La Parva
La Parva Chile
The small resort of La Parva is one of the Tres Valles (Three Valleys) ski areas of Chile. Relative to
El Colorado and
Valle Nevado ski resorts, La Parva gets few international visitors and it’s more like a boutique private ski club for Santiago’s wealthy families. The local elite enjoy the skiing and boarding, but their favourite past-time is to sit on the deck of their house or condo, and lap up the fantastic views of the Andes whilst basking in the sunshine.
La Parva Ski and Snowboard Terrain
La Parva has a reasonably small ski area with only 400 hectares of terrain, but it has plenty of vertical (960 metres). Like its neighbours, the
La Parva ski area is mostly suited to intermediate riders with 45% of the trails rated as blue (easy intermediate) and 30% rated as red (more difficult intermediate). La Parva also has a terrain park and a few slopes suitable for beginners and advanced skiers.
The main joy for advanced and expert skiers is found off-piste in the treeless terrain. Depending upon the snow conditions, the off-piste areas are either powder filled bowls or a powderhound nightmare. Experts can test their nerve on the infamous La Chimenea, a tight colouir with a super steep entrance. The line is visible from the village, so it’s a great show pony run.
For such a posh ski resort, the lift infrastructure is very no-frills. Of the 14 lifts, only 4 are chair lifts and these are thumb twiddlingly slow. The rest of the lifts are quad-burning surface lifts which are frequently required when the wind is howling.
The wind scours some of the slopes at La Parva, particularly the backcountry areas, and the snow conditions vary remarkably between the south and north facing slopes. With lots of sunny days and no trees, there’s plenty of opportunity for the north facing slopes to become sun affected. However on a powder day La Parva absolutely rocks, and with an average of 7 metres of snowfall per season, powder days are reasonably common.
From La Parva it’s possible for accomplished riders to ski to
Valle Nevado and
El Colorado with an inter-resort lift ticket. The combined Tres Valles ski area is huge with almost 2,500 hectares of in-bounds terrain.
Where is La Parva Ski Resort?
La Parva is incredibly accessible, only 50 km (31 miles) from
Santiago, the capital of Chile. From Santiago you can self-drive, or alternatively there are various ground transportation options from the city or the airport. See the
getting to La Parva page for more information.
La Parva Accommodations and Facilities
The delightful village of La Parva is ski-in ski-out and likened to a ski village in Europe.
La Parva accommodation options are limited to a handful of houses and condos, as most of the accommodations are exclusively used by the owners. The condos are not suited to the budget oriented, and the duration of the stay must be a week. Alternatively
El Colorado hotels and
Farellones accommodation provides more flexibility regarding the length of stay and a range of accommodation for different budgets.
There are a few restaurants at La Parva that also reflect the European influence of the resort, but many families have dinner at home and don’t venture out in the evenings. There are a couple of drinking holes at La Parva and a disco, but if you want nightlife, stay in Farellones not La Parva.
La Parva Accommodations Listings
Why Ski or Snowboard at La Parva?
La Parva is petite and exclusive, and well suited to those who want a quiet family oriented experience. If you can’t afford to stay at La Parva, just go for a day trip. If coming from Santiago, the travel time to La Parva is much less than Valle Nevado.
And for the ultimate skiing or boarding experience, Andes Heli Ski offers heli-skiing from the La Parva village. They have different daily programs or week long packages. A day heli-skiing can cost as much as $US1,700, making it some of the most expensive non-private heli-skiing in the world. However
Chile skiing is unique, and
Chile heli skiing in the Andes is definitely inimitable and worthy of bragging rights.
Chile Fully Hosted & Guided Ski & Snowboard Safaris
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Summer Escape Ski & Snowboard Tour - 7 Days
An action packed adventure for advanced to expert skiers & snowboarders. Ride Chile's top ski areas (Valle Nevado, El Colorado, La Parva, Portillo PLUS El Arpa Cat Skiing) + night in Santiago.....
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Chile Snow Adventure - 9 Days
An adventure of a lifetime for advanced to expert skiers & snowboarders. Ride Chile's top ski areas (Valle Nevado, El Colorado, La Parva, Portillo, Termas de Chillan PLUS El Arpa Cat Skiing) + night in Santiago.....
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Chile Resorts Tour - 14 Days
Ride 5 of Chile's best ski areas including Valle Nevado, El Colorado, La Parva, (Portillo or Corralco) & Termas de Chillan (PLUS El Arpa Cat Skiing option).....
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Hosted (unguided) Resort Safari's
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Chile's Top Ski Resorts Tour - 8 Days
Ski 2 of Chile's best resorts; Valle Nevado & Portillo PLUS 2 full days of cat sking at El Arpa. For advanced intermediate to experts riders, this is an adventure if a lifetime.....
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Ski, Wine Tasting & San Pedro - 10 Days
Combine skiing at 3 of Chile's top ski destinations including a day of cat skiing at El Arpa with a tour of Chile's central & northern region. Wine, natural wonders and unforgettable vistas.....
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Chile & Argentina Combo Safaris
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Frontier Las Lenas Tour - 12 Days
Off-piste / back country extravaganza for advanced to expert skiers & snowboarders to 4 of Chile's best resorts plus a day of cat skiing with El Arpa and then 5 day finale at the massive Las Lenas.....
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Chile Guided Instructional Tours
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4 Resorts Ski Safari - 9 Days
Check out 4 of Chile's best ski resorts while improving your skiing with certified professional ski coaches & guides. Strong intermediates to strong advanced skiers only....
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4 Resorts + CatSki Safari - 11 Days
This tour is specifically designed for intermediate to advanced skiers wanting to improve their off-piste/powder skiing skills. Certified professional coaching all the way...
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Chile Instructional Ski Tour - 7 Days
Improve your skiing & experience some of Chile's best resorts including Portillo, La Parva, El Colorado, Valle Nevado + a day of cat skiing with El Arpa. For intermediate to advanced intermediate skiers.....
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Chile Instructional Snowboard Tour - 8 Days
Improve your snowboarding skills whilst you experience some of Chile's best resorts including Portillo, La Parva, El Colorado, Valle Nevado plus a day of cat skiing in the back country. For intermediate snowboarders......
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Women's Freeride Ski Camp - 7 Days
Develop your freeride off-piste and backcountry skills with pro skier Ingrid Backstrom at the beautiful Chilean ski resort of La Parva. For advanced intermediate to advanced skiers......
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