Ski Resorts in Chile
Fresh powder at La Parva , August 2007
The Andes of Chile have some world class ski resorts. there are no huge Alpine resorts here, but most resorts will provide even the best skiers with a day or two of satisfying downhill skiing on very quiet pistes. After a few years of poor snow due to El Niņo the 1999 season was a bit more like normal, with some good falls of powder above Santiago. Chilean holidays are the last two weeks of July and the week around September 11th-18th (Fiestas Patrias) so avoid these times if you can.
For details of our scheduled downhill skiing holidays in Chile which visit many of these resorts, please visit our main Chilean Ski Holidays Page
PORTILLO
An unusual resort but well worth a visit. The base station is at 2800m, the highest tow takes you to about 3300m. Click here to link through to a Portillo piste plan. This is quite a large file (over 100K) and may take some time to download.
TRES VALLES - Valle Nevado - La Parva - Colorado
These three resorts, known as the Tres Valles, lie about one and a half hours drive from Santiago the capital of Chile. They are now linked by a common lift system and together provide a huge skiable area. Even a good skier will take a day or more to ski out any one of these resorts. All three provide a great base for a weeks skiing. The best two resorts are La Parva and Valle Nevado. Both have some excellent long off piste runs and there are several good steep couloirs at the top of La Parva. Click on the following links for piste plans for La Parva, Colorado and Valle Nevado. These are quite large files (over 100K) and may take some time to download.
CHILLAN
Chillan is a pretty big resort on the south side of the volcano of the same name. The lift company are a bit unsure at the minute whether they're running a ski area or some sort of a prison camp. They have some pretty tough regulations and don't even ask about waiving them. Make sure you bring regulation ski pants! They seem to be very concerned about illegal access to their snow and if you try to jump over the 2m high perimeter fence you'll probably be shot on sight. That said, if all you want is a quiet days skiing on good pistes then you could do worse. There are plenty of runs here to keep a good skier happy all day. The resort is a 2 hour drive form the city of Chillan. there are lots of hotels and cabin accommodation in the area around the bottom of the resort. base elevation is about 1600m, top station is at 2600m. We like the long Tres Marias run the best. Piste plan for Chillan
ANTUCO
Antuco is a small resort with just two tows and about 600m of vertical run. It is located about two hours drive inland from the city of Los Angeles. The resort is built on the north side of the volcano Volcan Antuco. Base elevation is about 1400m. The nearest accommodation is a couple of small rustic hotels about half way between the small village of Antuco and the base of the resort. Bring your own skis as renting equipment might not be possible.
VILLARRICA
Quite a good resort on the slopes of Volcan Villarrica. There are excellent views of the steaming volcano behind and out to the huge Lago Villarrica to the north. The terrain is all pretty similar, but there are several natural 'half-pipe' lava gullies which will be excellent fun for boarders and were pretty good fun to ski too. Villarrica Piste Plan
Base elevation is at 1400m, the top station is at 2100m. Great views of the volcano and out over Lago Villarrica.
Chilean Lift tickets.EL FRAILE
El Fraile is a small resort with just two tows and about 500m of vertical run. It is located about an hours drive from the small city of Coyhaique in Chilean Patagonia. The resort is built on the east side of Cerro El Fraile and there are many runs through the trees. Base elevation is about 1000m. The nearest accommodation are the hotels in Coyhaique, though there are a few small ski club huts at the base of the resort. Bring your own skis as renting equipment might not be possible.
For details of our scheduled downhill skiing holidays in Chile please visit our main Chilean Ski Holidays Page
Other Ski Information
Ski Touring and Mountaineering in Chile and Argentina
Skiing in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
