Summer is in full swing.  Grass is green, the sun is shining and I'm at home packing my snowboard gear and waxing my board. In 24hrs I will head to South America and step into winter.  I've been keeping tabs on the snow in the south via friends and am excited to see what's in store for me in the high Andean mountains.  I'll start my adventure in Santiago, Chile and take it from there.  A nice little storm is forecasted to drop some snow around the time I arrive.  I'm dreaming of starting it all off with some pow turns.  Here are some photos I received from  PowderQuest Tours. This will give you an idea of what's been happening down there for the past couple weeks.

PowderQuest guide Mo Rasiah checks the snowpack at El Colorado just outside of Santiago, CHILE

PowderQuest guide David Owen shreds the snow after Mo checks it out.....El Colorado, CHILE

Farther south of Santiago, Chile is the Bio Bio region.  Home to Termas de Chillan aka (Nevados de Chillan... This place gets dumped on!!!

Termas de Chillan, CHILE (aka Nevados de Chillan) top lift buried.. glacier capped volcano in the distance.

The crater above Termas de Chillan (aka Nevados de Chillan).... this is a sweet hike with views into Argentina off the backside.

Valle Nevado,CHILE... just outside of Santiago is off to the banging start.

Valle Nevado, CHILE.... freshly dumped on... and groomed just a little bit.... less is more right?

Plan on driving to Valle Nevado?  Bring a shovel.

Valle Nevado, El Colorado and La Parva ski resorts are all connected... make sure you don't end up at the wrong chairlift...or you will be walking the Andes when you should be riding.

The ski resort in Pucon, Chile. The Araucania region.  A ski resort but also an active volcano.  Hiking to the Villarica volcano crater is surreal. 

Late JUNE conditions at Pucon ski resort.... above that lift shack and then beyond that cloud cover is liquid hot magma!

Packing is always a puzzle... My cat wants to head south too. Will it all fit is the question.

Got it all in there.  Hopefully not the cat too.

More to come...Here are some helpful links to check out.

Flights to South America.  LAN Airlines.  www.lan.com

Snowboard tours of South America. PowderQuest

A snowboard bag with wheels is a must in South America. www.dakine.com