Snowsure: 3.2
- Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
- Is often closed due to a lack of snow
- Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
- Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
- Villarrica-Pucon is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Visitor reviews for Villarrica-Pucon Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
July 15, 2019
Camshaft from
Chile
Camshaft from
Chile
Not a ski area but a lift-accessed place where people can learn to ski. The only lift actually worth skiing is closed from a lack of maintenance and the rest have less than 200m vertical. So don't go there if you are already a skier and want to do some normal alpine downhill skiing. Backcountry is good but also dangerous if you are not experienced (fog, wind, ice etc).
The concession gives the gambling hotel chain at the "Gran Hotel Pucon" administration rights of the ski area and they have no experience or desire to make it a real ski area. Pretty tho.
July 01, 2010
partner0 from
Chile
partner0 from
Chile
Pucon (Villarrica-Pucon) is a very entertaining ski resort for advanced snowboarders, even if the resort slopes are flat to the extreme. Also, the snow is not that great (wet and heavy most of the time and lots of wind), but that is what you get from that point and further south. On the other hand, there are plenty of natural features literally all over the place that can be very entertaining. Lots of them very easy to access and very few people actually go there. There are nice cliff jumps (10-15 feet), huge wind lips and all of them with steep reception on 100-200 yards. Just perfect for big jumps :). The landscapes are absolutely breathtaking and the hike to the crater not technical but very entertaining and physical.
When there is fresh snowfalls you should prefer Corralco or Termas de Chillan, but otherwise my destination of choice is Pucon (Villarrica-Pucon).
September 20, 2009
Maurice Parraud from
Chile
Maurice Parraud from
Chile
Pucon-Ski Centre (Villarrica-Pucon) deserves not being too much demanding on infrastructure. 2 lifts are completely off-duty, 2 others do not work during spring time. 60% of slopes are really for the beginners. I would say that there is opportunity to develop the slopes much more than it's done today. Most of the lifts are slow and quite old.
On the other side, to compensate all of these cons, I still recommend the place and will return as many times as I can. It is a great ski center in South America to go with a family (small kids, teenagers and grandparents included). It is a safe place, not crowded at all but with enough people to make it interesting for most social ages, long runs to learn or just talk while skiing, amazing views and very decent doses of adrenaline if you want to hike top to the summit. Pucon (Villarrica-Pucon) infrastructure is planned for crowded summers so during winter (Chileans just don’t go there) you may not have problems to find good accommodations and really good restaurants.
August 19, 2008
Phil Smith from Snoworks All Mountain SKi Courses from
France
Phil Smith from Snoworks All Mountain SKi Courses from
France
One of our favourite places and on both of the Snoworks itinerary's, Chile and Argentina Extravaganza and the 7 Volcanoes. Villarrica is one of the most spectacular volcanoes in Chile. The lift system is great for beginners and lower level intermediates but if you’re an experienced off-piste skier then you go here to ski off the top of the volcano. It’s an open top volcano and I literally mean open top. On arrival at the crater your breath will be taken away. I’ve been at the top Villarrica about 6 times and it is always very special. Smoke bellows out and you can hear a rumbling noise that sounds like it’s coming direct from the centre of the earth. On numerous occasions you can catch glimpses of lava spitting up and landing on the inside of the crater. If this doesn’t impress you nothing will. Once you’ve savoured the atmosphere you can ski off the top. Either directly down the way you came up of if you’re a strong off-piste skier and competent on steep terrain you can take the ‘steep side’. Pick your route and enjoy. We’ve always had exceptional conditions here. But beware there are some crevasses so only go up with mountain guides. We use Guido from Amity Tours for all our trips, a local guide, great skier and knows these volcanoes like the back of his hand. It can take between 4 to 6 hours to get to the top but it’s a once in a lifetime adventure. Do it! You can find out more about our Adventure trips to Chile on the Snoworks website.
July 21, 2008
Mike Taylor - CASA Tours Guide
Mike Taylor - CASA Tours Guide
Volcán Villarica is the most popular volcano in Chile, with thousands of tourists summiting each year. Much fewer in winter, but on any opportune winter day there's at least a couple packs of tourists staggering along in single file to the top if they're lucky, and most often they're non-skiers who butt slide/stumble down... it's really not graceful in any way, but very entertaining. One could say Pucón receives its fair share of wind and rain, and the summit days in winter are few and far between. The resort at the base of the cone offers some great skiing (esp. boarding) when the upper chairlifts aren't buried, partially buried, or scarily weighted down with rime. There are a total of 9 lifts, but only a few are really rewarding. In good conditions the summit can be reached in 3 hrs (fr the uppermost chair), and the very top 100 m is the only technical part of the ascent. However, the acidic fumes which continually spew from the open crater can bring you to your knees. But on the bright side, there's always Mamas Y Tapas when you can't ski in Pucón.
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