Heavy Snowfall Graces Argentina

Cross country skiers are rejoicing at the bottom of the globe, as snow was reported as early as April this austral autumn in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. It then deteriorated slowly, and now — just past the winter solstice (i.e. late June) — heavy snows have covered the region. That report comes from Matt Muir, who operates Skifire, promoting cross country ski trips to the region at the tip of Argentina.

The Club Andino Ushuaia’s ancient Pisten Bully, however, is still not operating. In past periods of mechanical failure, the provincial government has been obligated to contract another machine from the nearby Tierra Mayor Valley to groom the the Francisco Jerman Nordic Ski Area as part of its agreements with the CAU and the essentially public ski area.

Centro Invernal Tierra Mayor, in the same Valley of Tierra Mayor, typically grooms a 5km loop centered on its small winter resort. Last year the provincial government of Tierra del Fuego stated that it would subsidize more-regular grooming of the entire 21-25km Marchablanca Trail from Cerro Castor to Solar del Bosque but, so far, nothing has happened.

In the meantime, the CAU’s juniors coach, Sebastián Menci, is doing it the old fashioned way, skiing in a track for his kids.

The CAU club is also a sponsor of the Marchablanca freestyle race (21 km and 7 km distances), which will take place August 16, 2009, in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego.

For more information about skiing activities at the tip of South America, see www.skifire.com.