"Skiing in July" a Santiago Travel Page by Quero

The ski resort at Valle Nevado in the southern Andes of Chile is a self-contained, purpose-built community just a two-hour drive from Santiago. It is not a large resort in comparison to N. American or European ski areas, but if you want to get some snow under you in July, this is the place to be!

The lowest lift station is at 2,860 meters (about 9,380 ft) and the highest is at 3,670 (over 12,040 feet). The highest mountain in the area is El Plomo Nevado at 6,050 meters (about 19,850 ft).

There wasn't a lot of snow when I was there, but there are snow cannons to help cover the occasional thin spots, and since it is so dry in the southern Andes (about 14% humidity), what snow there is doesn't get slushy, even on sunny days.

The resort was designed and built by French experts, so the look and feel of the pistes (including the color coding scheme), the lift system (with lots of button tows) and the linking of trails is reminiscent of small resorts in the French Alps.

Valle Nevado caters for the intermediate skier with a high number of blue and red runs. Since there were no runs with moguls when I was there, and the blacks are wide enough to make big surpentines on, experts may find it a bit boring. (But perfect for me!)

Snowboarding is very popular, especially among the 20-somethings. There is a boarding park with ramps and jumps, plus a park with a long half-pipe for those who want to practice their free-style moves.