El Colorado Chile

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El Colorado Ski Resort Chile
El Colorado Ski Resort Chile
El Colorado has some impressive backcountry terrain
El Colorado has some impressive backcountry terrain
El Colorado is one of the Santiago ski resorts
El Colorado is one of the Santiago ski resorts
Some of El Colorado apartments are ski-in ski-out
Some of El Colorado apartments are ski-in ski-out
Ski El Colorado Chile
Ski El Colorado Chile
El Colorado is popular with local families
El Colorado is popular with local families
The lift infrastructure is old school
The lift infrastructure is old school
El Colorado has 80% fine days
El Colorado has 80% fine days
El Colorado Tres Valles
El Colorado Tres Valles
El Colorado
El Colorado
High elevation ski resort near Santiago
High elevation ski resort near Santiago
Snowboarding El Colorado
Snowboarding El Colorado
Views down to Santiago
Views down to Santiago
El Colorado Ski Resort is renowned for its terrain parks
El Colorado Ski Resort is renowned for its terrain parks
Ski El Colorado
Ski El Colorado
Villa Farellones sits at the base of El Colorado ski area
Villa Farellones sits at the base of El Colorado ski area
There are good options for lunch restaurants
There are good options for lunch restaurants
El Colorado has lots of wind fences
El Colorado has lots of wind fences
Powder skiing El Colorado
Powder skiing El Colorado
Putting chains on for the drive to El Colorado
Putting chains on for the drive to El Colorado

El Colorado Chile

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El Colorado

El Colorado3.5/55
El Colorado3.5 out of 5 based on 5 reviews
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El Colorado Ski Resort Review

El Colorado Ski Resort in Chile is part of the Tres Valles (Three Valleys) of the Andes along with Valle Nevado and La Parva. Unlike the adjoining ski resorts that receive all the attention, El Colorado Chile is not a glitzy resort and is considered more of an affordable locals’ ski area.

Pros and Cons of El Colorado Chile

El Colorado shares the Tres Valles pros and cons and also has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Pros 
  • El Colorado Chile is great for beginners and intermediates.
  • Centro de Ski El Colorado has terrain parks that are impressive by South American standards.
  • The price of a ski vacation at El Colorado won’t burn as big a hole in your pocket, relative to Valle Nevado and La Parva.
  • Unlike at La Parva and Valle Nevado, there is some flexibility regarding the timing and duration of your stay.
  • El Colorado Ski Resort is connected to the Farellones slopes and the village, which provides some great nightlife.
  • El Colorado provides the best access to the gnarly Santa Terasita slackcountry terrain that is accessed via the lifts and road.
  • Other than international ski racers it’s not frequented by many gringos compared to Valle Nevado, so you get more of an authentic Chilean experience.
Cons
  • There is not much in-bounds terrain for advanced and expert riders.
  • El Colorado gets a little less snow than its adjoining ski resorts.
  • El Colorado doesn’t provide the same dramatic views compared to Valle Nevado and La Parva. The presence of lots of wind fences also detracts from the vistas at El Colorado.
  • El Colorado Ski Resort has old school lifts.
  • Most of El Colorado lodging is apartments, so it is expensive for those travelling solo or in pairs/couple.
Pro or Con Depending on Your Perspective
  • El Colorado is very well suited to families considering the mellow slopes and the ski-in ski-out lodging, although it’s generally not ideal for international visitors who don’t speak fluent Spanish because group lessons are not in English and there’s no child care.

El Colorado Ski and Snowboard Terrain

Centro de Ski El Colorado is made up of two ski areas (El Colorado and Farellones) which are on the one lift ticket and sit above two interconnected villages; Villa Colorado and Villa Farellones. The main ski area is El Colorado, whilst Farellones is really only for beginners and tubing enthusiasts and as access for those staying down in the Farellones village.

The interconnected Farellones and El Colorado make up a treeless ski area with 113 piste, which makes it sounds much bigger than it is. It has 1,295 acres/524 hectares spread across 1,090 metres/3,576ft of vertical.

With 19 lifts, El Colorado prides itself on having more lifts than La Parva and Valle Nevado, but the sub-standard quality of the chair lifts and predominance of quad-burning surface lifts should not be a source of pride for the resort!

The mountain has a cone-shaped peak with wide open areas that fan out from the top. There are lots of runs that are well suited to beginners and there is an abundance of fantastic fall line groomed runs for intermediates, although many of the runs provide a feeling of déjà vu. For advanced riders there is a small area on the eastern side of the ski resort with steep pitches and a few chutes for advanced riders. This is a bit of fun, but on a powder day every man and his dog heads for this area and fresh tracks disappear very quickly. The real joy for experts and powder hounds can be found outside the resort boundaries. You’ll want to have a guide unless you have extensive route finding and avalanche expertise. Backcountry guiding (and road pick-ups) are included on some multi-day Tres Valles ski/snowboard tours.

El Colorado Snow

El Colorado’s motto is “the Capital of Snow” yet the resort’s self-proclaimed forte may be an exaggeration. El Colorado Ski Resort used to cite 5 metres of snow annually back in 2010. Now some sources cite 7 metres of snow, whilst others report that the snow volumes are declining and the resort doesn’t mention an official statistic, so who really knows. The presence of the many many wind fences are indicative of issues the resort at keeping the snow on the slopes, instead of donating snow to Valle Nevado.

The ski terrain wraps almost 360 degrees around the mountain, so snow quality varies significantly depending on the aspect.

Where is El Colorado Chile?

El Colorado is located 56km/35 miles east of Santiago Chile and only 44km from Las Condes area of Santiago. El Colorado sits above the Farellones village (5km by road), and is bordered by La Parva and Valle Nevado on either side.

The drive from Santiago to El Colorado takes about 1.5 hours in good conditions, but there are many variables that can impact on the drive time. The drive up to Farellones can be a little challenging because it has many switchbacks, and due to the volume of traffic, there are restrictions at times on weekends regarding one-way traffic. If you don’t want to self-drive, there are private transfers that can be organized by your lodging or as part of a ski package, or transport is included on guided tours.

Tres Valles - Interconnected Ski Resorts

Farellones and El Colorado are interconnected via the slopes with La Parva and Valle Nevado, and it’s possible for strong intermediate riders and above to ski or snowboard between the three resorts, although sometimes the required lift connections are closed due to weather or avalanche conditions. The combined areas of Tres Valles are very large (but small compared to 3 Valles in France!) and provide a lot of terrain variety.

It's possible to purchase a multi-resort pass at the ticket window, but they are pretty expensive and not that much cheaper than buying two separate lift tickets. Subsequently some visitors who want to sample another resort head there by road. If staying at El Colorado, it’s easy to access La Parva by road and ski back to El Colorado without having to buy two lift tickets. If staying at El Colorado and you want to ski at Valle Nevado without buying a multi-resort pass, you need two-way transport and it’s a time consuming drive.

El Colorado Lodging

The village of El Colorado is medium sized and has a small number of restaurants, ski rental shops, and a couple of other shops.

El Colorado lodging is generally in the form of apartments, some of which are ski-in ski-out. Many of the properties are not particularly contemporary, but one of advantages of staying at El Colorado is that the duration of your stay can be flexible, unlike La Parva and Valle Nevado where a week-long stay or mini week is often required. El Colorado accommodations are not as expensive as at La Parva or Valle Nevado, but the quality is not necessarily in the same league either.

The other option is to stay in Farellones lodging where there are more options for accommodation type (hotels, lodges, backpackers) and the lodging generally provides better value for money. The village of Farellones is connected to the main El Colorado ski area by a couple of surface tows.
Tours That May Include El Colorado

Safari (Road Trip) Tours

High Andes Adventure
GUIDED OFF-PISTE ROAD TRIP
7 Days | 6 Nights | 5 Days Skiing inc 1 Day Cat
Ability: Intermediate to Expert
Visit the highest ski resorts in the Andes and experience a day of cat skiing at Valle El Arpa. Situated in the shadow of Aconcagua, the tallest peak outside the Himalayas, these ski and snowboard centers will bring out the big mountain
Price p/p From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy for 2023 season.
Base/invoice currency is in USD inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 4,695
View Details
 
Classic Shortie
GUIDED OFF-PISTE ROAD TRIP
9 Days | 8 Nights | 6 Days Skiing
Ability: Intermediate to Expert
This tour is ideal for first-timers to skiing in Chile or those wanting a quick fix of southern POW as it visits many of Chiles best resorts including Valle Nevado, La Parva, El Colorado and spectacular Nevados de Chillan.
Price p/p From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy for 2023 season.
Base/invoice currency is in USD inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 4,895
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Chile All Mountain
NO HIKING OFF-PISTE TOUR
9 Days | 8 Nights | Max 8 Guests
Ability: Strong Intermediate to Advanced
No hiking or uphill skinning with more turns and less thigh burn! Heads to the best Chile ski areas near Santiago including Valle Nevado, & La Parva plus the massive Nevados de Chillan.
Price p/p From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy.
Base/invoice currency is in USD inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.

*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 4,799
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See all Safari (Road Trip) tours that visit El Colorado here

Single-Base, Multi-Ski-Area Tours

Explore Atacama & Valle Nevado
7 DAY TOUR (Unguided) ex SANTIAGO
Private groups only | 2 Night, 3 Days
Ability: Beginner to Expert
This incredible tour is one of extreme contrasts with half of the week spent exploring the Atacama desert and the other half skiing at Santiago's largest ski resort; Valle Nevado. Do it now or add it to your bucket list!
Price p/p From price based on 2 guests booked (cheaper for larger group of up to 8)
Base/invoice currency is in USD inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
Enquire Enquire
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See all Single-Base, Multi-Ski-Area tours that visit El Colorado here

Backcountry Skiing Tours

Central Andes Backcountry Safari
ANDES BACKCOUNTRY FREERIDE TOUR
8 Nights | 9 Days | 7 Days Skiing
Ability: Advanced to Expert
This all-inclusive safari takes in some of the most iconic ski/snowboarding lines in the Chilean Andes with destinations including Portillo, La Parva, El Colorado & Cajón del Maipo. Stay in fabulous accommodations with all meals included.
Price p/p Base/invoice currency is USD
Displayed price might vary slightly from actual due to exchange rate fluctuations.
USD 4,690
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Santiago Ski Weeks
GUIDED RESORT & BACKCOUNTRY TOUR
7 Days | 6 Nights | 4 Resorts
Ability: Intermediate to Expert
Pack in 4 of Chile's best ski resorts in just 1 week! Whilst most of the terrain you will ski/ride is lift-accessed there will be some opportunities for ski touring & boot packing to get to the steep, deep and untracked powder. Join a tour as a solo or small group or create your own custom tour.
Price p/p Price is per person quad-share inc taxes.
base/invoice currency is USD
Displayed prices might vary slightly to actual due to exchange rate fluctuations.
USD 4,550
View Details
 
See all Backcountry Skiing tours that visit El Colorado here
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