Chacaltaya
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Chacaltaya is a mountain in Bolivia 
with an elevation of 5421 m (17,785 feet). It is about 30 km from La Paz and is near Huayna Potosí.
[edit] Ski area
As Bolivia's only ski resort, the glacier on Chacaltaya is located at . It is notable for being the world's highest lift-served ski area, as well as the northernmost ski area in South America and the world's most equatorial. The rope tow, the very first in South America, was built in 1939 using an automobile engine; it is notoriously fast and difficult, housed in the site's original clapboard lodge where it is rumored currently to be inoperable. The road to the base of the 200 m drop is reached by a narrow road, also built in the 1930s. Because it is too cold to ski in the winter, the lift operates exclusively on weekends from November to March, making Chacaltaya the only ski resort in South America to have a ski season corresponding to that of North America. The site was developed and still operated by the Club Andino Boliviano, though increased global-warming has diminished the annual snowfall and shrunken the glacier by 80% during the past twenty years.[1]
Surrounding Ski Opportunities:
As said, although the ski lift at Chacaltaya is not operating, and has not for a few years (due to lack of snow and glacial retreat). Numerous hike-accesible skiing opportunities still exist in the area. These opportunities are on surrounding glaciers. Snow quality is generally quite low (often skiing directly on melting glacier). The Club Andino Boliviano still provides ski rentals (of older ski equipment) at the refuge, as well as lodging and food.
[edit] Observatory
Located at 5220 m, the Chacaltaya Astrophysical Observatory (Observatorio de Física Cósmica) is operated in collaboration with other universities worldwide. It is an important site for gamma ray research and has also been used for high altitude medical research.[2]
[edit] See also
- Apex (Altitude Physiology Expeditions) - High altitude medical research charity.
- Bolivian Mountains - Certified guides specializing in high altitude mountaineering, climbing, and trekking expeditions in the Cordillera Real de los Andes, the mountain range surrounding La Paz.
