Ski Chile 2015

[Casey E]

PORTILLO! Anyone who has skied here on a good day will never forget it. Magnificent scenery, challenging terrain, charming old hotel, PLUS the funnest lifts in the world!

Portillo is located smack up on the continental divide, just before the Chilean customs, about 2 hours northeast of Santiago, on the road to Mendoza, Argentina. The sun shines on the west side of the hanging valley first, with the two "Va et Vient" slingshot lifts hanging on the aprons below the high cliffs, beckoning. Fun going up, with 4 or 5 platters on one bar, and only one lift pole, at the bottom, and fun going down. The best way to get off is while it is moving, taking advantage of the upward motion to spin around and brake. Here the Roca Jack:



Lots of nice steep stuff to explore off these lifts, and for the really adventurous, you can climb up the Roca Jack chute and ski down the other side, back out to the highway.

The Plateau chair on the other side of the valley gets the sun by around 11, and takes you up to another couple Va et Vient lifts, plus some more nice steep terrain and the lake run. Here are some odd perspectives on the chair ride:



The Portillo hotel is expensive and for high season only books full weeks. They do have a dorm type option, which is not my favorite accommodation, but it is cheap and includes meals in the cafeteria and lift tickets, and can probably be booked for less than a week. The next cheapest options are the cabins, which are worth a look if you are in a group. Best to phone the hotel and enquire as to what is available.

Ski area stats:
Latitude 32,5°
Km to Stgo 148
Base m 2.548
Top m 3.310
Vertical m 762
Base ft 8.360
Top ft 10.860
Vertical ft 2.500
Total lifts 8
T/Q chairs 4
Dbl chairs
Surface lifts 4

Having a beer or a lunch at Tio Bobs, up on the Plateau, is a must. The only drawback of Portillo, for some, is the limited number of groomed runs. Va et Vients are not groomed (too steep). As good snowfalls are not that frequent, the ungroomed stuff can be pretty hacked up after a few days skiing and brilliant sunshine, which is the norm. But don´t miss Portillo on your trip to Chile!

[Casey E]

There have been some economical flights USA to Chile lately. Here is an example, US$954 Seattle to Santiago in August:

$954
Per Person (Fare Subject to Change)

Departing Flight: SEA SCL
Mon, Aug 10 Depart 03:15 PM - Arrive 08:37 AM

American - (AA) 2310
Seattle (SEA) 03:15 PM 3h 53m
Coach on Airbus A321 Transcontinental
Dallas (DFW) 09:08 PM
Layover: 0h 42m in Dallas (DFW)
American - (AA) 945
Dallas (DFW) 09:50 PM 9h 47m
Coach on Boeing 777-200
Santiago (SCL) 08:37 AM
Total Travel Time: 14h 22m

Return Flight: SCL SEA
Mon, Aug 31 Depart 08:15 PM - Arrive 09:14 AM

American - (AA) 940
Santiago (SCL) 08:15 PM 9h 54m
Coach on Boeing 777-200
Dallas (DFW) 05:09 AM
Layover: 1h 56m in Dallas (DFW)
American - (AA) 1207
Dallas (DFW) 07:05 AM 4h 9m
Coach on Airbus A321 Transcontinental
Seattle (SEA) 09:14 AM
Total Travel Time: 15h 59m

hipmunk.com/search/flights?cabin=Coach&children=0&date0=2015-08-10&date1=2015-08-31&from0=SEA&infant_lap=0&infant_seat=0&pax=1&seni ors=0&to0=SCL&group=2&selected_flights=02dc87e2ce, f171e7b1bc&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hipmunk&utm _campaign=share_flight

Hipmunk is a good site for quoting options. At one point about a month ago, it was around $700-800 for the same flight.

[LSeed]

^^Just booked a spring mountaineering trip from Canada for 775 all in round trip! Fly in Oct 2nd!

Thanks a ton for all the info and updates!

[Casey E]

Cyberday at LAN CHILE! Get a friend with a chilean credit card, or through a chilean travel agent, and take advantage of the deals on offer for the today and tomorrow. Like:

New York - $649
LA - $699
Toronto - $599

To stoke you up, attached are some views of the southern volcanos today, from the Chilean volcano monitoring network of webcams http://www.sernageomin.cl/volcan.php?iId=23 :

[Casey E]

Chile is volcano country. Hundreds of cones pepper the continental divide and front range of the Andes, with around 100 active ones. "Active" means an eruption or some level of activity in the recent past, which can have been a few years to thousands of years ago, the geologists defining the potential and category. The highest peaks in the country are, in general, volcanoes, Chile having the highest one in the world (Ojos del Salado at 6,893m). Many were venerated by ancient indigenous cultures, with mummies and other artifacts having been found on some.

Skiing the volcanoes is easiest in the stretch of Chile from Chillan to Osorno. In the far north, when the "Bolivian winter" (December-March) brings moisture from the Amazon up and over the Altiplano, there can be snow on the peaks, above around 5,000m. Otherwise, they are normally very dry. Here are the Parinacota (6,300m) and Pomerape (6,200m) volcanoes in the Lauca National Park, bordering Bolivia:



Right now there are 2 volcanoes on orange alert (Villarrica, Calbuco) and 2 on yellow alert (Copahue and Chaiten). It seems just about every year there is a volcano acting up somewhere in Chile, but these last few months have been exceptional. Wanna ski dodging lava bombs? You may get a chance! We were in Villarrica late February, and again in late March. In between the volcano blew and changed the scenery dramatically:



If you missed the show, here is a photo (not mine) and links to videos of the fireworks:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1knKavWG98

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw-TldvAvyU

[Casey E]

In April, Volcan Calbuco did it´s best to surpass Villarrica. This "lesser" volcano, just south of Llanquihue lake near Puerto Montt, blows about every 40 years or so. With all the digital cameras out there, it was well recorded. This was the scene at sunset, and some cool (well, hot actually) videos follow:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WOluVIPVu0

Day and night timelapses and UFO too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdDZox3XQLE

The now infamous WTF WOW waterfall video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9h3l0aiP7M

[Casey E]

Thinking of buying a vehicle for your visit to Chile? The most used website is http://www2.chileautos.cl/chileautos.asp, where many individuals and resellers publish their wares. As usual, buyer beware.

There are occasionally other travellers selling their used truck/camper/van etc. before heading home, and here is a website with info for Latin America in general (mostly in German):

http://panamericanaforum.org/index.php?id=17296

This link takes you to a current offer of a van I actually saw on the Farellones road recently, and has a good video showing the main attributes. It has British Columbia plates!

Here is another one, but you have to translate it: http://panamericanaforum.org/index.php?id=17175

Other sites for used recreational vehicles:

http://www.casasrodanteschile.com/18-motor-home
http://www.40camperzone.com/ficha.asp?cat=5

As mentioned before, there are also rental sites, such as:

http://www.holidayrent.cl/espanol/index.php
http://wickedsouthamerica.com/v3/

[Jonathan S.]

Whoah, this thread is super helpful, many thanks!

I learned this morning that I have a meeting in Santiago June 30 - July 2, so the equivalent of early-January skiing by both the calendar and your rough projection here:

[...] you should be able to ski backcountry in Chile from early-mid July, sometimes (like last year), even in June.

I can get away with staying down there another three days, so ski July 3, 4, 5 then fly back home from SCL on an 8:45pm flight after a morning ski outing on the third day.
(I know, why not stay longer -- but even with that abbreviated itinerary I'm away from my wife and our five-year-old daughter from a Sunday afternoon through Monday morning, and I'll have already been away for the PNW's Adams & Hood June 14-20, then again July 20-23.)

This seems to be the easiest way to tack two-and-a-half days of skiing onto a Santiago biz trip:

Farellones and the adjacent ski areas of the "3 Valleys" concentrate about half of the ski lifts in Chile, 35 of which you will actually ski.[...]

After hours so far today on Airbnb, Booking.com, and ValleNevado.com, my only two even remotely reasonably priced lodging options for a private room are:

- Hostal Chilextremo for $420 at Booking.com, then hope that the snowline goes all the way down to Farellones, and if not then ... any shuttle service to the snow? (Or can you ride chairlifts up to the snow then download at the end of the day?)

- Small apartment in some massive building for $789. In addition to the hassle-free access to the snow, Valle Nevado also seems to be the most English-, USD-, and click-friendly of the three resorts?

My ski plans might look something like:
- Friday = Start off on the lifts, then see if I can ski up to anything that looks mellow enough for a solo tour. (The resorts are all open-boundaries up high, with restrictions: http://www.powder.com/stories/cops-i...LoFFRm4ssow.97 ... applying only to down low for "true" backcountry, correct?)
- Saturday = Spend the morning with a guided tour in the morning: http://www.vallenevado.com/en/ski-randone/
... to see the various terrain options, then continue by myself in the afternoon.
- Sunday morning, mix of lifts & touring, then take a van back to SCL for my 8:45pm flight.

I saw a couple other day touring options here:
http://chilebackcountry.com/jaw_team...a-ski-touring/
http://www.powderhounds.com/SouthAme...px#Backcountry
All of these require another client, but if necessary seems worthwhile to pay extra for a 1:1 tour to get a feel for the various terrain options.
Plus I'm open to suggestions for anyone who might just be looking for a partner -- I've not necessarily interested in steep or deep (and probably opposed to combining the two, given an early-season snowpack), but more just interested in getting away from the lifts and exploring.
(Although I'll be something absurdly light by any normal standards, I don't care that much about the pace or racking up vertical -- already down enough of that this year, with more to come in the PNW for Jun & Jul.)

Thanks in advance for any feedback, and apologies for any cluelessness on my part -- I had no idea this was coming until I received an expected call this morning while in the middle of giving our daughter a bath!
(Now let's see if I can download some sort of Spanish instructional MP3 from our public library...)

[Shredhead]

I wouldn't book anything till your down there and know the conditions. Then see if you can stay in the Octagon at Portillo. They prefer weeks, but if they have spots, they won't turn you away.

[Casey E]

Jonathan S, you have done your homework! I agree with Shredhead, it is probably not necessary to book anything yet. Although July 3-5 is the beginning of high season, there are no ski teams training and few foreign visitors yet, so some lodging should be available at the last minute. School holidays start July 10.

Regardless, you should have a plan B if there is not enough snow. May was rainless in Santiago, and the 2015 precip deficit is running at 70%. However, there is snow forecast for the weekend, the noise around El Niño is high, and we all hope things take shape in June, so lets be optimistic for now.....

If you go to the 3 Valleys, and stay in Farellones, your lodging should arrange a free lift to Colorado or La Parva, and perhaps Valle Nevado too. The question is the time of departure, which should be clear before booking, the average Chilean tends to be a late starter. Some are walking distance to the El Embudo lift, like Blue Tambo, Chalet Valluga, Hotel Farellones or Base Camp Farellones. Blue Tambo hostal is about $50 a night. Also, be sure not to pay the 19% VAT, as a foreigner, you do not have to, but be clear on this from the beginning and before checking out.

I am working up a list of places to stay in Farellones and will post it asap.

I understand you are bringing your own gear, which is the best if you can. As for buying a tour, I wouldn't do that yet either. If it is a clear day, and you are experienced, you can do the back bowls of La Parva with no problem, and there will probably be others venturing out as well. Take a look at my photos of this area here (with location captions): http://bit.ly/CerroLaParva . This is the Cerro La Parva bowl, as seen from the Falso Parva (1 hour hike from the top La Parva lift):



Santa Teresa or "Santa Teresita", the cliffed area reached from the Cornisa lift in El Colorado, should be done with a guide and support vehicle (this is the most avalanche prone area). If you really want to tour something close to Farellones, and conditions warrant it, take the road to Valle Nevado and head from somewhere along the base of the Santa Teresa area, and ski the lower parts of it. I think Base Camp Farellones does guiding. If it is foggy, you shouldn't go anywhere off the runs without a guide. Anyone thinking of skiing Santa Teresa or other places near the road, should read this report: http://www.powder.com/stories/cops-i...kH2GT6LJU1w.97 Far from the road, like Cerro La Parva, there are no cops....

As for Portillo, the cheapo option is the Inca Lodge dorm facility, which is just fine for a couple of nights. There isn't really much touring to be done in Portillo which is hedged in by the Laguna del Inca and cliffs.

[Casey E]

Here is a list of options for lodging in Farellones and a couple in El Colorado. The * means it is probably a cheaper option.

Hotels
Hotel Farellones http://www.hotelfarellones.cl/ Av las Bandurrias 11 Tel: 2320-1081
Posada de Farellones http://www.skifarellones.com/ Tel: 2248-7071 / 7672
La Cornisa http://www.lacornisa.cl/ Los Condores 636 Tel: 2321-1173 Cel: 8354-2505
Chalet Valluga http://www.chaletvalluga.cl/ Los Canteros 15 Tel: 2321-1689 / 2321-1694
* Refugio Gaston Saavedra * Calle los Cóndores 1141, Fono: 02-3211066 email: refugio.gaston@gmail.com
Powder lodge http://www.powder-lodge.com/ Camino La Capilla #856
* Lodge Andes * http://www.lodgeandes.cl/Home.html Camino la Capilla 662
Loma del Viento http://www.lomadelviento.cl/tarifas/
Apart Hotels, Cabins, rentals
Andeski http://www.andeski.com/home.html Cel: 9840-9912 info@andeski.com
Colorado Apart Hotel http://www.skielcolorado.com/ Base Sur del Centro de Ski Tel: (2) 2245-3401
Refugios.cl http://www.refugio.cl/catalogo/arriendo_farellones/ (for La Parva and Valle Nevado too)
Lodge Cordillera http://www.chilextremo.com/alojamien...llera_Invierno Farellones - Los Guayacanes 81 Tel: 2321-1247 Cel: 9636-1421
Andes Vive http://www.andesvive.com/~clientes/andesvive/index.php Camino de Los Cóndores 1290 +56994565124
Casa Mirador Farellones http://lodgefarellones.blogspot.com/
Hostels
* Chilextremo * http://www.chilextremo.com/alojamien...extremo_Hostel Farellones - Los Chirigues 137 Cel: 9636-1421
* Blue Tambo * http://www.bluetambo.com/ Farellones - Cno Los Condores 1451 Tel: 2321-1230
* Hostal El Pichon * https://www.facebook.com/pages/Club-...&tab=page_info Los Condores 949 Farellones RM‎ +56994727214 +56979745446

Andes Vive cabins has backcountry rental gear, including touring skis and avalanche gear, plus a repair shop and perhaps guiding. Can´t say I have stayed in any of them, as I have a place in La Parva. Well, I did stay in Blue Tambo and Andes Vive before they were called that, and they have a special place in my heart (where I courted my wife-to-be). As they really only have guests a few months a year, some are hard to get a response from.

[Jonathan S.]

Jonathan S, you have done your homework!

Nah, I just plagiarized your homework!
(Cue Walter, even if the nexus is tenuous at best.)

Seriously, thanks again for all the info.

So for Plan B, might Portillo have good snow if conditions are really lean in the 3 Valleys?
(Or should I instead plan on hiking & urban sightseeing?)

[Casey E]

There is normally very little difference in snowpack between the 3 valleys and Portillo. They are 60 km apart, in a straight line.

Good news! The novelty of wind and raindrops woke me early today, so I headed out the backdoor and up the Manquehue mountain to check out if it had snowed, and lo and behold:






The Manquehue mountain is the remains of a 20 million year old volcanic caldera, which means "place of condors" (and there were some!).

Don´t load your quivers up yet, most of that will evaporate over the next few days, leaving just the southern exposures over 2,800m with some snow. Looking the other way, towards the Chilean "Sanhattan", it wasn't so nice, with smog already looming ominously to the southeast:

[geonerd]

upsss, el Niño is here, or the end of the world

Maaaaaasssive dump of 2.5 meters coming for next week. This stupid pc wont let me post the screen shot but check snow-forecast for next friday. or check my pics

[Casey E]

Indeed, the forecast is shocking for the south. http://www.snow-forecast.com/countries/Chile/resorts

But be sure to check the freezing level. A lot of what is coming will actually fall as rain. The Villarrica dumps are mostly fiction as the 1,960m altitide the website shows is the top of the highest lift, a lift rarely opened. If you look at the "mid" station (really the top) or base, it is mostly heavy rain. At least the peaks of the volcanos are going to get plastered!

I have informed snow-forecast of the Villarrica error.

[geonerd]

yea, forget villarrica or the southern resorts till august or september. In the 3 valleys and portillo it will be all snow. Less than what appeared yesterday though. It has moderated to a regular dump

[Shadam]

bump ...

and I thought updating my thread was time consuming ...

we need some one in every country posting up this sort of info ...

russia ???

[Casey E]

Lets get back to the Volcanoes. Going south from Santiago, there are a multitude of options, some of which I will detail here.

We will start with the Planchon-Peteroa-Azufre chain (3,600-4,100m), near Curico:



This can be accessed from the Rio Teno dirt road, near the Argentine border. It is 45 km southwest of Las Leñas, and is active. Route description here: http://www.andeshandbook.org/montani...Oeste_-_normal

Next up is V Descabezado Grande (3,800m), V Descabezado Chico (3,300m), and V Azul (3,800m) which includes Volcán Quizapú:



These are only accessed after a couple of days trudging up either from the Laguna del Maule road or the Vilches road, both east of Talca. 5 day route - http://www.andeshandbook.org/montani...al_via_Vilches Volcán Quizapú blew rather spectacularly in 1932, and is responsible for the extensive light colored ash desert that covers the area, giving it a wintery aspect even in summer. Street lights had to be turned on from Rancagua to Chillan that day, and the sound was heard 500km away.

The Nevado de Longavi (3,200m) last blew in the Holocene, but still stinks and has the aspect of a volcano:



It is being designated a national reserve and is east of Linares.

[Casey E]

Most of you will have heard of Chillan, or the Termas de Chillan (now just a hotel), or the Nevados de Chillan, the current name of the ski area. This is an active volcanic chain running W-E, with three main peaks, many subsidiary cones, and hot springs.

The first of the chain is the massive Nevado de Chillan (3,200m), here seen from the Rocanegra Lodge (yes that heli flies skiers):



It can be toured up from the ski area or from the end of the Shangrila road.

The tits that hover over the Nevados de Chillan ski area are known as the Volcan Chillan Nuevo (left) and the Volcan Chillan Viejo:



These are quite a straightforward ski up from the top of the Don Otto lift.

Nevados de Chillan stats:

Latitude 36,5°
Km to Santiago 500
Base m 1.540
Top m 2.400
Vertical m 860
Base ft 5.052
Top ft 7.874
Vertical ft 2.822
Total lifts 7
T/Q chairs 3
Dbl chairs 3
Surface lifts 1

Looking south from the top of our friend Don Otto, you can see the Volcan Antuco (3,000m), and the Sierra Velluda (3,600m), the next stop:

[nilgiris]

Hi all, I am organising a split-board tour in the south of Chile. The idea is quite fresh now but mainly i will be touring starting in Cajon del Maipo, Nevados de Chillan, Antuco, Lonquimay, LLaima, Casablanca, Choshuenco and maybe Osorno. I am open to suggestions and flexible with time, but i am thinking best time would be August and september depending on the snow conditions. By the way I am in Chile right now and in the south is already snowing......

If you are keen, motivate and this trip sound what you want, write me some lines.

Victor

[Casey E]

Volcán Antuco (3,000m), active, most recent eruption 1911, has a funky little ski area which only opens for high season, and sometimes just weekends even then, that being early July to August, and the week of the Sept 18 holiday ("Fiestas Patrias"), Best to try contacting them if you really want to use the lifts. contacto@skiantuco.cl 043 322651 http://www.skiantuco.cl/sitio/ There are a couple of basic places to stay there, with more down the road.






It can be skied up and down from the ski area, or in the spring, from the south east side when the road around the back opens.

Ski area stats:

Latitude 37,2°
Km to Stgo 614
Base m 1.449
Top m 1.899
Vertical m 450
Base ft 4.754
Top ft 6.230
Vertical ft 1.476
Total lifts 2
Surface lifts 2

Adjacent to it is the much bigger Sierra Velluda (3,600m), a volcano that collapsed 10,000 years ago and created the Laguna del Laja which is the largest fresh water reserve in the central zone.



Glaciated and complex to ascend, check out http://www.andeshandbook.org/montani...Sierra_Velluda for a route description.

[Casey E]

The BioBio river drains a large basin of central Chile, and curves around the front range of volcanoes to the south. East of Los Angles, looming over the new hydroelectric reservoirs on the river, is the Callaqui volcano (3,200m), here seen from the northeast:



It is relatively inactive, just steaming, but the isolated Copahue volcano just east of there has a yellow alert. Fortunately for the Chileans, but to the distress of the Argentinians skiing the Caviahue area, most of the ash falls over the border into Argentina.

Here is the Callaqui as viewed from Volcan Lonquimay to the south, with Sierra Velluda in the background to the left:



The road to the Callaqui is paved to Alto BioBio, but is dirt from then on and can have snow in the upper reaches in the winter. A route up is described here: http://www.andeshandbook.org/montani...ta/235/Pangue#

[Casey E]

Heading east from Victoria, a nice circuit route takes you up and around 6 different volcanoes, and out to Temuco. I call it the Lonquimay circuit.

Tolhuaca (2,800m) is relatively inactive, but has a geothermal project going on the east flank, and is seen here from the top of the V Lonquimay looking north:



It can be accessed from the Fundo Laguna Blanca http://fundolagunablanca.com/es/, or a lengthy traverse from Corralco. http://www.andeshandbook.org/montani..._laguna_Blanca

Lonquimay (2,900m) is home to the Corralco ski area on its NE slope, and was most recently active in 1988, when the Navidad crater was born just north of the lifts.



This probably has the most easily accessed peak of all the volcanoes, as it is a 400m vertical hike up from the upper t-bar, which is the highest lift of all the volcanoes south of Chillan. The main SE bowl is a 1,400m run down to the hotel.

Latitude 38,2°
Km to Stgo 714
Base m 1.531
Top m 2.400
Vertical m 869
Base ft 5.023
Top ft 7.874
Vertical ft 2.851
Total lifts 5
Dbl chairs 2
Surface lifts 3

Llaima (3,100m) last erupted in 2009, and is home to the Las Araucarias ski area on the west side.




Llaima can be climbed from the ski area or from the Laguna Captren on the north side, at the entrance to the spectacular Conguillio National Park.

Ski area stats:
Latitude 38,4°
Km to Stgo 743
Base m 1.500
Top m 1.900
Vertical m 400
Base ft 4.921
Top ft 6.234
Vertical ft 1.312
Total lifts 3
Dbl chairs 1
Surface lifts 2

[Casey E]

Behind the front range of volcanos, is the extinct V Sierra Nevada (2,600m). Together with the Las Raices and other minor ranges, it separates the upper BioBio watershed from the rest of the Araucania region. A 4.5km tunnel provides access to this area, the Lonquimay town, and the paved international highway to Argentina. There are several routes up to it's rounded peak, three are featured here: http://www.andeshandbook.org/montani.../Sierra_Nevada

Here are 4 different views of this lovely mountain.

From the town of Sierra Nevada, looking SW:



From the west, across Galletue Lake, with Sierra Nevada on the right, and Llaima to the left:


From the Rio Blanco, looking west to the north ridge:


From Lago Conguillio looking east:

[Casey E]

Good news on the weather front. In this land of all-or-nothing inequitable inequities, recent excessive rain has eliminated the atrocious deficit around Temuco, producing flooding and landslides, but now Corralco ski area is contemplating opening after the next big front rolls through, probably in around 10 days. The freezing level is finally falling, and there are 3 meters of snow forecast for the mid station.

It even looks like the fronts are going to make it north to the 3 Valleys too, in a week, with 1.7m snow forecast:



That would be very welcome as the current accumulated rainfall for Santiago this year is a measly 12mm.

Doubtful any other ski areas will be opening soon, but stay tuned....