Ski Chile

One of the four leading ski areas in the southern hemisphere, there are just over a dozen Chilean ski centres stretching along the Andean mountains from north to south in the country.

The ski season here typically lasts from early June to late September.

Chile’s ski resorts have built a reputation for great powder and spectacular heli-skiing with several resorts marketed particularly heavily in North America as summer skiing destinations.

One difference from other southern hemisphere ski nations is that there are several major ski areas within a comparatively short drive of the capital, Santiago so visitors can combine skiing in Chile with a city break or business.

Most of Chile’s ski areas were established after the second world war, but the oldest, El Colorado, still the closest to Santiago (45km/28 miles), built its first lift way back in 1936 – one of the world’s first dedicated ski lifts.

People had however been able to ski Chile for more than four decades before, using the then newly-built Argentina-Chile railway line in the 1890s as a ‘ski lift’.

At the other extreme, although linked to El Colorado by lifts and piste in Chile’s version of the famous French ‘3 Valleys’ is Valle Nevado, which has a more cutting edge design very reminiscent of the more stylish French purpose built ski areas. It opened in 1988 and has been arguably the most innovative Chillean ski area over the past few decades and continues to expand both on the slopes, quite frequently adding new lifts and runs, and resort facilities.

The third ski area in this ‘3 Valleys’ is La Parva which was built by Europeans in the 1950s before being commercialised by Americans and then run by Chileans since the late 1980s. Originally Chile’s highest resort it was also home to the country’s first quad chairlift.

The most famous of Chile's ski resorts, its original ski area and later destination resort, is Portillo in the north of the country. Particularly popular with North American guests, it has a kind of private club ambience from the early years of ski vacations, although with all modern conveniences. All catering and facilities are focused primarily in the resort’s main hotel complex. Today there's one employee for every guest resulting in high service standards.

Host of the 1966 World Alpine Skiing Championships, Portillo has easy and intermediate groomed slopes plus some of the toughest skiing in the southern hemisphere, with heliskiing an option, giving views of the Western Hemisphere's highest mountain - Aconcagua.

In the south of the country Termas de Chillan mixes a five star hotel and warm thermal springs with one of the country’s six leading ski resorts. On the downside the area has had problems with seismic activity including earthquake damage in the past decade, on the upside there are 10,000 hectares of heliskiing terrain around the main resort.

Villarica-Pucon located on the slopes of the still active Villarica volcano which gives it the highest ski area in southern South America, has similar problems. Lift towers incorporate rubber bungs to absorb minor quakes from volcano, and ash which sometimes issues from the summit tends to drift away from the ski slopes on the prevailing winds.
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Chile: latest snow conditions round-up

Summary of forecast snowfall and ski conditions for resorts in Chile. Fresh snow is forecast at 7 resorts. Powder is reported at 0 resorts and 0 are reporting good piste conditions.

All resorts

Ski resorts of Chile, alphabetically

Resort
snow depth
top and bottom

on-piste

off-piste

Last Snow

Next 9 Days
0–3 | 3–6 | 6–9
snow (cm)
Next 5 days weather forecast.
Freezing level (m)
Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

(1954m — 3349m)

6 cm
88 days ago
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 2652 m
4000m 4150m 3900m 3750m 3800m

(1040m — 1540m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 114 days 4 cm
69 days ago
clear clear part cloud clear part cloud
Mid station 1290 m
3050m 3250m 3100m 3350m 3150m

(1449m — 1899m)

1.0 cm
94 days ago
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 1674 m
3500m 3650m 3400m 3350m 3450m

(357m — 576m)

snow report 27 days ago

1.0 cm
28 days ago
cloud rain showers cloud rain showers light rain
Mid station 466 m
1350m 1250m 1150m 850m 750m

(2246m — 2871m)

3.0 cm
on 8 Oct
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 2558 m
4200m 4300m 4150m 4000m 4100m

(1530m — 2399m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 115 days 12 cm
69 days ago
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 1964 m
3300m 3400m 3300m 3250m 3400m

(2340m — 3480m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 115 days 1.0 cm
on 23 Oct
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 2910 m
4500m 4600m 4500m 4250m 4250m

(978m — 1280m)

snow report 10 days ago

1.0 cm
10 days ago
clear part cloud clear cloud part cloud
Mid station 1129 m
1950m 3400m 3100m 3050m 2500m

(2434m — 3333m)

1.0 cm
on 22 Oct
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 2884 m
4400m 4500m 4350m 4200m 4250m

(1100m — 1600m)

10 cm
69 days ago
clear clear part cloud clear clear
Mid station 1350 m
3150m 3150m 3300m 3350m 3400m

(2699m — 3669m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 114 days 2.0 cm
on 23 Oct
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 3184 m
4500m 4600m 4450m 4250m 4250m

(1896m — 2201m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 122 days 14 cm
on 22 Sep
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 2048 m
4400m 4500m 4350m 4150m 4200m

(1500m — 1800m)

2.0 cm
68 days ago
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 1650 m
3250m 3400m 3350m 3300m 3450m

(1540m — 2400m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 122 days 1.0 cm
69 days ago
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 1970 m
3550m 3800m 3500m 3350m 3550m

(2548m — 3310m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 129 days 2.0 cm
on 23 Oct
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 2929 m
4550m 4650m 4550m 4300m 4250m

(2800m — 4500m)

1.0 cm
88 days ago
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 3650 m
4450m 4600m 4450m 4250m 4250m

(2015m — 4845m)

3.0 cm
88 days ago
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 3430 m
4200m 4350m 4200m 3950m 4000m

(2690m — 3740m)

1.0 cm
on 23 Oct
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 3215 m
4500m 4600m 4450m 4250m 4300m

(2859m — 3669m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 122 days 2.0 cm
on 23 Oct
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 3264 m
4450m 4600m 4450m 4250m 4250m

(1480m — 1960m)

snow report 4 days ago

opens in 129 days 3.0 cm
68 days ago
clear clear part cloud clear clear
Mid station 1720 m
3200m 3300m 3350m 3350m 3400m

(1230m — 1760m)

1.0 cm
44 days ago
clear clear part cloud clear part cloud
Mid station 1495 m
2900m 3200m 3100m 3300m 3100m