Jubilant Chileans return to ski slopes as second COVID wave subsides

SANTIAGO: Chileans have returned to the slopes of the Andes mountains for the start of the ski season or the first time in two years, after last winter's season was scuppered by COVID 19-related lockdowns.

Scores of daytrippers from the capital, Santiago, took to skis, snowboards and toboggans to make the most of the thick powdery snow, with their faces obscured entirely by a combination of masks and goggles. Chile was first hit by coronavirus in March last year, resulting in long months of strict lockdowns that lasted on and off until the end of the year.