Huge Late-Season Storm Allows Valle Nevado to Extend 2026 Season

All Images: Courtesy of Valle Nevado

This winter has kept on delivering for the Andes Mountains. The highest reaches of South America have been blanketed in feet upon feet of snow since early June, and while it's late in the season at this point, the faucet remains open. A storm just sent nearly 43 inches of cold smoke to Valle Nevado, Chile, and the resort has taken that as a sign to extend its 2026 season through November 8.

The clouds rolled in quickly on October 6, and after 48 hours, the resort had measured 42.5 inches of snow. “This has been an extraordinary season for Valle Nevado," said Valle Nevado's General Manager Dominique Rudolff, "and receiving more than three and a half feet of snow in October is an incredible way to keep it going."

Nothing to see here, just a casual four-foot late-season storm

Since opening on June 19, the resort has seen almost 350 inches of snow. Through closures and multiple intense storms, Valle Nevado and its neighboring ski operations have charged ahead. Extending the season through November 8 will put them at 143 days of riding this winter, a number that Rudolff calls unprecedented.

And that's no exaggeration. Valle Nevado's initial closing day was set for October 18. An extra 20 days of riding for such a high alpine environment is not the norm. With a record-setting El Niño cycle ramping up, some meteorologists were anticipating a season like this, but even most expectations have been blown out of the water at this point.

While the bulk of the recent weather system has passed, OpenSnow meteorologist Luke Stone is calling for more snow over the next 20 days, with over 30 inches possible. If you're still getting it in the Andes, we salute you! For those of us in North America, let this fuel your winter stoke.