Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
The world's highest ski resort was once in Bolivia. Now, it's a ghost town with abandoned buildings and a gloomy past.
The world's highest ski resort was once in Bolivia. Now, it's a ghost town with abandoned buildings and a gloomy past.
Monica HumphriesJun 15, 2021, 22:26 IST
An abandoned ski resort building sits on the cliffside of the Chacaltaya mountain.Matthew Williams-Ellis/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Bolivia was once home to Chacaltaya ski resort - formerly the world's highest ski resort.
In 2009, the mountain's glacier that was estimated to be 18,000 years old had melted, leaving behind a ghost town.
Traveler Aleah Taboclaon, who visited the resort in 2015, told Insider it opened her eyes to the climate crisis.
Advertisement
For decades, Bolivia held a record-shattering title: It was home to the world's highest ski resort.
An arrow points to the abandoned Chacaltaya ski resort.
luixjunior/Shutterstock
Travelers from Bolivia and around the world would vacation at the Chacaltaya resort.
A sign on a building of the Chacaltaya ski resort indicating the mountain's height.
AIZAR RALDES/AFP/Getty Images
Advertisement
But by 2009, the glacier had disappeared, and with that, so did the tourists.
Protesters hold signs that read in Spanish "Climate Change," "Action Now!," and "Remember Copenhagen" as they demonstrate on the Chacaltaya glacier in the Andes in 2009.
Juan Karita/AP Photo
Now, the ski resort has turned into a ghost town that shows the impacts of the climate crisis.
Before-and-after images of the Chacaltaya mountain.
David Mercado/Reuters/The Solitary Wanderer
Advertisement
Aleah Taboclaon, a travel blogger, visited the abandoned buildings in 2015. Today, she still remembers the sadness she felt climbing up the mountain.
A view of the former ski lift on the Chacaltaya mountain.
Georg Ismar/picture alliance/Getty Images
When visitors arrive, they start at the base of the mountain, where the abandoned ski resort still stands.
A tourist climbs up the Chacaltaya mountain.
AIZAR RALDES/AFP via Getty Images
Advertisement
From the base of the mountain, travelers can hike to different peaks to get one of the best views in Bolivia.
Hikers climb up the Chacaltaya mountain.
Matthew Williams-Ellis/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Along the journey to the top of the mountain, travelers may encounter abandoned weather equipment left by scientists.
An abandoned weather station on the Chacaltaya mountain.
flocu/Getty Images
Advertisement
Taboclaon said she had expected to have a lighthearted, adventurous day trip, but it turned melancholy as she learned of the ski resort's sad past.
Aleah Taboclaon said she spent much of the trip reflecting on the ski resort's sad past.
The Solitary Wanderer
All that remains are shells of the building, warning the world of the realities of the climate crisis.
A mural of a skier painted on a building of the Chacaltaya ski resort.
Georg Ismar/picture alliance/Getty Images