Lifts & Terrain
Valle Nevado Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Valle Nevado is largely a mellow ski resort suited to intermediate riders and powderhounds on L plates. There is also a little beginner and advanced terrain, but
Valle Nevado lacks steepness and extreme terrain. The top lifts have a little bit of pitch, but these lifts are sometimes closed unless the weather is perfect. Or after a storm these lifts will be closed until the patrollers get around to opening the area – in Chile time…
Many of the runs at Valle Nevado are named after dances such as the polka, fox trot and tango. The names seem to reflect the mellow terrain at Valle Nevado. Twist and Shake are black runs, but that’s about as aggressive as the dances get. There is no Quick Step, Jitterbug or Breakdance! Even though the statistics cite that 33% of the trails are for advanced riders and 21% are for experts, the red runs (advanced) are more comparable to your average intermediate run.
The ski and snowboard terrain at Valle Nevado is 900 hectares (2,225 acres) in size. Some sources cite that Valle Nevado has 23,000 acres of terrain (ie about 3 times the size of
Whistler-Blackcomb), but one can only assume that they are counting the heli-ski terrain in their statistic.
With only 37 kilometres of trails, the extent of the piste is comparable to some very small ski resorts in Europe. The upside of very few piste trails on such an expansive area is that there are an abundance of off-piste opportunities. And considering that the terrain is treeless, the options are endless and include natural half-pipes, gullies, bowls and the occasional cornice. Of course the degree of fun to be had in the off-piste areas is dependent upon the snow conditions, as sometimes the off-piste will be a powder playground and other times it will be a nightmare. When the thaw-freeze cycle sets in at Valle Nevado and everyone retreats to the groomers, the size of the resort seems small indeed.
Due to the lack of steepness and the various gullies, there are lots of dead spots in the terrain. Particularly if the powder is deep and heavy, snowboarders will need to keep up plenty of speed.
Interconnected with El Colorado and La Parva
Valle Nevado is interconnected with
El Colorado and
La Parva ski resorts. This is dependent upon the lift connections being open which relies on visibility, wind conditions and the patrollers having opened the areas after a storm.
Access to El Colorado is really only for advanced skiers as the Sol Run is not necessarily groomed, and the t-bar up Cono Este at El Colorado is a black run in itself. The signage for the turn-off to El Colorado is subtle so keep your eyes peeled. The interconnection to La Parva is much higher up the mountain and is more inclined to be closed. This connection is also only for experienced riders.
Valle Nevado Lifts
Valle Nevado has the best lift infrastructure in Chile. Combined with the new 2011 gondola, the Andes Express quad is the pride and joy of the resort. Another two of the lifts are not detachable but they have “magic carpet” loading mechanisms, so they travel nearly as fast as the Andes.
Lift lines can be problematic on weekends when all the Santiago locals come for a ski. Midweek it’s generally OK on the chair lifts, but the pomas can have significant lift lines. It seems criminal to queue for a poma?!
Lift Tickets
Lift ticket prices are slightly higher than other ski resorts near Santiago, so you pay a little more for the good lift infrastructure. “Low season” rates are considered to be every Monday to Friday. Valle Nevado also has various lift ticket combos that include lunch, rental or lessons.
To get a dual pass or all-resort pass to ski at El Colorado +/- La Parva, the costs are rather high. You are supposed to purchase a multi-resort pass before you venture across resort boundaries, even if you just want to ride one lift to get “home”. You might get away with one free run, but there’s a big risk of going for a long hike.
Valle Nevado Snow and Weather Conditions
Valle Nevado receives more snowfall than its neighbour El Colorado. In part this is due to the typical winds that blow the snow onto Valle Nevado. Like other Chile ski resorts, the quality of the powder can vary significantly. Sometimes the powder is dry and other times it’s like concrete. Even though the slopes are south facing, without any trees, the snow conditions are at the mercy of the wind, sun and warm temperatures.
The Powderhounds experienced a powder day where the powder was really deep and a little heavy, and due to the lack of pitch it was difficult to get adequate momentum. This is definitely a place where very fat
powder skis or a powder board would be of benefit.
When the big storms roll in, most of the lifts shut down. The resort is only fully closed about 5 days of the season. However on the days when they only run a couple of lifts, it’s probably not worth going out. With no trees and very few other terrain features, visibility can be a major problem at Valle Nevado.
For the Beginner
Only 10% of the slopes are rated as beginner. Conveniently adjacent to the hotels is the “Baby” slope for the kids and complete novices. The next progression is the mellow slope adjacent to Carrusel and Telucuerda surface lifts. Other than that there are only two runs.
For the Intermediate
Valle Nevado is perfectly suited to intermediate riders; 36% of the trails are officially rated blue (intermediate) but most of the red runs (another 33%) are also appropriate for intermediates. The exception is when a trail isn’t groomed. You’ll have to keep a close look out because the resort doesn’t provide a grooming report.
Park & Pipe
Valle Nevado has one of the best terrain parks in South America and are continuously striving to improve it. The park has hits for both intermediate and advanced riders, and in 2011 the park is set to also include a big air bag.
Valle Nevado no longer has a pipe, but there are plenty of natural gullies.
Advanced Skiing Valle Nevado
The main fun for advanced riders is in the off-piste areas. However if the off-piste snow conditions are unattractive, there is very little on-piste to entertain experienced riders because there are only six black runs. Even though the black runs are called expert slopes they are really only advanced runs.
The only black runs serviced by a chair lift are the short steep pitches under the Andes chair, but look out for sharp rocks! There are also 4 black runs off the top two surface lifts, and the surrounding off-piste areas have enough pitch to gain momentum in the sometimes heavy powder.
Expert Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Experts will need to be creative to find great lines. In-bounds there are a few ridges with short steep pitches or small cornices for a bit of fun.
Out of bounds is really where the best challenging terrain can be found. There is some great backcountry from the top of the Valle del Inca lift.
There is also great backcountry terrain between Valle Nevado and El Colorado, with many very gnarly lines down to the Valle Nevado road. There are some unskiable cliffs in this area so an appropriate line needs to be very carefully scoped from the Valle Nevado road. As always caution needs to be exercised, but at least this area is somewhat controlled for avalanches because a slide would compromise the road. Whether you have your own driver or you're going to hitchhike, be aware of the times when the road is one-way if you don’t have a multi-resort ticket.
A great way for experts to explore this area is with a guided tour. Email Andres Aguilera from Mirador Lodge in Farellones on
dongamuzon78@hotmail.com for more information.
For the Powderhound
Valle Nevado has huge off-piste areas in which to play, but the degree of joy for a powderhound is dependent upon the snow conditions which are highly variable. Be aware that the Valle Nevado ski patrol do not monitor off-piste areas or provide any assistance if required.