The abundant snowfall at the ski resort in recent days allowed the winter season to begin this Thursday in Nevados de Chillán, taking advantage of the holiday, which favored the arrival of thousands of people to the main tourist destination in the Ñuble region.
According to information from Nevados de Chillán, 65 centimetres of snow fell on Thursday, bringing the total amount of snow in the last seven days to 255 centimetres. Thus, the total amount of snowfall in Novicio this season reached 302 centimetres on Friday. Meanwhile, the depth of the base in Novicio reached 125 centimetres on Friday.
Verónica Vera, Public Affairs Manager for Nevados de Chillán, said: “The frontal system that entered the region is viewed positively, leaving several centimetres of snow from the base to the top.”
The executive detailed that this Friday five slopes were open (Novicio, Bosque Nevado, Zorrito, Carpintero and Cascada), out of a total of 22, and four ski lifts were operating (Cascada 1, Tata, Iglú and Novicio), out of a total of 14. “The center is open on the slopes in the lower area, but due to wind, the ones above are not working,” said Vera, who reiterated that the state of the slopes and ski lifts varies daily.
The professional stressed that the abundant snow “has helped hotel reservations in Nevados and in the Las Trancas Valley to be almost 90% full, which makes us very happy, since we were worried regarding the change of date of the winter holidays for schoolchildren, however, the weather has been on our side so we can have good numbers for the start of the season; we hope it continues to snow so that people can continue to go up, maintaining and safeguarding their safety.”
Asked regarding expectations for the season, she said that “we are very positive regarding this new season that we are starting, we have had a large number of people coming and our hotels, in terms of occupancy, still have some reservations available for the next few days so that people can quote and book. With the fallen snow and the upcoming fronts, we can foresee that we will have a good season, which will allow us to operate according to what was projected.”
As for the ticket prices for this season, the concessionaire has not yet provided any information. The only references are the promotional value of the day ticket on Thursday and Friday, at $40,000.
Las Trancas Valley
The snowfall also covered Las Trancas, located at 1,200-1,250 meters above sea level, in white. In fact, it snowed as far as the Cueva de Los Pincheira, at kilometer 59 of route N-55.
In Las Trancas, the occupancy for this weekend is around 90%, according to estimates by the president of the Chamber of Tourism, José Saavedra. “There are a lot of people in Las Trancas, it snowed yesterday (Thursday) and it snowed once more today (Friday), we have received many inquiries from tourists who cannot find cabins,” revealed the leader.
Asked regarding the expectations of business owners for the season, Saavedra said that “I see it very well, it looks like a very good season is coming; we will see how the weather conditions and so on hold, but from what we can see now, the rest of June is looking very good.”
“We have also observed that there are many visitors who are making the decision to travel or make reservations at the last minute, but we are very optimistic that there is a large movement of tourists,” he added.
He also stressed that the destination is operating normally and that all accommodation facilities, as well as shops and restaurants, are open. He also praised the timely action of the Roads Department in clearing the route.
Connectivity
The MOP, meanwhile, reported that route N-55 is open and that the use of chains is mandatory from km 63 (Puente Marchant sector) upwards. In addition, depending on weather conditions or traffic congestion, Carabineros may regulate times for ascent (8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) and descent (2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) along the route, from the Las Trancas district, Puente Marchant or Plaza de Los Lleuques, to the Nevados de Chillán sector.
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