by Brian Passikoff, June 14, 2007

Patagonia in Bariloche opens two new lifts this year: a triple chairlift and a surface lift. Telesilla Triple del Centro, the three-person chairlift, services the upper central area of the mountain. Teleski de la Laguna is a surface lift on the Laguna section of the mountain. It offers access to extreme steeps and expert terrain. In addition, Catedral Alta Patagonia has installed additional snowmaking for 2007. These improvements culminate a three-year infrastructure improvement plan. Construction in 2005 and 2006 included a dual sight-seeing / skier-snowboarder upper mountain lift, a high-speed gondola, a high-speed six-pack, a high-speed quad, two new double chairs, several surface lifts, a snowcat backcountry operation, 42500 square meters of additional snowmaking, and several commercial and real estate projects. The Bariloche resort now has by far the most modern lift infrastructure in South America.

Valle Nevado installed a new surface lift in the El Prado section of their resort. This new surface lift eases access at the lower portion of the resort. The top of this lift reaches the base of the Andes
Express; making for much faster loops in the backcountry between Valle Nevado and El Colorado.

Termas de Chillán inaugurates a new US$6 million casino and commercial development this season. This continues the resort's trend of offering four-season amenities. It now joins Pucón as the only Chilean mountain resorts with gambling.