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)

snow report 2 days ago

17 cm
3 days ago
part cloud part cloud clear part cloud part cloud
Mid station 2652 m
3200m 4100m 4300m 3050m 2450m

(1040m — 1540m)

snow report today

60
30
Packed powder and groomed snow 4 cm
4 days ago
1.0
cloud part cloud clear part cloud light rain
Mid station 1290 m
2050m 2600m 2700m 2050m 1900m

(1449m — 1899m)

snow report 6 days ago

3.0 cm
7 days ago
cloud part cloud part cloud cloud light rain
Mid station 1674 m
2050m 3600m 3750m 2250m 2050m

(357m — 576m)

snow report 6 days ago

2.0 cm
6 days ago
4.0
light rain cloud part cloud cloud clear
Mid station 466 m
850m 450m 650m 0m 150m

(2246m — 2871m)

snow report 3 days ago

1.0 cm
4 days ago
part cloud clear clear clear clear
Mid station 2558 m
3550m 4350m 4450m 3300m 2800m

(1530m — 2399m)

snow report today

70
40
Packed powder and groomed snow 1.0 cm
4 days ago
5.0
part cloud part cloud part cloud clear light snow
Mid station 1964 m
2500m 3400m 3600m 2150m 2000m

(2340m — 3480m)

snow report today

125
30
Packed powder and groomed snow 1.0 cm
yesterday
part cloud clear clear clear snow showers
Mid station 2910 m
3450m 4050m 4150m 3500m 3000m

(978m — 1280m)

snow report 5 days ago

4 cm
6 days ago
9.0
3.0
7.0
light snow part cloud clear cloud clear
Mid station 1129 m
1250m 750m 0m 800m 1900m

(2434m — 3333m)

snow report 9 days ago

1.0 cm
9 days ago
part cloud clear part cloud clear clear
Mid station 2884 m
3750m 4500m 4550m 3700m 3250m

(1100m — 1600m)

snow report 3 days ago

11 cm
4 days ago
part cloud part cloud part cloud part cloud light rain
Mid station 1350 m
2250m 2950m 3250m 1950m 1900m

(2699m — 3669m)

snow report today

125
35
Packed powder and groomed snow 3.0 cm
3 days ago
part cloud clear clear clear snow showers
Mid station 3184 m
3500m 4200m 4250m 3550m 3050m

(1896m — 2201m)

snow report today

80
40
Packed powder and groomed snow 1.0 cm
3 days ago
part cloud clear part cloud clear clear
Mid station 2048 m
3650m 4400m 4500m 3500m 3000m

(1500m — 1800m)

snow report 3 days ago

3.0 cm
4 days ago
part cloud part cloud part cloud part cloud light rain
Mid station 1650 m
2500m 3300m 3550m 2150m 2000m

(1540m — 2400m)

snow report today

120
50
Packed powder and groomed snow 1.0 cm
7 days ago
1.0
part cloud part cloud part cloud cloud light rain
Mid station 1970 m
2550m 3750m 3900m 2200m 2150m

(2548m — 3310m)

snow report today

133
65
Packed powder and groomed snow 1.0 cm
yesterday
part cloud clear clear clear clear
Mid station 2929 m
3350m 4000m 4050m 3450m 2750m

(2800m — 4500m)

snow report today

1.0 cm
yesterday
part cloud clear clear clear snow showers
Mid station 3650 m
3500m 4150m 4250m 3500m 3050m

(2015m — 4845m)

snow report today

1.0 cm
yesterday
part cloud clear clear part cloud clear
Mid station 3430 m
3350m 4250m 4350m 3150m 2500m

(2690m — 3740m)

snow report 2 days ago

1.0 cm
3 days ago
part cloud clear clear clear clear
Mid station 3215 m
3800m 4500m 4550m 3800m 3300m

(2859m — 3669m)

snow report today

125
35
Packed powder and groomed snow 1.0 cm
yesterday
part cloud clear clear clear snow showers
Mid station 3264 m
3500m 4150m 4250m 3500m 3050m

(1480m — 1960m)

snow report today

65
45
Packed powder and groomed snow 7 cm
4 days ago
5.0
part cloud part cloud part cloud part cloud light rain
Mid station 1720 m
2350m 3150m 3400m 2100m 1950m

(1230m — 1760m)

snow report 4 days ago

2.0 cm
4 days ago
2.0
cloud part cloud clear cloud light rain
Mid station 1495 m
2050m 2500m 2550m 2000m 1900m