South America,
New Zealand, and Japan
⎪ARGENTINA, CHILE, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND
Japan is home to one of the snowiest places on earth. Its geography and climate lends itself to a snowpack that would resemble other maritime environments. Yet because storms move from west to east in the Northern Hemisphere, and in this case over the cold and arid rangelands of Mongolia and eastern Russia before they pick up moisture from the warm Sea of Japan, its snowpack behaves more like dry intermountain. This situation (and the numerous low pressure systems that arrive from the arctic) gives northern Japan perhaps the best snow conditions anywhere on the planet, including Alaska. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the terrain to match, so there are few lines to include on a list of the world’s biggest. But don’t let this deter you; skiing or riding here in full powder conditions is truly incredible, and when the stars align, unlike any experience you will ever have again!
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New Zealand and South America are both south of the equator, so their seasons are directly opposite those of the Northern Hemisphere, and allow the most commited skiers and snowboarders access to year-round powder turns. However, both present special cases that are not necessarily conducive to steep skiing. New Zealand’s geography and location—a small, narrow chain of islands surrounded by ocean, sandwiched between the of tropics of French Polynesia and the antarctic Tasman Sea—contributes to a rather mild climate, and does not allow for quite enough precipitation in the form of dry snow, at least at lower, more accessible elevations. The heavily glaciated and exceptionally dangerous Mount Cook (Aoraki), New Zealand’s highest peak at 3754m, is the obvious exception to this. Aoraki offers some of the wildest, biggest, and steepest ski lines remaining on the planet today.
South America has huge mountains, indeed some of the highest in the world, but they are either inundated with severe weather for much of the year (especially in Patagonia), or are too high in elevation for their respective latitudes. Like the Himalayas, the snowiest peaks in the Andes are too high and too remote to accommodate much recreational and/or backcountry skiing. Both the snowpack and terrain also tend to be dangerously unstable, thanks to the effects of high temperature gradients, incessant wind loading, and rapid global warming. Additionally, there is not a sufficient infrastructure in place for accurate weather and avalanche forecasting. Hence, only a handful of lines are mentioned here, including some in Argentina, which can sometimes be more favorable for backcountry travel. Tread lightly. Some of the world’s best mountaineers have lost their lives here.
⎪ARGENTINA, CHILE, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND / THE BIGGEST LINES
• SYMBOLS KEY: Click on the ⚲ symbol for location on Google Maps; info for trip reports; the ▸ symbol for video links; and fatmap for FATMAP link/route info.
• RATINGS KEY: Exposure: E1=Low, E2=Medium, E3=High, E4=Extreme Distance: S=Slack, R=Remote, VR=Very Remote, XR=Extremely Remote Max Slope Angle: XX°
• UPDATES: while serious hazards exist on ALL Biggest Lines ski routes, these route updates provide additional beta from new developments and/or recent trip reportss
179. Caroline Face of Aoraki, Mt. Cook, New Zealand ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E4+/XR+/66°
route update: dangerously unstable and rarely in safe condition
180. East Face of Aoraki, Mount Cook, New Zealand ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E4+/XR+/74°
route update: extremely dangerous and rarely in safe condition
181. Las Gemelas Couloirs, Cerro Chapelco, Argentina ⚲ info ▸ fatmap (no rating info available at this time)
182. Super C Couloir, Andes, Portillo, Chile ⚲ info ▸ ▸ fatmap E3/VR/50°
183. Mt. Yotei, Hokkaido, Japan ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E2/VR/38°°
184. Yarigate (Y) Couloir, Hakuba, Japan ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR/42°
*IMPORTANT: Exposure Level and Distance ratings are subjective and do not adequately reflect dangers inherent on approach or egress. Use conservatively.
⎪ARGENTINA, CHILE, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND / MAPS
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—click on image titles for a Google Map
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