CASA Tours Trip Report: The Classic Shortie.

Posted July 2008 by M. David Johnson

We had an awesome group! Mike and Allyson, honeymooners from Cape Cod, Aaron and Armond, a father son duo who absolutely rip, our two Aussies, Rebecca and Forts; our tour jester, Mr. Benny Ko; and 2 Texans, 77 year old Joe and his good friend Wayne.

Our tour began at Valle Nevado where we got our legs underneath us and adjusted to the high Andean elevation. We explored Valle Olympico, Tres Puntas and Valle Inca.

The following day we hit my favorite resort in Tres Valles, El Colorado. Although it had not snowed in a bit we found some surprisingly soft snow off La Cornisa poma. We also ventured into Santa Terasita, an expansive backcountry zone most easily accessed from El Colorado. Armond, Aaron, Allyson, Mike, and CASA guide Taco were treated to 1800 vertical of untouched boot-top pow. As always, Marco, our reliable CASA driver, was on the road to pick us up and return us to the resort.

Next up was Nevados de Chillan (formerly known as Termas de Chillan.) Considered by the CASA team as the gem of the Chilean Andes our group made the journey south.

On our first day we were a bit skeptical as scratchy, hard surfaces and gusty winds defined the day. That afternoon a heavy rain pounded the village of Las Trancas, however, by 7 pm the rain turned to snow and in the morning almost a meter of fresh Andean love blanketed the mountain. Gotta love thigh deep South American powder. Aaron, Armond and myself made multiple laps in the Pirigallo region, hooting and hollering all day long!!!

The following day another wild wind event rocked the mountain, ruffling the snow, but it was no worries as we spent the afternoon soaking our powder ravaged muscles in the nearby termas.

Another storm hit the region that evening and our final day we were blessed with yet another Andean Powder Day. For our final run the group bombarded the patrol who were closing the Tres Marias gates. It was the first time Tres Marias was opened during the week and our group rallied down its 8km slope.

Wonderful memories, laughs, and turns were shared by all and we all developed a fantastic friendship that will never be forgotten.