
Ski resorts in Chile operate from mid-June into October, with the best powder conditions July to mid September. The narrow nation wedged between the Pacific Ocean and Andes Mountains has recently been praised as one of the greatest places to ski on the planet.
Snow Magazine ran an article where well known American ski instructor and heli skiing guide was quoted:
“If I had to pick only one place in the world to ski, I would pick Chile. I would give up skiing in North America for that.”
Other reviews of the Chilean ski resorts have been recently featured in both Powder and Ski Magazine.
There are more than 15 ski centers dotting the mighty Andes Mountain range stretching from just north of the capital city of Santiago all the way south, deep into Patagonia. While Ski Portillo, Valle Nevado, and Nevados de Chillan are the most well known Chile ski areas, there are many others worth visiting this summer either on a guided tour or your own at your choice of our custom designed resort hotel vacation packages.
The Best Ski Resorts in Chile
Most skiers and snowboarders think of Portillo as the best ski resort in Chile. Portillo receives plenty of media attention and should certainly be on your skiing or snowboarding “bucket list”. However with great skiing to be found throughout the country, we highly suggest checking out other locations as well. If you are going to make the trip, why just visit one ski area in Chile?
Ski Resorts Near Santiago
The “3 Valles” combines Valle Nevado, La Parva, and El Colorado ski centers. These areas offer amazing in-bounds skiing and snowboarding and a great access gate to backcountry exploring. You can be riding these resorts by noon on the day of your arrival to the Santiago airport!
Looking for something more off the beaten path? Don’t miss the remote adventure cat skiing at Arpa. South America’s first cat ski operation just 2 hours north from the busy capital.
Centers of the South
Further south are the majestic snow-covered volcanoes, hot springs and temperate rain forests. Nevados de Chillan is the most well known destination with amazing terrain, old growth forest, and natural thermal pools. To get further away from the crowds, be sure to visit Corralco, Las Araucarias, Pucon and Antillanca ski resorts. All at the bases of stunning volcanoes surrounded by monkey puzzle old growth forests and crystal clear rivers and streams.
Custom Designed Vacation Ski Holidays in Chile
PowderQuest’s dedicated team will work with you to build your ideal snowboard or ski holiday in Chile. Since 1999, we have focused on customizing Chile ski packages for families, groups, clubs, honeymooners and individual travelers from around the World.
Our Best Selling Travel Packages
We suggest planning your snowboard or ski vacations for August to early September. While July generally has good powder snow conditions, the local ski holidays run from mid to late July. The resorts are more crowded (although nothing like North American resorts on holidays) during those two weeks and if you wait until August, you will have the slopes almost all to yourself!
Get started by checking out our most popular Chile skiing packages or if you already have an idea of what you are looking for, contact us now for a free customized quote, hand built by our experienced team.
Looking for something different? Check out our unique guided adventures packed with culture, visiting multiple destinations with our friendly, certified guides.
How to Get to Chile’s Resorts
Getting to most Chile resorts is quite easy with flights into the capital city, Santiago (airport code SCL) arriving daily from North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. Most flights are over night bringing you into Santiago early in the morning. Several of the main resorts are close enough to the airport where you can be snowboarding or skiing by lunch! (Farellones-El Colorado being the closest Chile ski resort to downtown). To get to the southern resorts, short flights or trains, rental cars, buses and private transfers are available.