Snow Amigos!

The first big storms of the South American winter season dumped between 1 1/2 ­2 meters of snow in the Andes!!!! Valle Nevado and Portillo received the biggest accumulation with Valle Nevado reporting a base of 6 feet in the area with another big storm headed in this week!!

CASA's 2008 South American season is gearing up. Because of the high demand CASA's received so far we wanted to announce 2 new August trip dates:

• The Classic Shortie August 16-23
• The High Andes Adventure August 17-23

We still have a few spots available on our July tours

• The Classic Shortie July 19-26 (2 spaces available)
• The High Andes Adventure July 27-August 2 (2 spaces available)
• The Endless Winter July 25-August 8 (4 spaces available)

Don't miss your chance to join us for what is looking like a very promising snow season in the Andes. CASA will be announcing its 2008 Argentina Powder Triangle trip winner in its upcoming newsletter.

And a huge congratulation goes out to Craig Ross our Argentine Operations Manager and his wife Sylvia for the birth of their second daughter Camilia!!

Featured CASA alumni: Shannon Walton

Shannon Walton was CASA Tours' 2007 "Win a trip to Argentina" winner. Shannon could not travel with us last season due to a knee injury and is pysched to be joining us this August to celebrate her honeymoon with her husband Todd.

Shannon grew up in Wisconsin, Oregon, and Ireland and developed her love for the outdoors at the age of 12 attending the Outdoor School in Oregon. She learned to ski at The Playboy Club on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Shannon studied geography at the University of Oregon and then settled in Driggs, Idaho for 10 years. In the summers she led white water rafting trips throughout Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon and California and guided for Targhee Powder Guides in the winters. Currently Shannon is living in Seattle adjusting to city life and the Northwest climate. CASA sends out much buena onda to Shannon and Todd and look forward to experiencing the Argentine Andes with them.

CASA's amigos at FlyLow wanted to offer all newsletter recipients a 10% discount on their gear. The promotion code to use is 123HA. I am very impressed with their products and their customer service is awesome.

Located 60 some switchbacks from the city of Santiago, Valle Nevado is the largest of the 3 ski areas (El Colorado & La Parva) in Tres Valles. Valle sports the only high-speed detachable quad in Chile, The Andes Express, as well as the longest poma ride in South America, Tres Puntas, which drops riders off at 3570 meters. Valle's terrain is massive and boasts 24,000 skiing acres with endless touring potential and heli-skiing opportunities. The Snowy Valley is situated beneath the gigantic peaks of the Central Andes. Cerro El Plomo rises another 2000 meters from the top of the Tres Puntas lift station and tops out at 17,600 feet (5424 meters) Skiers and snowboarders of all levels can find their spot at Valle Nevado and come together at the end of the day to enjoy the magnificent Andean sunsets.

CASA Tours visits Valle Nevado on the following tours:

• Classic Shortie
• Endless Winter
• High Andes Adventure
  

To read more about Valle Nevado visit our website.