Santiago Ski Weeks
If you are limited with time and want to pack in as much skiing as possible at all of
Santiago's major ski resorts, this tour might be what you are looking for.
This 7-day / 6-night tour starts in the
Tres Valles where you will ski at the resorts of
El Colorado,
La Parva &
Valle Nevado and then heads to the iconic ski resort of
Portillo.
You will ski/ride with a
local multi-lingual certified UIAGM-IFMGA Mountain Guide in groups of up to 6 guests per guide.
Ski some of Chile's famous lines like Chimenea en la parva, falsa parva, Santa teresa, el tambo and the backcountry of la parva towards cerro el plomo and the chutes of cerro Pintor.
Your guide will be available to you 24/7 for the duration of the tour and in addition to the awesome skiing & riding, they will introduce you to the local culture, incredible local restaurants & bars.
The package includes moderate budget accommodations, all meals & transport to/from Santiago airport and to the resorts and/or other activities.
If you are interested, there are also opportunities for a day of heli skiing from either Valle Nevado or Portillo (subject to availability at the time of booking).
Group Type
You can join a fixed-date tour as a solo traveller or small group looking to join a group, or you can book as a private custom group trip any time during the custom date period. Fixed-date tours require a minimum of 3 participants to run.
It should be noted that whilst Esnativa Backcountry will do all they can to match abilities in the mixed group tours, there may be some variability between abilities which may influence some of the terrain choices. If this is of concern you are better off getting your own private group together of similar abilities.
Locations
This tour visits the best 4 ski resorts in the Santiago, Chile area being La Parva, El Colorado & Valle Nevado (whilst staying in Farellones) and Portillo (staying on-mountain).
The resorts all have good lift infrastructure and good on-mountain services.
Terrain
Whilst the majority of this tour is lift-access piste, off-piste and sidecountry, there will be plenty of opportunities for ski touring / splitboarding to access some of Chile's best backcountry areas.
Each of the ski areas offers open bowls, chutes and couloirs with slopes between 25 and 45 degrees. There is no tree skiing at these resorts.
Ability
This tour requires a
medium to high level of physical fitness and
strong intermediate to advanced level of skiing/riding ability to access the sidecountry/backcountry and some of the challenging steep and variable snow conditions.
If you have a friend or partner who is an intermediate skier/rider, they could potentially join this tour and ski/ride around the resorts each day.
Equipment
You will require basic backcountry equipment including ski touring/splitboarding gear, backpack, shovel, probe & beacon. This equipment can be rented if required with advanced notice.
Guiding & Hosting
You will have an experienced local guide/host for the duration of the tour who will be available 24/7. The guide ratio is 1:4 guests. The minimum number of skiers/boarders for a tour to go is 3 and the maximum is 6.
For your safety, all guides are certified and qualified and you will be guided by someone who lives and spends most of his time in this area.