Comparing Chile’s Portillo and Valle Nevado ski resorts

Jaunted.com compares two of Chile’s biggest ski resorts.:

“If you’re flying into Santiago for a ski trip, you have a number of options when it comes to the resort you choose, including Portillo, La Parva, El Colorado, Valle Nevado, and Termas de Chillán.

In this post, we highlight the two most recognizable for out-of-towners, Portillo and Valle Nevado. What’s the difference between the two, and which is right for you? Read on to find out.


Above: Valle Nevado

The Sking:

Valle Nevado is the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere with over 34 square-miles of terrain. It is part of Chile’s Tres Valles ski area, meaning that the same lift ticket is good at both La Parva and El Colorado as well. Overall, the terrain is largely intermediate, with most of the groomers designed for what the resort describes as “laid-back cruising.” Adventure-seekers will still flock to Valle Nevado as it gains popularity for its excellent heli-skiing.

Portillo is smaller in size, but more extreme in terms of its terrain. It was the host of the 1966 World Championships for alpine racing, and has since served as a training ground for many Olympic teams and celebrity skiers during the North Hemisphere summer. There are only a handful of groomed trails, and much of the appeal of Portillo lies in its hike-to terrain and its high speed, multi-person poma lifts that pull skiers up the sides of the bowl.

Read more in CHILE

 

Tips for skiing at La Parva in Chile

Some good tips and strategies for skiing at La Parva by visit-chile.com

La Parva has a longitudinal orientation. Many runs will thus be accessed with more than one lift.

Local skiers shun the comfortable chairlifts for the speedier and less crowded poma lifts which seem to shoot off in every direction on the mountain.

Beginners can ski undisturbed at the northern base of the ski area below the village.

Intermediates seem to enjoy the super-wide Las Flores bowl which boasts a consistent drop for long, cruising, GS turns.

Advanced skiers should try the south-facing bowl under the return traverse from the Tortolas chairlift.

This is probably La Parva’s best mogul and powder area.

Experts are advised to venture out on the Manantiales traverse and ski the Mirador and Pared areas which then feed into the Super-G terrain of Barros Negros.

Corralco Mountain & Ski Resort new in Chile

Here’s a report from SnowAction:

Chile is awesome! Corralco Mountain & Ski Resort is their newest resort, another massive (2890m – for comparison Mt Yotei is 1600m or so; we summit tomorrow weather permitting) empty volcano with an amazingly beautiful auracaria forest on the lower slopes, and a new 5 star spa hotel resort right there.

Ski back to the door, short shuttle up to lifts in morning. You can be here the afternoon you leave Australia on LAN/Qantas.

Hopefully we’ll catch some Chile powder during our stay, there are more natural half pipes than you could rip up in a month on view here – love lava gullies – and some huuuuge big mountain lines.

French Alpine Ski Team are training here so we’ll try and get some shots of them too .. hasta la pista babies

Valle Nevado in Chile joins Mountain Collective Pass

Interesting El Nino story from www.yourwellness.com

“WHILE Panama’s Pacific coast braces itself for extra heavy downloads of rain, courtesy of El Niño, the folks in the Chilean Andes are delighted because the extra dumping come as snow.

Yes, that white stuff that sends some 750,000 Canadians and Americans scampering south in search of the sun during the northern winter, sends a smaller ban of a different kind of snowbird even further south to extend the skiing season, and this year it promises to be even longer
Valle Nevado, in Chile Chile’s premiere ski resort, opened two weeks early on Friday June 13 due to heavy early snowfall..

While El Niño weather patterns have forecast favorable weather conditions for the central Andes this year, the amount of snow received in the past few weeks has already exceeded expectations, and promises an even better season than previously rumored.

Earlier this year Valle Nevado has some added incentives for visitors as Chile joined the U.S. visa waiver program and the $160 reciprocity fee for U.S. visitors has been lifted, making air travel to Chile more convenient and affordable.

In addition, Valle Nevado just became one of the very first southern hemisphere members of the Mountain Collective Pass, joining the ranks of legendary resorts Alta Snowbird, Aspen/Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, Whistler/Blackcomb and Mammoth Mountain. U.S.

Mountain Collective pass holders for 2014-15 receive 2 free lift tickets during Valle Nevado’s 2014 season, and “top-tier” pass holders from member resorts receive 50% off lift tickets for up to 7 days.”

Chilean Freeskiing Championships kicks off Freeride Series

Powder Magazine announces start of Freeride Series:

“The first big mountain freeride competition of the 2014-15 Freeride Series will kick off August 20-25 with The North Face Chilean Freeskiing Championships in El Colorado, Chile. The event is open to male and female skiers only.

Stop number one of the Freeride Series will take place on the massive cliff-riddled Santa Teresa venue. The series is North and South America’s premier level big mountain freeride tour providing five competition stops for skiers and four events for snowboarders. All events will be webcast live on SubaruFreerideSeries.com.

For the sixth consecutive year, big mountain ski competition will return to the Southern Hemisphere, allowing athletes from around the world to earn points on the 2014-15 Freeride Series.

The top three results out of five events throughout the competition season will crown the overall Freeride Series ski winners for men and women. The remaining four Freeride Series events in North America will be announced at a later date.

big mountain venue

Skiers take in the Santa Teresa venue in the Chilean Andes. PHOTO: Courtesy of Freeride Series

“It is great to see this stop take place in Chile once again,” explained Peter Leatherbe, El Colorado general manager. “It is a pleasure to open this out-of-bounds area of Santa Teresita. The special security measures applied by the event organizers combined with the serious preparation of the world’s best skiers make it possible to compete on this special venue safely.”

Registration for the The North Face Chilean Freeskiing Championships will go live on SubaruFreerideSeries.com on Tuesday, July 22 at 10 a.m. MST.

“It’s very fitting to kick off the 2014-15 Freeride Series in the world class terrain of El Colorado, which always promises to challenge the best of riders,” said Freeride Series Event Director Bryan Barlow. “Freeride’s growth in Chile is very apparent, and I can’t wait to see the local Chilean riders rise up to compete against some of the world’s best freeriders.”

In addition to podium awards, one skier at each event will be selected as the recipients of the Backcountry.com Sickbird award. This award is highly coveted by the big mountain freeride community and is granted to riders who challenge not only themselves but also the sport through their athletic performance.

For athlete information contact Julia Jimmerson, MSI athlete relations manager, at jjimmerson@mtsports.com or (801) 349-4616. A new website will be launched soon.

For media or general information contact Max Kuszaj, Freeride Series Chile media relations, at 801.244.7780 or skierinblack@gmail.com.

Nearly a million expected for the Chile ski season

Chile expects more than 1 million skiers this year, here’s an interesting story from eturbonews.com

“Together with the Sub-Secretary of Tourism and Turismo Chile, we have put forth different actions abroad to strengthen our country as the leader of snow destinations within South America, hoping to achieve an increase of foreign visitors to choose Chile and enjoy its mountains. We have already received a great amount of snow in our ski centers, allowing us to be prepared to receive them,” commented Miguel Purcell, President of the Ski Association of Chile, about the country’s ski season.

The 2014 ski season kicked off in Chile with a ceremony at La Parva Ski Center, attended by the Sub-Secretary of Tourism, Javiera Montes; President of the Ski Association and CEO of Ski Portillo, Michael Purcell; and the CEOs of El Colorado, Peter Leatherbee; Valle Nevado, Ricardo Margulis; and La Parva, Thomas Grob.

“Chile offers a wide range of possibilities associated with winter sports tourism to attract national and foreign visitors,” said Sub-Secretary of Tourism Javiera Montes during the event.

“In the central region we have ski centers in the Metropolitan, Valparaiso and O´Higgins regions, and further south we have complete facilities in the Biobio, Araucania, Los Lagos, Aysen and Magallanes regions. We are estimating that our ski centers will receive 900,000 visitors this season, both domestic and international, of which between 600 and 700 thousand will be concentrated in the central region alone.”

Based on estimates from the Ski Association, members expect to receive a 15 percent increase in the number of tourists over the 2013 season, year on year. In order to provide higher quality conditions and an extended season, members have invested nearly 9.5 million dollars in infrastructure, maintenance and slope improvements.

Read more at CHILE.

Snoworks still has room on August ski trips to Chile

At Snoworks they have a dream, to ski exotic destinations with richly varied cultures. In 2002, they  headed for South America and over the last 12 years have created and fine-tuned one of the most diverse ski adventures you will find anywhere in the world.

Ski Chile is a no holds-barred ski extravaganza combining amazing skiing experiences, spectacular southern-hemisphere winter scenery with extraordinary local culture – skiing Chilean ski resorts in the Lakes and Volcano District and staying in some extraordinary places.


Skiing Level
Ski South America is designed for competent off-piste skiers. (Snoworks Levels 5 & 6). Although we also can take adventurous levels 4 skiers with limited off-piste experience. If you’re an adventurous level 4 please enquire as to whether your skiing level is at the minimum level for the trip.

We’ve created an itinerary to cater for a difference in skill level and aspirations. At each destination you have the option of skiing off-piste accessed by mechanical uplift wherever possible, as well as the option of skinning, climbing and skiing from the summit of 5 volcanoes.

(For fit adventurous level 4’s there may be the option of joining the trip. Please contact our office to chat further.)