Skiing in Chile SA 2024

[Heartful.zzz]

Resort or Ski Area

Other / Not Listed

Date

Jun 1, 2024

Hey folks! So, I've been thinking about going skiing in Chile SA in 2024, but I have absolutely no clue where to start. Any experienced skiers out there who can help me out with some advice? Fire away!

 

[LoafSkier19]

My gf and I spent a week in Chile back in August/Sept 2022 skiing Valle Nevado, El Colorado, and La Parva. All three mountains are interconnected but need separate tickets. We had Ikon passes so we basically would add on either La Parva or El Colorado each day ($40-$50USD, cheap by us skiing standards). Combined there’s a ton of skiing to keep you busy.


La Parva was our favorite of the 3 overall and had a really nice slackcountry area varying from mellow bowls to an extreme Couloir (La Chiminea).


El Colorado’s main side terrain was nothing special. But I did enjoy the terrain on the backside towards Valle Nevado.



Valle Nevado had the best lift infrastructure of the 3. And certainly had a more resort feel than the other 2. Enjoyed the terrain but didn’t have anything as interesting as La Parva’s terrain.


We stayed at Chalet Valluga in the Village of Farellones just below El Colorado. Highly recommend staying here. It is a small boutique hotel owned by a very nice couple named Javier and Dorin (Doreen). If you are worried about your Spanish, Dorin is a retired English teacher. Your stay at their hotel comes with Breakfast, Dinner, and a glass of your choice of red or white wine during wine hour each night. Highly recommend booking the hot tub during wine hour and/or when the sun sets as the view from the deck is amazing. They’ve got a room in the basement to keep your skis as well as space to keep your gear dry. Each morning they drove us up to either El Colorado or La Parva and picked us up promptly in the same location at our desired time. If there’s enough snow there’s a way to almost ski down to the hotel from the Farellones ski slope.




Let me know if you have any specific questions, I’ll try to answer the best I can!

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

I used to work with a guy who’d put together great ski packages, pre-internet. Generally needed between 5 and 10 people, I did a bunch of his trips out west. Always had a varied itinerary of non ski stuff too. He was an avid skier and really loved wheeling and dealing.

He was trying to put together a summer trip to Chile, and a lot of the people from previous trips, including me, really wanted to go. He tried two years in a row but was never completely comfortable with the various people he was dealing with so never pulled the trigger, and we all hated him for it.

 

[Heartful.zzz]

Wow, @LoafSkier19! Thank you for the recommendations and beautiful pictures. Chalet Valluga sounds like an awesome place to stay. I'll definitely check it out. Just out of curiosity, how were the snow conditions during your trip? Also, is it necessary to get a guide for a first-time visit to Chile? TIA

 

[Heartful.zzz]

I used to work with a guy who’d put together great ski packages, pre-internet. Generally needed between 5 and 10 people, I did a bunch of his trips out west. Always had a varied itinerary of non ski stuff too. He was an avid skier and really loved wheeling and dealing.

He was trying to put together a summer trip to Chile, and a lot of the people from previous trips, including me, really wanted to go. He tried two years in a row but was never completely comfortable with the various people he was dealing with so never pulled the trigger, and we all hated him for it.

Well, sounds like your buddy missed out on a great opportunity there. Sometimes it's tough to trust people when planning group trips, but hey, life's too short to miss out on epic adventures.

 

[LoafSkier19]

Wow, @LoafSkier19! Thank you for the recommendations and beautiful pictures. Chalet Valluga sounds like an awesome place to stay. I'll definitely check it out. Just out of curiosity, how were the snow conditions during your trip? Also, is it necessary to get a guide for a first-time visit to Chile? TIA

When I was there it was spring like with sun and temps around 50-55 each day. (This reminds me to make sure you have plenty of sunscreen and spf lip balm!) They had a real decent snowpack after receiving a ton of snow all of July and beginning of August. However, there conditions can be just as variable year to year as the Northeast. I think this past summer they had a snow drought all of July and early August with snow finally coming mid August through September.

As far as a guide, I never felt the need to have one. The defined trails on map are well marked out and can be skied by any high intermediate/low advanced skier IMO. If you plan to tackle La Chiminea/Chimney Couloir it might be a good idea to reach out in that case.

 

[Heartful.zzz]

When I was there it was spring like with sun and temps around 50-55 each day. (This reminds me to make sure you have plenty of sunscreen and spf lip balm!) They had a real decent snowpack after receiving a ton of snow all of July and beginning of August. However, there conditions can be just as variable year to year as the Northeast. I think this past summer they had a snow drought all of July and early August with snow finally coming mid August through September.

As far as a guide, I never felt the need to have one. The defined trails on map are well marked out and can be skied by any high intermediate/low advanced skier IMO. If you plan to tackle La Chiminea/Chimney Couloir it might be a good idea to reach out in that case.

It seems like you had great weather during your visit. I'm actually planning to celebrate my birthday in Chile in March, so I hope the weather will be favorable as well. For most of my plans in Chile, I'm thinking of hiring a guide, because my buddy recommend me this https://gowithguide.com/chile but I'll probably go solo for skiing. Did you engage in any other outdoor activities during your time in Chile? Also, I'd love to hear any restaurant recommendations you might have. Sorry, I have lots of questions, Thanks again for the help

 

[LoafSkier19]

Unfortunately March is going to be a tough time to ski in Chile. The ski season is generally late June-Early October. March will be their summer. If you are in to hiking we hiked Cerro Manquehito just outside downtown Santiago which has a great view of the city and the Andes Mountains. Other than that I can’t speak for the country in the summer months. Haha

 

[Heartful.zzz]

Unfortunately March is going to be a tough time to ski in Chile. The ski season is generally late June-Early October. March will be their summer. If you are in to hiking we hiked Cerro Manquehito just outside downtown Santiago which has a great view of the city and the Andes Mountains. Other than that I can’t speak for the country in the summer months. Haha

Awesome, thanks for the heads up! I think I will consider changing the month of my travel and definitely hit up Cerro Manquehito for some hiking. Thanks again, I really appreciate the suggestion. Cheers!