Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Chilean ski resorts face snow shortages due to a prolonged drought, impacting tourism.
- Climate change is causing decreased precipitation, threatening the ski industry's profitability.
- Authorities promote year-round tourism with activities beyond skiing to sustain economic growth.
SANTIAGO, Chile — The classic postcard images of the Chilean capital of Santiago surrounded by the snow-covered Andes in winter now seem like pictures from the past.
A yearslong drought that has plagued the country has led to a shortage of snow so severe that the main ski resorts in the metropolitan area have had to suspend the use of up to 90% of their slopes, according to the Chilean Ski Resorts Association, or ACESKI.
And with climate change thought to be at least partially to blame, authorities warn that in the long term, the region may need to find other ways to entice tourists to spend their money.
This country in the southern hemisphere, where June through August are the winter months, has long been a favorite for tourists from the US who are looking for somewhere to ski during the North American summer. And that has proved profitable. In 2025, the region's ski resorts welcomed more than 1,240,000 skiers, with a direct economic impact of $283 million, of which $228 million came from foreign tourists, according to ACESKI.
But with a lack of snow, its reputation is at risk of melting away.
"It is not normal. We are very much behind," Arnaldo Zúñiga, meteorologist and spokesperson for Chile's Meteorological Directorate, or DMC, told CNN. During the last snowfall on June 21, there were only 24 centimeters of snow, a nearly 60% shortfall from a "normal year in the mountains," Zúñiga said.
"Unfortunately, the trends that mark climate change indicate that we are indeed headed for a decrease in precipitation. And if it rains less, less snow also falls," he warned.
In a good year the slopes would now be covered. Instead, some slopes are resorting to creating snow artificially, while hotels and restaurants do their best to stay optimistic.
"Over the last 15 years we have invested in systems and technologies to make snow," said ACESKI president Michael Leatherbee. "You can take ski lessons, take the panoramic chairlift, arrive at a restaurant halfway up the mountain. All the things that are normally offered in winter, today you can do them, just in smaller amounts."
Chilean authorities are now trying to move toward "four-season tourism, where there is activity in the mountains throughout the year," as Chile's Undersecretary of Tourism, María Paz Lagos describes it. Such activities could include nature tours, hiking, wellness-related activities and culinary events, none of which rely on snow.
"Just the ski season alone generates about 18,000 jobs, and we want that contribution to the development of the regions to continue growing," she said.
In the more immediate future, there is some cause for hope. The Meteorological Directorate said a front coming from the south this weekend could bring some snow to at least some of those mountains.
"This front begins on Sunday and is colder. I think we can have high hopes that, while it will rain initially, we could then get snow in the higher sectors, above 2,500 meters," said Zúñiga.
