Many people are likely unaware that Colombia, a country renowned for its beaches and tropical landscapes, is also home to snow and glaciers.
Colombia is a sovereign country situated in the northwestern region of South America. Its capital and most populous city is Bogotá. Including the island of Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and the Serrana Bank, it ranks as the twenty-sixth largest country in the world and the seventh largest in the Americas. It is also the twenty-seventh most populous country globally, with a population of 52 million inhabitants and it is the second most Spanish-speaking nation, after Mexico.
In its geography, two mountain ranges with the presence of snow and glaciers can be observed: the Andes Mountains and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
The Andes Mountains occupy the western zone of South America, bordering its entire coastline along the Pacific Ocean. It spans a length of 8,500 kilometers, making it the longest continental mountain range on Earth. It originates at the southern tip, in Tierra del Fuego, crossing the territories of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and part of Venezuela.
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is a mountain range that constitutes its own isolated system from the Andes Mountains, situated along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. It rises steeply from the shores of the Caribbean Sea, reaching snowy peaks at an elevation of 5,775 meters above sea level.
Its highest peak is Gonawindua, also known as Pico Cristóbal Colón, which is also the highest mountain in Colombia. Additionally, the Sierra Nevada is the tallest coastal mountain range in the world. Therefore, it is said that the Sierra contains the best climatic summary in the world, encompassing all thermal zones from the warm beaches of the Caribbean to the glaciers still present at its summit.
Glaciers of Colombia
In the past 170 years, Colombia has lost 90% of its glacial area and in actual times, it loses 7.8% of its glacial area each year. Now, only 34.20 km2 of ice-covered areas remain, distributed across six of these ecosystems. Global warming and the local dynamics of each of these white mountains are causing them to melt, some faster than others.
In the last century, Colombia had fourteen glaciers; today, only six remain distributed across peaks and volcanoes: Poleka Kasué (Nevado de Santa Isabel Volcano), Cumanday (Nevado del Ruiz Volcano), Dulima (Nevado del Tolima Volcano), Wila (Nevado del Huila Volcano), Zizuma (Sierra Nevada de El Cocuy or Güicán), and Chundúa (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta).
History of skiing in Colombia
In the mid-20th century, the glacier of Nevado del Ruiz was quite extensive, allowing skiing on some of its slopes. In those years, when it snowed on the glacier, the snow could last for at least 15 days or more, making skiing conditions quite good. So much so that when it snowed, hundreds of people would gather on weekends to see and play in the snow, and some more adventurous individuals would ski. This led to the establishment of the Ski Club of Manizales, a Colombian city near the volcano with over 100,000 residents.
On December 29, 1951, this club organized the first national ski championship in Colombia, which featured about 50 skiers from various countries (United States, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, England, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Argentina, Chile, and Norway).
The competitions drew a large audience, as reported by the media of the time, with several buses and cars arriving at the competition venue. Despite the success of the championship, skiing was abandoned ten years later, without a clear reason. This is somewhat paradoxical, as there is evidence that a ski lift was even built. Only one press note from January 22, 1958, in La Patria, mentioned that the International Championships were held almost at the summit of the volcano that year, possibly due to a lack of snow in the usual location.
Since then, there is no record of any more national ski championships or the practice of skiing becoming a regular activity in Colombia.
Skiing in Colombia today
Although the outlook was promising over 50 years ago, Colombian glaciers have become relics atop their mountains, now requiring protection by humanity.
Today, if one wishes to do ski mountaineering on a Colombian glacier, it is crucial to act responsibly and respect local laws regarding whether it is allowed or not. Mountaineering is a common practice in Colombia today, but skiing is not. Additionally, the risks are significant because the glaciers are melting faster than usual, and, like all glaciers, they have crevasses and very hard snow, which presents an even greater challenge. There is some limited skiing on the volcanoes of the Los Nevados range, especially on the southwest side of Nevado del Ruiz, where there is a convenient access road to a height of 4900m. Nearby Tolima may also be possible as a ski peak. Ritacuba Blanco in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy would also offer a reasonable ski descent. Many other areas of Colombia are currently either very difficult or somewhat dangerous to access.
We always recommend traveling responsibly, understanding the environmental impact of our ski trips, respecting local laws, and analyzing whether our presence affects the ecosystem of the places we visit.
Useful links and sources:
http://www.ideam.gov.co
https://www.opendemocracy.net
https://www.eltiempo.com
https://www.lapatria.com/
https://www.elespectador.com
https://www.nevasport.com
http://www.andes.org.uk
http://www.johnbiggar.com
https://www.cumbresblancas.co
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