It was August, the last month of summer vacation in the United States, and there I was: snow skiing in fresh powder.
The scene felt like many major ski resorts — popping over moguls, carving powder turns on a wide intermediate slope, and choosing a high-speed lift guided by an intricate trail map. One important difference: after the slopes closed I returned to a hotel room in a city of seven million and was back in time for dinner.
Few capital cities offer that combination. With the snowy Andes looming on the horizon, Santiago sits a short drive from several ski areas. If I was going to ski across the globe, I wanted to do it properly, so I headed to Valle Nevado Ski Resort just outside Santiago, the largest ski area in South America. Celebrities and stunts were recent highlights — an Olympic gold medalist had been there the day before, a brand team camped at the summit for a publicity push, and helicopters flew over carrying heliskiers to the backcountry.
Despite its proximity to a thriving metropolis, the resort feels like another world. Racing down black-diamond runs or hitting jumps in the snowboard park, there’s no sign of urban life — only the vast, rugged silhouette of the Andes, the second-highest mountain range on the planet.
Skiing in the Andes differs from many U.S. experiences. The entire ski area sits above the tree line at 10,000 to 12,000 feet, so some trails are more like gentle suggestions than fixed corridors. For an experienced skier, the mountains open up like a wide buffet of options. The freedom to roam across broad, open slopes is exhilarating.
My ski legs were a bit rusty in August, so I rented skis and took a fast quad lift to a long, meandering green run to get reacquainted. As I cruised around the mountain, testing the powder and the equipment, the panorama was spectacular. Jagged Andean peaks extended for miles, their faces alternating between white snow and dark rock under a deep blue sky.
I learned to ski on the marginal slopes of Virginia and West Virginia, where daytime slush became nighttime ice and snowmaking dominated whenever temperatures dipped. Later I moved on to the Northeast, enduring long Vermont lift lines and a constant contest against the elements. Those February days often meant battling wind and poor visibility, and wipeouts came with the territory.
For skiers used to howling sub-zero winds and limited visibility, a day at Valle Nevado feels like moving from Seattle to Miami. About 85 percent of ski-season days are sunny, and the resort’s south-facing orientation keeps visibility high. I could always see the trail ahead and even the lift lines at the bottom. Crowds are modest: my longest wait was about 20 people on a busy Saturday. With several lifts capable of moving 1,400 people or more per hour, peak congestion is rare; officials estimate peak attendance is roughly one-third that of busy Colorado or Vermont resorts.
Crowds are thin partly because skiers can spread out across vast terrain. Valle Nevado alone offers more than 2,000 acres of skiable area, the largest in South America. With no trees to restrict lines, even black-diamond runs feel wide and open. Two neighboring resorts, El Colorado and La Parva, share the same road from the city, making it easy to explore multiple areas during a single trip.
Costs tend to be lower than at major North American resorts. A high-season walk-up lift ticket runs around $70, and a heliski run booked on site can be under $250. Chile’s ski season extends from mid-June to mid-October, so Northern Hemisphere families can ski in the Southern Hemisphere during summer vacation back home. Slopeside rentals of quality gear, like K2 skis and Burton snowboards, make it simple to travel without hauling bulky equipment.
As Chile’s economy grows, tourism infrastructure is seeing steady investment. Valle Nevado is undergoing a multiyear master plan of improvements. One notable addition is the country’s first gondola opening near a day-parking lot, with ticketing and rental facilities designed to let arrival traffic access the slopes directly without congesting the lodge.
When my legs began to tire mid-afternoon, I joined others in my group, lured by the aroma of grilled beef at La Fourchette, a popular slopeside restaurant. The meal was helped along by an excellent selection of Chilean wines, each course paired with a new sip. Looking out over the sunlit slopes, tiny skiers in colorful parkas traced lines down the mountain — and it was surreal to remember I had watched dawn break over skyscrapers and subway entrances that same morning.
Info to Go
Valle Nevado sits about 37 miles from Santiago’s airport (SCL) and is even closer to the city center. For travel without a rental car, shuttle services like Ski Total provide transfers. In Santiago, comfortable lodging options include contemporary and luxury city hotels as well as boutique properties. For a longer ski-focused stay, the slopeside Hotel Valle Nevado offers on-site amenities such as a spa, wine bar, and fine-dining restaurant with mountain views. Local operators can arrange comprehensive ski packages, including heliskiing.
The Aubrey Santiago
theaubrey.com
The Ritz-Carlton,
ritzcarlton.com
Santiago Adventures
santiagoadventures.com
Ski Total
skitotal.cl
Valle Nevado Ski Resort
vallenevado.com
W Santiago
starwoodhotels.com