In Bolivia, world's highest ski resort melting away [View All]

In Bolivia, world's highest ski resort melting away
Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:14 AM ET

By Helen Popper
CHACALTAYA, Bolivia (Reuters) - Times are hard for the world's highest ski resort, a dizzy 17,388 feet (5,300 metres) above sea level in the Bolivian Andes. Its glacier is melting so fast synthetic snow is seen as the only way to save it.

Scientists say Chacaltaya's diminished piste could disappear altogether within five years due to climate change and, though this humble ski center is no Whistler or Chamonix, it is the only one the poor South American country has got.

"This has been the worst year we've had. It's quite sad to see," said Samuel Mendoza of the Bolivian Andean Club. "We want to bring in artificial snow so we can keep on skiing, so the sport does not die in Bolivia."

In the shady spots around the stone ski lodge, little patches of white survive while icicles drip steadily from the rafters. In the distance below, metal roofs in the sprawling slum city of El Alto glimmer under the fierce Andean sun.
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http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=lifeAndLeisureNews&storyID=2006-03-23T131410Z_01_N20165687_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-BOLIVIA-SKI.xml



Chacaltaya ski lodge