Spring has left us, and Summer is in full swing. It’s time to wax up your skis/snowboard and head south for the Winter. Before you make the long trek you need to read all the predictions and forecasts just to make certain of one question; will it be an El Nino or La Nina season? It affects all of us one way or another, some more then others depending on where you ride. This year is an El Niño year and that is a good thing, but I am getting ahead myself, let’s talk about what this all means.

What is the difference between the two?

To start off, El Niño and La Niña are opposing phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. The ENSO cycle describes the fluctuations in temperature between the ocean and atmosphere, where La Niña is the colder phase while El Niño is the warmer phase.

During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the Southeast and cooler than normal in the Northwest of the United States. On the opposite end of the spectrum, El Niño consists of a warmer-than-average temperatures over the western and northern parts of the United States. This past season in North America presented a difficult challenge to scientists in identifying the type of year, as it was a neutral year that didn’t take strong characteristics of either season. While California received the lowest amount of snowfall in history, the Northeast had one of it’s best winter seasons in a decade, and places like Michigan were receiving some of the most snowfall in North America.

Typical winter weather impacts of El Nino

Typical winter weather impacts of La Nina.

What does this mean for the South America winter season?

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Climate Prediction Center is calling for El Niño to take effect in the next couple months. This means an excess amount of moisture coming off of the Pacific ocean, and powder to be nuking the Andes mountain range. The photo below is from the 2010 winter season at Catedral Alta Patagonia, Argentina which was an El Nino year.

Between the massive amounts of moisture and the elevation of the Andes, this winter is going to be one for the record books. If you weren’t able to catch all the fresh tracks this winter you were hoping to score, SASS Global Travel has your covered. We offer a full service, big-mountain, backcountry, skiing and snowboarding camp for all ages. We take advantage of the full-on winter conditions to crush pow in the middle of summer. JOIN US!

In 2007, SASS Global Travel decided to move our ski and snowboard camp from Las Lenas to Catedral Alta Patagonia. Not only does Catedral offer more variety in terrain, but also the mountain provides more promising choice of having your max number of days on mountain while in Argentina.  When deciding on South America for a ski/snowboard vacation, we always wish for the most amount of days on mountain, as our policy of shredding South America is a number one priority. To further demonstrate which mountain is the more desirable location, SASS breaks down the two prime Argentinian mountains.

Las Lenas is located in the western part of the Mendoza Province and is famous for its good alpine terrain. However, Las Lenas unfortunately does not have any other terrain to offer, as weather is a big issue. SGT understands this, given our history of waiting for weeks to get a day in of skiing. More importantly, all the powderhounds waiting out the poor weather congregate in the streets, making a total s%!$ show. Argentina does not present itself in the tiny ski town, as the small number of hotels and bars present little night life for our guests. As a result, the SGT crew decided we were unable to fulfill our desire to provide our clients with not only phenomenal skiing/snowboarding but an experience of the Argentine culture. Located 12 miles outside of San Carlos de Bariloche, inside of the Nahuel Huapi National Park, Catedral Alta Patagonia offered that true authentic experience we were looking for.

With more than 65 miles of inbound ski runs, Catedral Alta Patagonia is one of the biggest ski centers of South America. This count fails to even begin to measure the vast side country and backcountry, which is arguably better than Las Lenas. Plenty of hostels and hotels located at the bottom of the mountain drew big mountain riders from around the world to visit the destination of Catedral. This location offers a rich Argentine culture full of live music, fantastic food, and a great night life. All factors included, Catedral Alta Patagonia is the place to be when skiing in South America.

For more about ski/snowboard excursions visit us at http://sass2016.wpengine.com/argentina/

To expand your vernacular without keeping a pocket shred dictionary, join us down for a summer session down in Argentina, where the snow is chest-deep and the runs are ripe for the ripping.

1. Backcountry Skiing/Snowboarding: Making first tracks in fresh powder. It offers skiers/snowboarders a chance to experience challenging terrain in a more natural setting, but offers them the challenge of accessing and ascending the couloirs at first.

2. Backcountry area: The area outside the runs of a ski area or backcountry, away from developed ski areas. Typically on a different face from the resorts, as undeveloped land on ski areas accessible by lift is called sidecountry.

3. Avalanche: A large volume of snow rushing down a mountain. This event can be triggered by weather, instabilities in the snow pack or by a human error. Avalanches can be deadly, but a proper avalanche education can help you stay safe and secure.

4. Probe: A long rod, used to poke through the snow pack to locate people trapped and buried under the snow. The probe is used in addition to two other main tools, all necessary to be safe in the backcountry.

5. Backcountry Shovel: A smaller sized shovel than the typical driveway variety, this tool frequently breaks down into two pieces; the handle and the shovel head. These are made to fit into your backcountry pack, and are used to assess the snow pack and dig out a buried partner. Shovels are also used to partake in sled races, for when standing up or standing sideways just doesn’t cut it.

6. Avalanche Transceiver (Beacon): A device worn when skiing/snowboarding in the backcountry, or out of bounds. The beacon receives and transmits a signal that can be detected by another transceiver, useful when locating party members trapped in an avalanche.

7. Puking: Heavy thick snowfall that accumulates to form good powder snow and freshies for skiing.

8. Nuking: An unusually large or heavy snowfall accompanied by ideal conditions, making it the perfect time to go skiing. Also see puking.

9. POW: A slang term for fresh deep, good snow. Use this term sparingly in the presence of professional skiiers.

10. Freshies: The act of getting first tracks down a run/route with fresh powder. Typically accompanied by the skier/snowboarder claiming it at the bottom with a hoop and a holler, and a triumphant arm pump.