Skiing in Chile

When it comes to skiing one-upmanship, there's little to beat a morning carving lines through pristine champagne powder in the High Andes followed by an afternoon tasting some of Chile's finest wines in the vineyards of the Rosario Valley. Skiing and snowboarding from June to October is something that has now become affordable and accessible. With flights to Santiago taking just a couple of hours longer than flying to Aspen and free of US immigration, don't imagine that South America is too far away.

Portillo
Chile's flagship resort, Portillo, is the kind of place that does old-school skiing to a turn. Many international teams use the resort as a chance to hone techniques and fitness in the off-season. With a magnificent location overlooking a sacred Inca lake, a variety of challenging runs, infinitely blue skies and no queuing at the lifts, Portillo is just two hours from Santiago and offers experienced skiers possibly the best all-round introduction to skiing in Chile.

Valle Nevado
Just twenty minutes away by helicopter or 75 minutes by road from Santiago, lies Valle Nevado. With fabulous snow conditions more or less guaranteed from July to September, Valle Nevado offers the largest skiable acreage (23,000 acres) in the Americas. There is a wide range of runs for all levels, sweeping pistes that run forever, mogul fields, a snow park for boarders and a selection of resort hotels for all budgets.

Chillan
An hour's flight followed by a two and a half hour road transfer is Chillan, arguably Chile's best kept skiing secret. We recommend staying at Gran Hotel Termas de Chillan, perched on the side of a smoking volcano amid indigenous forest, with flocks of parakeets and condors riding the thermals. This luxury hotel has an enviable location at the base of the legendary Tres Marias: eight miles of sensational thigh-burning madness through lava landscapes and moss-festooned trees. There is plenty of off-piste action as well, gentle nursery slopes for beginners, snowmobiling and dog-sledding, and an excellent international ski school. At the end of the day you can ski back to the resort and sink into the resort's volcanic hot springs.