Do you dream of dust in the summer months? Quality skiing on and off piste, back country, natural bowling, ledge after ledge? Read how my own dream came true… Skiing in Chile and Argentina offers all this without sacrifice.
The Andes offer a wide variety of ski options, from single cable car runs to standard European and North American resorts. I spent countless hours searching for accurate information before my first ski trip to South America. I left the UK with very little but very important information: I would find snow. This assurance came from a Chilean National Park guide whom I met in Prague just a month before my planned departure. Alex also told me which resort to head to so my goal was set. Booked ticket, my departure date was set for early August. The Lufthansa flight was due to arrive in Chile via a stopover in Buenos Aires at 9:30 am the next day. An unexpected refueling in Sao Paulo made us arrive 4 hours late.
Arriving at the international terminal of the Santiago de Chile airport, it was impossible to reach my ski destination the same day using public transport. I made the decision to get as close as possible that day to my now infamous destination, looking forward to being in the snow the next day. With my limited Spanish but friendly and helpful Chileans, I sorted out my route. Two buses and seven hours later I arrived at the nearest city 5 hours south of Santiago. Just an hour and a half from the ski resort, I ran out of options and had to sleep. It was 7am when I woke up the next morning. Just enough time to fill my stomach and my wallet from one of the ATMs before catching the 8am bus. How is the snow? I asked one of the locals before taking this the only morning bus up the mountain. Not good, they told me, but hey, they thought it was worth the effort, it couldn’t be that bad, I had to stay optimistic.
Arriving at accommodation at (a hostel I found online), I dropped off my bags, unpacked my snowboard, and stood outside hoping to hitchhike up the mountain. The first car pulled up, the snowboard hanging out the back window. I was about to spend the day snowboarding. It was only 6 km to the mountain, it was so close now. Upon arrival I was surprised by what I found. There was steam rising from the slope near the ski resort complex, likely a component of the volcanic activity in the area. This area is named after the hot springs that I was to discover the next day. Most importantly though there was snow…lots of snow,…modern and efficient ski lifts, skiing and snowboarding, but not too many people. I spent this my first day on the snow in Chile in awe of the quality of the skiing. I explored the controlled area and was not left without options. The day flew by and I hitchhiked down the mountain after the last lift at five o’clock. What a rewarding day, I was going to have a good time here.
The second day was even more enlightening. I had met a lot of people from Chile, of course, but also from Europe and North America the night before and joined them for a day of ski touring and snowboarding. The first of the elevators was the longest in South America. A chair for two people, 2.5 km long, which is said to close every time the wind blows, although that was not my experience. From the top of the saddle we dropped to the first ‘T’ bar, one more ‘T’ bar and we were at the top of the ski area and 13.5 km from the longest run in South America. We did not take the race down, but instead went deeper into the Andes, first around an active volcano, which was continually depositing in the clear skies above it.
Two valleys later we were ready for some fun. The scenery was incredible, we could see across the Andes into what eventually became Argentina, and we could see a taste of what lies between us and the bottom of the complex: untouched bowls of fluffy white powder topped with perfect cornices. My first ski trip to South America lasted 7 weeks and I have been back every year since the first due to an injury in Whistler. The Andes continue to be my favorite skiing and snowboarding destination for a variety of reasons, including Chile and Argentina offering a skiing experience like no other.
Richard Dass founded and now manages Snoventures Skiing in Chile and Argentina, an information resource for organizing trips for those who want to experience the magic of the High Andes.