TL;DR
Winter was meant to be winding down in Chile. Then Valle Nevado took 108 cm in 48 hours in early October, and the resort has pushed its closing date out to November 8 - its latest in 38 years of operation. That makes 143 days of skiing since opening day on June 19, with 690 cm banked for the season. Only part of the mountain is running while the storm settles, so check the mountain report before you plan a trip.
Valle Nevado was due to close on October 18. It now has until November 8.
A storm in the first week of October dropped 77 cm in 24 hours and 108 cm (42.5 in) in 48 hours, according to the resort’s official mountain report from October 7. Over seven days the total reached 115 cm. The resort is calling it a historic October snowfall, and the extension makes this the latest closing date in its 38-year history.
The numbers behind the season
Valle Nevado opened on June 19, so a November 8 finish gives it 143 days of skiing. Seasonal snowfall now stands at 690 cm (271.7 in), well over 22 feet. The October 18 date was itself an extension, announced in August after a run of storms through the Central Andes. This is the second time the closing date has moved.
General manager Dominique Rudloff described it as unprecedented for the resort to be operating this late in the year.
“We opened on June 19, and operating through November 8 will give us 143 days of skiing,”
