Ski El Colorado

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El Colorado Ski Resort Chile
El Colorado Ski Resort Chile
El Colorado and Farellones
El Colorado and Farellones
El Colorado base facilities
El Colorado base facilities
The frontside of El Colorado
The frontside of El Colorado
Colorado Apart Hotel - ski-in ski-out accommodation
Colorado Apart Hotel - ski-in ski-out accommodation
El Colorado Chile
El Colorado Chile
El Colorado Backcountry
El Colorado Backcountry
Amazing lunch time views
Amazing lunch time views
Hotel El Colorado
Hotel El Colorado
El Colorado Ski Resort, Tres Valles
El Colorado Ski Resort, Tres Valles
El Colorado Backcountry
El Colorado Backcountry
On-mountain restaurant at El Colorado Chile
On-mountain restaurant at El Colorado Chile
Lots of groomed runs
Lots of groomed runs
Tres Valles Chile
Tres Valles Chile
Farellones Chile
Farellones Chile
View of Santiago de Chile
View of Santiago de Chile
Ski el Colorado
Ski el Colorado
Fantastic vistas
Fantastic vistas
Some of the facilities!
Some of the facilities!
The ticket office at El Colorado ski resort
The ticket office at El Colorado ski resort

Ski El Colorado

Readers Ratings

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 its neighbours that receive all the attention, El Colorado is not a glitzy resort and is considered more of an affordable locals’ ski area. El Colorado is also popular with Gen Ys who enjoy the good terrain park and the vibrant nightlife at Farellones.

Pros and Cons of El Colorado Chile

Pros
  • El Colorado is great for beginners and park dudes and perfect for intermediates.
  • Unlike at La Parva and Valle Nevado, the price of a ski holiday at El Colorado won’t burn as big a hole in your pocket.
  • Unlike at La Parva and Valle Nevado, there is some flexibility regarding the timing and duration of your stay.
  • El Colorado provides the best access to the Farellones chutes and Santa Terasita; backcountry terrain that is accessed via the lifts and 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. 
Cons
  • There is not much in-bounds terrain for advanced and expert riders.
  • From El Colorado it’s time consuming to access Valle Nevado by road, and if you want to ski over it’s expensive to buy a dual resort pass.
  • El Colorado gets a little less snow than its neighbours. -
  • El Colorado doesn’t provide the same dramatic views compared to Valle Nevado and La Parva.
  • Basic lift infrastructure
  • Accommodation at El Colorado is expensive for those travelling alone or in pairs. 
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 accommodation, although it’s generally not ideal for international visitors who don’t speak fluent Spanish because the ski school lessons are not in English and there’s no child care. 

Pros and Cons of the Tres Valles Resorts

Pros
  • Often called the Santiago ski resorts, their proximity to Santiago is a huge bonus for international visitors as well as the locals.
  • Lots of fine weather.
  • Huge terrain choice 
Cons
  • The resorts don’t cooperate with each other to make the most of their huge terrain choice by creating a well priced tri-resort lift ticket.
  • The resorts can get rather busy, particularly on the weekends due to the proximity to Santiago.
  • The snow conditions can be incredibly variable.
  • The access road is sometimes choked with traffic and the one-way traffic restrictions can make travel plans somewhat complicated.
  • They cater for the elite of Chile and the value for money is not particularly good when compared to North American ski resorts. 

El Colorado Ski and Snowboard Terrain

El Colorado is made up of two ski areas (El Colorado and Farellones) that 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 large treeless ski area with combined statistics of 1,100 hectares, 101 piste trails, and 1,090 metres of vertical. What’s not so impressive is that the resort only gets an average annual snowfall of 5 metres.

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 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 powder hounds may despair because 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 to access the backcountry. Local guides are available. Otherwise you may want to head on a multi-resort ski tour that includes backcountry guiding.

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 between the three resorts (sometimes the required lift connections are closed due to weather or avalanche conditions). The combined areas of Tres Valles are absolutely ginormous and provide a lot of variety in terrain.

The main catch is that a dual lift ticket is required to head over to one of the other resorts, and these are so expensive that it cost is nearly equal to buying two separate lift tickets. Subsequently most visitors who want to sample another resort head there by road. See El Colorado travel page for more information on getting between El Colorado and the other ski resorts.

Where is El Colorado Chile?

El Colorado is located 56km 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 one hour 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 regarding one-way traffic. If you don’t want to self-drive, there are private transfers that can be organized as part of an El Colorado ski package.

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 them 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 is often required.

El Colorado accommodations are not as expensive as at La Parva or Valle Nevado, but the quality is generally not in the same league either, and it certainly wouldn’t be described as inexpensive (particularly for those travelling in pairs or very small groups).

The other option is to stay in Farellones where there are more options for accommodation style (hotels, lodges, backpackers) and the lodging generally provides better value for money. The village of Farellones is connected to El Colorado 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 2 Days Cat
Ability: Intermediate to Expert
Visit the highest ski resorts in the Andes and experience 2 days 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
View Details
 
Ultimate Andes Adventure
GUIDED OFF-PISTE ROAD TRIP
12 Days | 11 Nights | 8 Days Skiing | Max 8 Guests
Ability: Advanced to Expert
Lift assisted touring 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 a finale at the huge Las Lenas in Argentina.
Price p/p From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy.
Base/invoice currency is in USD inc taxes.
Guaranteed departures; you book, you travel!
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
Guaranteed departures; you book, you travel!
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 7,899
View Details
 
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
View Details
 
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. Share
Price p/p Base/invoice currency is USD
Displayed price might vary slightly from actual due to exchange rate fluctuations.
USD 4,690
View Details
 Book by June 30 & take 5% off the displayed price
See all Backcountry Skiing tours that visit El Colorado here
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