The Nevados de Chillan ski and snowboard terrain is smokin’ – literally considering that the ski resort sits on the flanks of three very active volcanoes. Nevados de Chillan in Chile is great for beginners and intermediates, but the feature of this ski resort is the interesting off-piste terrain that’s come about from a history of rivers of lava flow (none of them recent!). With lots of space and very few people heading off-piste, powder hounds will probably find lots of freshies.
The Nevados de Chillan Ski Resort was formerly known as Termas de Chillan. The name might have changed, but it’s still renowned for the natural hot springs (termas) where you can soothe tired muscles.
Pros and Cons of Nevados de Chillan
Pros
- Nevados has really interesting off-piste terrain and fantastic backcountry terrain.
- The ski resort typically receives a lot of snow.
- With the exception of the local school holidays in the last 2 weeks of July, the ski resort is generally deserted.
- The combination of good snow, uncrowded slopes and plenty of great terrain makes this an ideal powder hound destination.
- After you’ve battered your body on the slopes, a soak in one of the termas (thermal spings) is superb.
Cons
- The lift system is being improved but some of the old lifts are painstakingly slow. For example, the Otto lift travels a decent amount of vertical but it takes over 20 minutes, so if you haven’t died from exposure to the elements you might die from boredom!
- All that snow doesn’t come from an abundance of fine weather, and the upper lifts frequently go on wind-hold.
- On-mountain accommodation options are rather pricey (particularly because they include elaborate meal plans) but this is somewhat typical of Chile. Thankfully there are multiple affordable options in the nearby town of Las Trancas.
- It’s somewhat relatively difficult to get to (compared to the Santiago ski resorts) unless you drive yourself or visit the resort as part of a tour.
- Nevados de Chillan does not cater particularly well to English speaking children who require group lessons or child care.
- There is negligible nightlife at the resort.
Nevados de Chillan Ski and Snowboard Terrain
The
Nevados de Chillan ski area is reasonably large and has significant vertical of just under 1,000 metres (1,530 – 2,500 metres).
Nevados de Chillán has a spread of terrain for all ability levels from beginners to experts. The terrain includes long groomed cruisers and off-piste runs on open slopes. Volcanic eruptions and rivers of lava have left behind some really interesting bowls, gullies and natural half pipes. Unlike Chilean resorts further north, there is also some tree skiing (when the snow conditions are very good), which provides the advantage of affording visibility and protection in inclement weather.
Nevados de Chillan is renowned for its great backcountry ski touring opportunities, and the resort also offers cat skiing and heli skiing.
The Nevados de Chillan ski resort has 12 lifts, which includes a mix of chairlifts (2 quads, 1 triple, 3 doubles) and surface lifts that are handy for the often-windy conditions. Now owned by Nevados de Chillan instead of Termas de Chillan, the archaic lift system is slowly being revamped.
Nevados de Chillan Snow
Nevados de Chillan is aptly named because the snow is bountiful with an average snowfall of 10.1 metres (almost 400 inches) annually. The snow quality is generally well maintained in the upper two-thirds of the ski area.
Where is Nevados De Chillan Resort?
The Nevados de Chillan ski resort in Chile lies at the base of the active Volcan Chillan (Chillan Nuevo and Chillan Viejo), 82km east of the city of Chillan which is about 5 hours (499km) south of
Santiago Chile.
It is possible to fly into Chillan and then get a transfer to the ski resort. Or if you’re not on a multi-resort tour (see below) the easiest way to get there is to
rent a car and drive yourself. See the
travel to Nevados de Chillan page for more information.
Nevados de Chillan Accommodation
The primary
Nevados de Chillan accommodation options consists of a few resort hotels that are conveniently ski-in ski-out and have direct access to fabulous thermal pools. Most lodging packages include full board or half-board (with amazing meals) and lift tickets.
Hotel Alto Nevados is a new 3 star hotel that’s located mid-mountain.
Further down the hill is the slightly more affordable
Hotel Nevados de Chillan that also provides access to thermal pools.
Or you can stay at the 5 star
Gran Hotel Termas de Chillan.
More economical accommodation options can be found in the town of
Las Trancas, which is 7km from the Nevados de Chillan ski resort.
Facilities
Everywhere around the resort there are hot springs (termas) where it’s possible to soak in the therapeutic mineral springs whilst simultaneously soaking in the views of the mountains and sunsets.
There really isn’t a village at Nevados de Chillan, with most of the restaurants, bars and little shops located in the resort hotels.
