Andes Ski Season Forecast 2026LIVE
The short answer: PassCast's simulations currently put Andes above a typical season for 2026, with an average skiability of 73/100 across 10 mountains. Portillo (95), Valle Nevado (92), Nevados de Chillan (91) lead the region today. Forecast-driven ski pass planning starts with where the snow will be — run any of these mountains through the Pass Finder before you buy.
The regional readfrom the 2026 outlook · compiled 2026-07-06
This is El Niño's flagship ski trade: with Niño3.4 possibly reaching +2.0°C, the subtropical jet should park over central Chile and hammer the 30-37°S Andes through late winter — Portillo averages roughly +45% snowfall in warm-ENSO seasons (Masiokas et al. 2006; bestsnow.net). The dry, slow June 2026 start fits the pattern rather than breaking it: 1997 and 2015 also began quietly before multi-meter July-September storm cycles produced some of the deepest Portillo bases on record. August and September should be the payoff months. If you hold a multi-resort pass, this is the hemisphere to spend it in.
Every Andes mountain, ranked by 2026 forecast
Skiability blends absolute snow (35%), season-vs-typical (30%), powder days (20%), and bust risk (15%). Click through for each mountain's full simulation, month-by-month outlook, and pass math.
| # | Resort | Skiability | Median snow | vs typical | Powder days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portillo CLLIVE | 95 | 566" | 227% | ~23 |
| 2 | Valle Nevado CLLIVE | 92 | 475" | 212% | ~21 |
| 3 | Nevados de Chillan CLLIVE | 91 | 436" | 164% | ~22 |
| 4 | La Parva CLLIVE | 85 | 336" | 211% | ~18 |
| 5 | El Colorado CLLIVE | 80 | 277" | 181% | ~14 |
| 6 | Las Lenas ARLIVE | 80 | 266" | 164% | ~15 |
| 7 | Corralco CLLIVE | 67 | 247" | 103% | ~17 |
| 8 | Cerro Castor ARLIVE | 53 | 133" | 115% | ~4 |
| 9 | Catedral (Bariloche) ARLIVE | 44 | 167" | 91% | ~5 |
| 10 | Chapelco ARLIVE | 39 | 129" | 88% | ~2 |
Pass coverage in Andes
Andes 2026: straight answers
- Will Andes have a good 2026 ski season?
- PassCast's daily 10,000-run simulations put Andes's 10 tracked mountains at 156% of a typical season on average — above a typical season — with an average skiability rating of 73/100. This is El Niño's flagship ski trade: with Niño3.4 possibly reaching +2.0°C, the subtropical jet should park over central Chile and hammer the 30-37°S Andes through late winter — Portillo averages roughly +45% snowfall in warm-ENSO seasons (Masiokas et al. 2006; bestsnow.net).
- Which Andes ski resort will have the best snow in 2026?
- As of today's simulation, Portillo leads Andes with a skiability rating of 95/100 ("Exceptional season likely") and a median of 566" — 227% of its typical season. The full ranking on this page updates daily.
- Which ski pass covers Andes?
- Ikon Pass covers 1 of the 10 tracked Andes mountains (e.g. Valle Nevado); Ikon Base covers 1 of the 10 tracked Andes mountains (e.g. Valle Nevado); Mountain Collective covers 1 of the 10 tracked Andes mountains (e.g. Valle Nevado). PassCast's Pass Finder runs your exact Andes plan through every pass's day caps and prices.
Forecasts are probabilistic and reseeded daily from ENSO analogs, NOAA CPC outlooks, and the ECMWF SEAS5 ensemble — see methodology. Regional narrative compiled 2026-07-06.