Changes in operation works and how artificial snow production helps on the early beginning of seasons. It is the most powerful tool to fight against global warming cycle where actually the low altitude ski areas are involved. For the development of the discussion prompt, we choose three ski areas in South-America, Argentina to understand how climate changes affect their winter operation.

1. THE CHALLENGE FOR PATAGONIA
ARGENTINA SKI RESORT
By:
Daniel
Buyo
Andorre-­‐Fort
Collins
CO,
Oct.2016
NRRT
521
Sustainable
Ski
Area
Management
SKI
AREA
MANAGEMENT
PROGRAM
Teacher:
Ooi,
Nathalie.
Changes in operation works and how artificial snow production helps on the early beginning
of seasons. It is the most powerful tool to fight against global warming cycle where actually
the low altitude ski areas are involved.
For the development of the discussion prompt, we choose three ski areas in South-
America, Argentina to understand how climate changes affect their winter operation.
Concretely we will talk about: Cerro Castor, Ushuaia on the southern part of the continent;
Calafate Mountain Park* on Santa Cruz region, Middle south Patagonia; and Cerro
Catedral in Bariloche north Patagonia area. They are enough geographically separated to
present some differences but as we will describe they are suffering the same difficulties as
soon as they are in similar altitude and exposed to south hemisphere winter climate
changes. Wind patrons are similar for all of them, and they are exposed to same facts for
south hemisphere low altitude mountain areas.
MAP SOURCE: Topgraphic AND base edited by student.
*Calafate Mountain Park are owned and operated by PGI Management and launched only 3 winter seasons ago,
adopting old snow making equipment retired from Grandvalira Andorra resort.
We can connect the weather change models with Oceania’s models as we saw in
Hennessy (2008), but why we can identify the Australian or New Zealand’s model as
successful model and South America resorts fail, even having the same information and
prediction?
The following will influence future demand for snowmaking: Fewer hours with temperatures
cold enough for making snow; less natural snow cover; faster ablation of snow. Hennessy,
(2008)

2. As soon as South American Argentinean ski resorts are limited on resources to invest on
snow making; caused for devaluation and huge inflation of the economical system. They
are forced to reduce the seasons and concentrate on the high season. This is a direct
consequence of these climate changes, and, only Cerro Castor and Calafate bet
strategically with an efficient snow making low pressure system; “Technoalpin” guns
refurbished and located in strategically areas, to produce snow reservoirs that snow
groomers can repose to connect natural covered areas. We can size these investments in:
Andes Lideres (2013) and (2014).
Analyzing Ooi, (2015) and Schmith (2014); We are asking whether global warming results
in more snow may seem like an stupid question because obviously, if it gets warm enough,
there is no snow. Consequently, deniers of climate change have used recent snow dump
as doubt on a warming climate from human influences. Yet they could not be more wrong.
“What the use of having developed a science well enough to make predictions if, in the end,
all we’re willing to do is stand around and wait for them to come true?” Sherwood Rowland,
obtained from Schmith (2014)
Not only predictions help the resort operators in Patagonia region, the strategical desicions
mark the success of the season, when they have the ability to mix small investments with a
full year round touristic plan to save the reduction on winter ski pass incomings with
alternative offers around environmental experiences visiting glacier areas, wild animals
observation and hiking itineraries.
It is difficult to imagine a “technological miracle”, as Spence (2015) describe in central
California for 2014-15 season, but similar challenge are fronting the operation teams in the
South America Andes to keep moving the engine of touristic industry on the three selected
locations. Under my visión they are rediscovering well the destinations and the off winter
season activities should give them the opportunity to keep growing and find a future
opportunity of investment on produced snow technology that put again on the south
hemisphere snow market as a cheap and affordable destination and enough attractive for
North America or central America customers.
References:
Andes Lideres, 2013, Number 3, page 73. (spanish)
http://www.andeslideres.com/sites/default/files/archive/fichier/andes-lideres-03.pdf (Links to
an external site.)
Andes Lideres, 2014, Number 5, page 10. (spanish)
http://www.andeslideres.com/es/reportajes/entrevista-de-peter-somweber (Links to an
external site.)
Hennessy, K. J., et al. (2008). Climate change effects on snow conditions in mainland
Australia and adaptation at ski resorts through snowmaking. Climate Research, 35(3), 255-
270. doi: 10.3354/cr00706 Retrieved from
http://www.int-res.com/articles/cr2007/35/c035p255.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Schmidt, Gavin. March 2014. “The emergent patterns of climate change”. TedTalks.
http://www.ted.com/talks/gavin_schmidt_the_emergent_patterns_of_climate_change#t-
711638 (Links to an external site.)
Access October 7, 2016.