Clear, cold bluebird conditions across the Andes. El Colorado -5°C; Portillo and Las Leñas -4°C.
El Colorado sits at -5°C this morning in the Región Metropolitana de Santiago and stands out as the coldest of the trio. Clear skies and cold air have delivered textbook bluebird conditions, with excellent visibility and firm, compact surfaces across exposed terrain. Its proximity to Santiago makes it the go-to for a crisp day in the Andes, where timing the sun will reward the best turns on sun-facing slopes.
Portillo and Las Leñas are both at -4°C and mirror El Colorado’s clear, cold character. Portillo, up in the Valparaíso region, will carry that high-altitude crispness through the morning, keeping technical lines and steeper faces stable. Las Leñas in Mendoza, Argentina, shows the same pattern for its early-season snowpack, with firm conditions on upper aspects and quicker softening where the sun hits. Across the three qualifying resorts there is no new precipitation to report, so today is defined by sunshine and temperature rather than fresh accumulations. For riders after loose, deep snow this morning is not the day; for those after hardpack, crisp corduroy and long visibility, it is precisely what they want.
The clear, cold state of play suggests firm mornings with progressive softening on sun-exposed slopes as the day warms, especially at lower elevations. With no fresh snow in the data, the best turns will come from picking the right aspect and time of day rather than chasing a storm. These conditions tend to favour early starts and a mid-morning window for softer snow without the usual spring-like thaw; if the pattern holds, the next day or two will continue to favour bright, stable bluebird skiing rather than a powder reset.