Chacaltaya
The world's highest lift-served ski area, in the Bolivian Cordillera Real, ended by the complete disappearance of its glacier in 2009.
- Region
- La Paz Department
- Country
- Bolivia
- Status
- abandoned
- Year opened
- 1939
- Year closed
- 2009
- Reason for closure
- Total loss of the Chacaltaya glacier to climate change; the ice vanished completely by 2009
History
Chacaltaya, at 5,421 metres in Bolivia's Cordillera Real about 30 km from La Paz, was the highest lift-served ski area in the world. Its rope tow, built in 1939 from an automobile engine, was the first ski lift in South America, and the resort ran a season from November to March. The glacier it depended on shrank from 0.22 square kilometres in 1940 to 0.01 square kilometres by 2007, with half of the loss by volume occurring before 1980 and the remainder accelerating afterwards under reduced precipitation and the warm phase of El Nino. The ice disappeared entirely by 2009, six years earlier than scientists had predicted. By that year skiing was limited to a 180-metre stretch that occasionally held enough snow for a single run. The mountain now hosts atmospheric and cosmic ray research observatories.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rope Tow | Surface lift | Built in 1939 using an automobile engine; the first ski lift in South America |
Sources and further reading
Location
-16.3500, -68.1200