 feet of snow has covered the Andean ski resorts of Portillo, La Parva, Valle Nevado and Las Lenas, allowing for an early start of the 2008 ski season. El Colorado and La Parva are now open to the public and the remaining major resorts will be launching next weekend.

6 Feet of Snow Falls in Portillo, Chile

2008-05-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

(Image by Portillo Ski Resort)

Two large back-to-back, late fall snowstorms slammed into the Andes of Chile and Argentina over the past 10 days, bringing flooding rains, saving Chile from 2007/2008 drought conditions, and blessed ski resorts like Portillo with close to 6 feet of snow.

The recent snow will allow Portillo and other resorts to open earlier than scheduled. Portillo will now open their 2008 ski season on June 14th. El Colorado, La Parva, and Valle Nevado, may even open next week as another snow storm is in the forecast starting Sunday night.

See the storm pictures

Volcano Chaiten Erupts

2008-05-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

After a 9,000 year rest, early May's eruption of Volcano Chaiten in Chile has all eyes on Patagonia.

The big question for PowderQuest is how will this affect the South American ski season starting in mid June. Unfortunately, for now, it is an impossible question to answer. No one knows for sure what will happen. It could spew ash for months, or it could return to a dormant state tomorrow.

It is important to note that Volcano Chaiten is located 110 kms from Esquel and 230 kms from Bariloche, the hub for many of our tour. There is no risk of lava touching these towns, and currently the only effect on these two towns is falling ash due to the prevailing east winds. It has been very minimal to date in Bariloche, while Esquel has recently been hit with several inches of ash in town. They are currently cleaning up the ash in Esquel from the streets.

The government of Argentina is calling this ash "non-toxic", but regardless if it is or not, it is not exactly something you really want to be breathing.

PowderQuest is keeping a close eye on the situation, but currently are not canceling our ski and snowboard tours in Patagonia. We are still 45-90 days away from most trips, and currently the only possible change we see would be to replace our planned days skiing La Hoya Ski Resort in Esquel, with Chapelco ski resort in San Martin de Los Andes, located 3 hours north of Bariloche.
This would only affect our Patagonia Powder Tour.

However we will be watching closely as flights to Bariloche, San Martin, Esquel, and other small local airports in Patagonia have recently been canceled on and off, due to fears that ash at 25,000 feet could damage airplane engines.

As we continue to monitor the situation in Patagonia we will make updates here. Other trips potentially affected if the situation worsens are:

Ski Patagonia
Ski Argentina
Snowboarding Argentina With The Pros
Cimarra Sur
Freerider
Hut to Hut

We have several back up plans should the situation get worse, (ash accumulation in Bariloche or continued flight cancellations). Contact info@powderquest.com for more details.

If you are considering one of our ski trips in Patagonia, please let us know if you have any questions. Should you not want to take the risk of your trip itinerary changing, we suggest booking one of the following great powder trips located in central Chile:

Ski Chile
Summer Ski Escape
Cimarra Norte
Termas de Chillan
Frontier-Las Lenas

New PowderQuest Website. Fresher Than a Foot of Andes Powder

2008-05-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

A fresh new PowderQuest website rolled out last night. Have a look around and get stoked on the South American winter season starting in just over a month. Some snow has fallen around Valle Nevado and Portillo as well as the southern volcanoes, and it tends to pick up in mid to late May.

See you in the Andes,

PowderQuest

Life Of A Ski Guide & Pro Skier - Catching Up With Les Manley

2008-03-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Les Manley, can be hard to track down. As a ski guide for PowderQuest Tours and a professional skier, Les is constantly chasing the best snow around the globe for a living.

We recently had a chance to catch up with Les en route to Slovenia to compete in the Quicksilver Freeride Battle going down over the weekend.

PowderQuest: Les, quite the season you are having with all the snow falling in Canada. What have you been up to?

Les Manley: My Season has been and is quite the wirl wind, maybe a bit more than usual. I started things off in Whistler, BC in December guiding clients for Extremely Canadian. We had a ton of snow and I was very happy to be sharing the steep and deep of my home mountain with folks for the third season in a row. I also did a fair amount of backcountry ski guiding. In early February I took of for Verbier, Switzerland to get a shot at skiing powder in the Alps.

PowderQuest: Yeah, skiing British Columbia has been good! Why sacrifice the powder in BC for a trip to the Alps?

Les Manley: Basing myself out of Verbier I have been ski guiding quite a bit and making day trips to small ski resorts in the area such as Orvnaz, Super St. Bernard, and Bruson. In Late February I travelled to Bansko, Bulgaria to compete in the Red Bull Powder Kick freesking contest where I was able to take third place.

PowderQuest: Congratulations! Good thing I was not there, I would have taken you out! What will you be doing until your come back and guide for PowderQuest starting in June?

Les Manley: I plan on staying in the Alps till May and have a number of ski tours to peaks over 4000m planned before then. I will be touring in B.C. in the late spring, taking some clients on the Spearhead traverse and completing some rock climbing courses. In June it's back to South America!

PowderQuest: Yeah we can't wait to get back in the snow in the Andes. I know you love Argentina, What is your favorite places to ski?

Les Manley: My favorite backcountry line in South America is Adrenalina in the Las Lenas valley which I had the pleasure of heliskiing two seasons ago. My favorite in bounds terrain is the Laguna area at Cerro Catedral, Bariloche.

PowderQuest: Good spots! So what would be your favorite PowderQuest guided ski tour?

Les Manley: If I could pick any PQ trip it would be the Frontier-Las Lenas because I truly love skiing in the high Andes; you can't beat the thigh burning descents, light snow, and gaucho culture.

PowderQuest: Yeah, plus the cat skiing in El Arpa on that trip is a must do experience in Chile.

With all the travel and job opportunities you get, why do you keep coming back for our small ski operation?

Les Manley: I think the best thing about working for PowderQuest is being able to share unique mountain experiences with PQ guests in the vibrant culture of South America. The travel isn't bad either!

PowderQuest: We get a lot of questions from our guests on what skis to bring down or buy. I understand you are on a new ski this year. Tell us about it.

Les Manley: I have recently signed with Movement Skis and am really enjoying the powerful ride their fat ski, the Goliath provides.

PowderQuest: I know that Mo Rasiah enjoyed guiding on the Movement Goliath last year and a lot of the other guides are requesting we get this ski as the official ski for PowderQuest guides. Movement supported our operations last year and we look forward to working with them again. We may even have a demo line up for our tour guests to try out.
Thanks Les, I know you got a train to catch. See you in SA in a few months!

Les Manley: Cheers!

Read more on Les and meet the rest of PowderQuest's South American and Canadian Ski Guides on powderquest.com

Guide Books for South America

2008-02-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

The next time you visit your local bookstore, be sure to grab a cup of cafe and browse the international travel section. Travel to South America is up among popular destinations for travel in 2008.
Numerous guidebooks on Chile, Argentina, Patagonia, and South America are out there to fill your caffeine jacked brain with more intersting information on adventure travel in the Andes Mountains.
Some of the most well know and respected guides are those from Frommer's and Fodor's.
Both of these companies have been publishing guidebooks for years and are great at keeping things up to date, which is no simple mission, especially in South America where things change faster than the weather in Patagonia.
The books cover history, culture, maps, places to eat, drink, wine tours, and more. Frommer's and Fodor's even recommend adventure companies with stellar reputations. PowderQuest is honored to be featured in the following guides:

Frommer's Argentina & Chile
Frommer's South America
Frommer's Argentina
Frommer's Chile
Fodor's Chile

"PowderQuest runs top-notch guided skiing adventures in Argentina..." Frommer's Argentina.

Pick one up, it makes for a great read on the overnight flight to Santiago or Buenos Aires and you will be much more aware of the places you visit in South America.

July in South America

2007-07-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Limited Spaces Remain for August and September

July 20, 2007: PowderQuest Ski Tours in South America is experiencing our busiest season in our 9 year history guiding in the Andes, but it is not too late to join us!
PowderQuest Tours still has a few spots remaining in August and September on our Off Piste, Backcountry and Resort Focus Adventures. If you are looking to join us, please contact us ASAP for availability as these spots will go quickly due to the recent snowfall and one of the best starts in years. More snow is in the forecast for this weekend! Call us at 1-888-565-7158 or 1-206-203-6065. info@powderquest.com

Movement Skis supports PowderQuest

Movement Skis is the latest to support PowderQuest's guides outfitting our crew with a quiver of the best all mountain freeride skis in the industry. Our guides will be riding and testing out the Goliath, Pow Pow, Spark and Climax all outfitted with the Fritschi Freeride plus binding.

Today PowderQuest tail guide Mo Rasiah skied 10 inches of fresh in Cerro Bayo, Argentina with our guests on the Patagonia Powder Tour. What did he think of his first turns on the Goliath:

"The skis are awesome. In the pow they are a dream"

Special Offers

Last minute specials. Contact us for details!

PowderQuest return guests always 10% off any PowderQuest published tour!

If you have a group of 8 to fill a tour, the 8th spot is free!

20% off your total if booking 2 tours in the season!

"As my ski trip to South America approached, I expected long runs in knee deep powder. What I didn't expect was that our two guides, Max and Mo, would do such an excellent job in making me experience the true wonders of Patagonia, both on and off the mountain.
Whether it was in the restaurants, bars, discos or tracking down hikes and runs that were excellent regardless of the snow conditions, Max and Mo showed me why PowderQuest was the right choice."

Sean Newell
Patagonia Powder 2006

New PowderQuest Tour in September

PowderQuest and the Mission Impossible Lodge are proud to offer a brand new tour for September 2007!

At $1,795 USD this guided Backcountry Ski Touring Focus adventure in the endless terrain of Termas de Chillan, Chile is a great value for some of the best touring in South America.

Terrain in Termas de Chillan is vast, beautiful, volcanic, wide open as well as rugged. What you see from the lifts barely skims the surface of the potential riding in the area.

For great skiing, thermal hot springs, snow covered volcanoes, and wonder Chilean culture this trip will not disappoint! Read more