Valle Nevado
Valle Nevado Chile Review
Valle Nevado ski resort in Chile can be summed up as “sometimes deep, mostly not steep, and generally not cheap”.
Valle Nevado is one of the best ski resorts in Chile. It has very well developed skiing infrastructure (by South American standards) and is the grandest of the resorts. Valle Nevado caters to the well heeled local and international ski market. This is not the place to ski on a shoestring, but you pay for the quality that you get including huge terrain, reasonable chair lifts and good service (sometimes!).
Valle Nevado (pronounced va-ye nevado) loosely translates to “snowy valley”. It’s definitely snowy with an average of 7 metres of snowfall annually. The top of the resort is at a soaring 3,670 metres above sea level, but it sits amidst peaks that are 6,000 metres high, so it seems reasonable to say that the ski resort is in a “valley”. Considering that the resort sits at dizzying heights, the air is a little thin, as it is at other ski resorts near Santiago.
Valle Nevado Ski and Snowboard Terrain
The skiing and boarding area at Valle Nevado is vast to say the least. With treeless terrain and only 14 lifts spread across the large area, the number of potential off-piste lines is infinite. And then there are the backcountry possibilities. Valle Nevado is also interlinked with the ski resorts of
La Parva and
El Colorado (and Farellones), and with a multi-resort lift ticket this adds another 1,421 hectares of fun.
Valle Nevado is largely an intermediate ski hill. It has lots of cruisy wide-open groomed runs appropriate for the intermediate skier and boarder. There are also slopes for beginners, mellow pitched off-piste areas for advanced riders, and a couple of steeper bowls and chutes to challenge the experienced rider. The resort also has a terrain park.
The high elevation of the resort ensures reasonable snow conditions and there is also snow making to top up the cover. Powder days can be epic thanks to the Valle Nevado phenomenon whereby the abundant snow is often dumped (or blown) upon the resort, even if neighbouring resorts only receive a few inches.
Modern fast chair lifts are pretty rare in South America, so Valle Nevado prides itself on having a detachable quad chair. And new for 2011 is a gondola which definitely puts Valle Nevado at the top of the pops in relation to lift infrastructure in Chile. These fancy lifts are accompanied by a few other chair lifts as well as surface lifts that are required for the sometimes windy conditions.
Where is Valle Nevado?
Valle Nevado is located high in the Andes Mountains of Chile, only 67km from
Santiago. From the Santiago international airport you can self-drive, or alternatively there are various ground transfer options. The drive takes about an hour and half because the road up the mountain has multiple hairpin switchbacks and is slow going. The scary road makes some of the New Zealand ski resort roads look like modern highways. Of course this is all part of the
Chile skiing adventure!
Valle Nevado Accommodation
There is no town at the resort but rather a “village” that consists of three hotels, two condominium buildings and a few restaurants. The flagship hotel is the ski-in ski-out
Hotel Valle Nevado where you can get 5-star pampering, and Hotel Puerto del Sol is also rather classy. Staying at Valle Nevado does not come cheaply but the hotel accommodation packages have many inclusions such as lift tickets, breakfast, dinner, and access to quality facilities.
Valle Nevado hotel accommodation is generally arranged in full weeks or mini-weeks.
There are also other accommodation options at nearby La Parva, El Colorado and Farellones.
Valle Nevado Accommodation Listings
Valle Nevado Communication and Service
Guests are predominantly South American and there’s only a smattering of gringos. In case your Spanish language skills are not fantastic, there are various staff around the resort who can speak reasonable English. However the majority of staff do not speak English so there will be some situations where Spanglish may be required.
The resort rates themself as having 5 star service but perhaps this rating is a bit generous. The only thing consistent about the service at Valle Nevado is the inconsistency. Some staff provide exceptional service whilst some staff chastise you or ignore you. The service is also lacking in regards to reliable communication about road, run and inter-resort link closures which may be a little frustrating for some guests. So just relax and get into the swing of things, Chilean style.
Why Ski or Snowboard at Valle Nevado?
Valle Nevado has plenty to offer including huge terrain and quality facilities. And if all that terrain is not enough for you, there’s always
heli skiing that operates directly from the base village. You can do just one run or as many as your thighs or dinero will allow. Valle Nevado - Arriba! Arriba!
Valle Nevado has scored a few awards from Powderhounds.com for “
best skiing in South America” for “overall ski resort”, “off-piste” and “cruisers”.
Valle Nevado - Tour Operators, Packages & Tours
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Santiago Adventures - 5 resorts in 7 days
This has to be the cheapest ski tour in Chile considering what is on offer. Includes 2 days of cat skiing at Arpa. Transfers, accommodation, nearly all meals & more...
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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 with a tour of Chile's central & northern region. Wine, natural wonders and unforgettable vistas.
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Travel Agents
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Santiago Adventures - Request a Quote
SA is an English speaking travel company based in Santiago with a particular passion for skiing. They can customise a package for you to all of Chile's top ski resorts as well as cat skiing & heli skiing tours.
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