Ski Mountaineering in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
Though by no means the best place to look for skiing in the Andes there are some skiing areas in these four northern countries, a couple of tiny resorts and some good ski-mountaineering opportunities.
Colombia - Ecuador - Peru - Bolivia
Colombia
There is some limited skiing on the volcanoes of the Los Nevados range, particularly on the southwest side of Nevado el Ruiz (pictured above), where there is a convenient access road to 4900m. Pictured below an ascent of this very easy angled glacier in the dry season. Most other areas of Colombia are at present very difficult or dangerous to access.
Practical stuff
| When to go | The early wet season months of March and April are probably the best months. | |
| Where to go | Fly to Manizales via Bogota, the capital of Colombia. | |
| Costs | Travel and accommodation in Colombia are very cheap, | |
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Ecuador
Skiing opportunities in Ecuador are limited to ski ascents of the countries four highest peaks, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Antisana. These are the only peaks with significant snow. Access to these peaks is easy, with huts at 4500-5000m on all but Antisana, but the peaks are not the most straightforward for skiing due to some big crevasses and often considerable avalanche danger.
Practical stuff
| When to go | Good question?? | |
| Where to go | Fly to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, from where the huts on the mountains are easily reached in 2-3 hours. | |
| Costs | Travel and accommodation in Ecuador are pretty cheap, | |
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Peru
Huascaran and Copa from above Huaraz
There are several areas of Peru with potential for exploratory skiing, though at present there are no real resorts. Every July there are plenty of people ski at Pastoruri in the southern Cordillera Blanca, and various races and championships are held. Also in the Cordillera Blanca the traverse of the 6000m peaks of Copa and Hualcan is said to make a good ski trip, although the snow-line is a long way from the valley. We can run trips to this range - see the Cordillera Blanca Ski Mountaineering page on the Andes website for further details.
Further south are some other good areas, including the extremely remote and rarely visited Ritipampa de Quellcaya, a high altitude ice-cap pictured below which could give some good but flat ski touring.
Practical stuff
| When to go | April and May at the end of the wet season are probably the best months. | |
| Where to go | Fly to Lima, the capital of Peru, then bus to Huaraz for the Cordillera Blanca. | |
| Costs | Travel and accommodation in Peru are reasonably cheap, | |
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Bolivia
The world's highest ski-resort at 5200m is on Chacaltaya mountain just outside La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. However it has not always known such good conditions recently and the glacier is retreating so that in ten or twenty years time no skiing may no longer be possible here. Several of the 6000m peaks in Bolivia have been skied and the volcanoes in particular can make good ski descents, including Sajama and Parinacota (pictured above).
See the Bolivia Ski Explorer itinerary from 'Andes' for further details
Information on all these peaks is included in the guidebook by John Biggar, The Andes- A Guide for Climbers
Practical stuff
| When to go | April and May at the end of the wet season are probably the best months. | |
| Where to go | Fly to Lima, the capital of Peru, then bus to Huaraz for the Cordillera Blanca. | |
| Costs | Travel and accommodation in Peru are reasonably cheap, | |
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Contributions
Been somewhere interesting with your skis or snowboard? - please send us info and photos for this website.
