Skiing 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. There are a couple of tiny resorts and some good ski-mountaineering opportunities. The big difference with the southern countries of Chile and Argentina is that all skiing in these four countries is going to be on glaciers, with all that entails.
COLOMBIA
There is some limited skiing on the volcanoes of the Los Nevados range, particularly on the southwest side of Nevado del Ruiz, where there is a convenient access road to 4900m. Most other areas of Colombia are at present very difficult or dangerous to access. Ritacuba Blanco in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy would also make a good ski descent.
ECUADOR
Skiing opportunities in Ecuador are limited to ski ascents of the countries four highest peaks, which are all volanoes, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Antisana. These are the only peaks with significant snow. Access to these peaks is easy, with huts at about 4500-5000m on all of them except Antisana. However the peaks are not the most straightforward for skiing due to some big crevasses and often considerable avalanche danger.
PERU
There are several areas of Peru with potential for exploratory skiing, though at present there are no resorts. Every July there are plenty of people skiing at Pastoruri in the southern Cordillera Blanca, and various races and championships are held here. There is apparently occasionally a rope-tow in place, though I have never seen it on my three visits here. 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 bottom. We can run trips to this range - see our Cordillera Blanca Ski Mountaineering page for further details
BOLIVIA
The worlds highest "ski-resort" is 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 fast that in ten years time no skiing may 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.
See our Bolivia Ski Explorer itinerary for further details.
Information on all these peaks is included in the guidebook by John Biggar, The Andes- A Guide for Climbers
Ski Mountaineering in Chile and Argentina
