Chile has over 4 thousand kilometers of mountains. Add to that a beautiful landscape, excellent slopes, world-class infrastructure and breathtaking vistas and you have the formula for one of the world’s best skiing destinations.
In Chile, you can find residential areas with ski resorts that are popular choices for tourists and snow sports enthusiasts during the winter season of June to October. Aside from offering amenities even for the most discriminating traveler, these places have different levels of challenges for all kinds of snow adventurers.
There are four regions known for their skiing centers with the most popular ones being the Central Region. Located 149 kilometers from Santiago is the Portillo Ski Center, one of the oldest and most famous in the country. It is here where Olympian hopefuls around the world come to train, and where competitive ski runs have yielded world records to beat.
For a panoramic view of the whole valley of Santiago, head out to La Parva Ski Center which is situated at an altitude of 2,700 meters above sea level. It features 14 runs of different lengths and vertical drops, as well as facilities for snowboarding and heliskiing.
El Colorado Ski Center has its own snowmaking system to compensate for the area’s show snowfalls during the winter season and guarantee fun and adventure to its visitors. Valle Nevado is the newest, and probably the largest ski center in the Central region with a skiable surface area of 9,000 hectares and an 810-meter drop.
Other ski destinations worth checking out are the Termas de Chillan Ski Center in the Southern region (skiable area: 10,000 hectares); Antillanca Ski Center where visitors can also explore the Casablanca Volcano and the Puyehue National Park; and the Cerro El Fraile Ski Center in the austral region of Coyhaique.