Just one hour from downtown Santiago and three hours away from the Santiago Airport are the three connected ski areas of Valle Nevado, El Colorado and La Parva, giving you access to a large skiable domain with 10,700 hectares of skiable terrain and 107 kilometers of ski runs. You can buy an upgrade to your Valle Nevado pass to have access to the three resorts, being able to access both El Colorado and La Parva from Valle Nevado via surface lifts.
Generally speaking, you will find more international guests at Valle Nevado, while El Colorado caters more weekend skiers from Santiago. The Valle Nevado ski pass upgrade to ski/ride the 3 valleys is a minimal cost and is a great way to add some excitement and adventure to your stay. Purchase supplements at the Valle Nevado base complex daily.
The Tres Valles has the most reliable snow in South America along with Las Lenas and Cerro Castor. For those looking for an extra thrill or quick ride to the mountains from the Santiago Airport, Heli Transfers are available.
There is no town at Valle Nevado, it is a self contained ski resort with 3 main hotels, Hotel Valle Nevado, Puerta Del Sol and Tres Puntas.
Entirely above treeline, Valle Nevado is 10,000 feet above sea level and is one of the top ski resorts in South America with many important events taking place there such as FIS snowboard world cups as it has the only half pipe in South America. The resort hosts the World Snowboard Championship each year in August or September.
Valle Nevado is home to one of the best terrain parks in South America including FIS certified boarder and skier-cross course and halfpipe. Kickers (not huge as Vail´s or Northstar´s ones) and super fun rails and boxes are available for any skier or snowboarder looking for freestyle excitement.
Valle Nevado has the best heli skiing/boarding in South America. There´s still lots of first descents to be done in the area. But Valle Nevado is not just a resort recommended for skiers or snowboarders looking for heli skiing or the only half pipe in South America, it is also a great place for families looking for a beautiful and fun resort to relax and have an amazing time.
It is the South American destination with something for everyone, Valle Nevado is the place. With thousands of acres of skiable terrain, there are more than enough beginner and intermediate slopes. Experts will love Valle Nevado's steeps, chutes and off-piste terrain.
"El Dorado" of white sports, as Valle Nevado is called, is also praised for its hotel and gastronomic infrastructure. Quality, good service and Chilean hospitality distinguish its hotels and restaurants, its fitness center and the shows presented during the season, thus promising unforgettable winter vacations.
Heli Skiing: With a private Bell 407 helicopter at your fingertips, accessing the very best skiing in the Andes is just a short flight away! Skiing is available in three regions. It is best to talk to the heli crew once you arrive to determine the best trip for your group. All trips are safely and expertly guided. A minimum of four people is required to fly, with a maximum of five. Whenever possible, book the whole bird for your group. That way you know the abilities of each member of your group. With a maximum elevation of 13,800 feet, descents of 8,200 feet are possible.
Less well-known than Valle Nevado, La Parva offers some of the best terrain in the valleys. If you are looking for an adventure beyond Valle Nevado, start with La Parva. Even short hikes offer impressive rewards. La Parva has the best race training, grooming, chairlifts, and steep chairlift acessible chutes.
Almost four miles up the road from El Colorado, La Parva is a good bet for avoiding weekend and holiday crowds. There is a mini-market, ATM, and a variety of restaurants and clubs in La Parva base area.
North of Valle Nevado, El Colorado has the lowest base elevation of the three valleys and is Chile's oldest ski resort. It is located right between the ski resorts of La Parva and Valle Nevado. El Colorado is a red cone-shape mountain with south-facing slopes.
Offering a mix of beginner and intermediate terrain, it is an interesting excursion. Night skiing is offered on Fridays and Saturdays, and a tubing park entertains kids of all ages. For dining variety, El Colorado offers a taste of Chile that you won't find at Valle Nevado. Try El Mirador or Terrazas del Sol. The village of Farellones is located near the base of El Colorado.
There is less backcountry access from El Colorado than its neighbors La Parva and Valle Nevado. An area which could be explore is the long cliff area between Cono Este and the Embudo lift.
The 34 groomed runs of Valle Nevado are distributed into 120 hectares out of the 9,000 hectares of skiable surface. Laid pursuant to the level of difficulty, 4 of them are for beginners, 10 for the intermediate level, 14 for advanced skiers and there are runs for experts.
Its 810-meter vertical drop sets the highest skiable point on top of Mount Tres Puntas, 3,670 meters high, and the lowest at 2,860 meters.
The infrastructure of Valle Nevado is completed with 11 lifts, with cable ferries that interconnect the ski resorts, and a Bell 407 helicopter to practice heli-skiing in unexplored areas of the Andes. The most challenging may practice heli-skiing and reach 4,200-meter heights in the company of a guide, and slide on unexplored valleys, with the possibility of skiing up to 2,500-meter vertical drop.
If snowfalls are scarce, the resort is equipped with 19 snow guns, which can cover 6 kilometers of runs, thus guaranteeing the practice of skiing on 30% of the surface.
A team of 70 multilingual ski and snowboard professionals give classes for all levels and, as mountain guides, coordinate off-piste and heli-skiing expeditions.
Classes may be collective, for groups of 8 people maximum with the same ski level. They will take 3 hours in the morning or 2 in the afternoon.
Customized private classes of one hour or more are also given both for kids and adults, in which up to two additional people may be incorporated.
If a 3 to 5-people group shares the same ski or snowboard level, they may hire an instructor to learn powder snow, bumps, free ride, free style, carving practices or give their first steps in competitions or as an escort within this or other resort runs.
Kids between 4 and 7 years old begin to make themselves familiar with skiing in the snow garden specially designed for learning, under the coordination of specialized instructors.
Run length at La Parva ranges between the 1,471 and 280 meters. Its 30 runs offer various alternatives to enjoy skiing and snowboarding. According to the levels of difficulty, the surface is divided into 15% for beginners, 45% for intermediate, 30% for advanced and 10% for experts.
The longest run is 4 kilometers long and its vertical drop ranges between 2.5 meters, in the easiest runs and 570 meters, in the most difficult runs.
The skiable surfaces are maintained by means of mechanized equipment.
On the slopes of the Mount Colorado, there are 22 runs plotted on a 40-kilometer area, ranging from 2,430 to 3,333 meters over sea level, marking a 903-meter slope.
There are 11 runs for beginners, which correspond to 51% of the "skiable" terrain. The intermediate level has 4 runs, the advanced has 3 and 4 are exclusively meant for experts. Signaling from the lowest to the highest level of difficulty is identified with green, blue, red and black. The longest run is 4.3 kilometers long and all runs are maintained with mechanical equipment.
EL Colorado has a total of 18 lifts, which cover a 15,650 meter distance and operate from 9am to 5pm.