The timing of our visit to Chile could have been better, as winter is not the best travel season, especially if you want to venture into the beautiful south of Chile. But here we were and we decided to make the best out of it.
After winter had started and the snow caps in the Andes grew bigger and bigger we started to look out for ski resorts and for a chance to do some snowboarding. Our initial target was Santiago, where a few big ski resorts are within a short distance from the city but got quite shocked by the high prices. It seems skiing in Chile is mostly catered to American tourists and the few local rich and despite the high prices the quality of the resorts is not always very good. We decided to venture further south and opted for the resort of Nevados de Chillan, 400km south of Santiago, which had better snow conditions and whilst also plagued with older ski lifts and frequent lift closures is at least much more affordable.
Being used to functional and cramped ski hotels, I was extremely positively surprised when we stepped into our spacious and nicely designed hotel!
The best part of the hotel was the huge living room with cosy sofas and fire places 🙂
It came directly to good use on our first day, when Singapore-like downpours forced us to postpone our snowboarding plans. Luckily the temperatures dropped over night and on the second day we got day-long snowfall. Not the best visibility, but perfect for Yang Ke’s very first snowboarding lesson, guaranteeing soft landings on her numerous falls 😉
We spent the day practicing basic gliding and heal edging, which she mastered pretty fast!
The third day we were greeted by sunshine and blue skies, all set for another great day of snowboarding.
Unfortunately the snow was a bit icy in the morning and Yang Ke had a painful fall on her tailbone, forcing her to an early rest 🙁 Luckily nothing serious and she has recovered well since then.
I had a few runs exploring the area and while not very big, the resort has a few nice slopes with nice settings and views
One problem of the resort is that the summit often has strong winds and ski lifts on higher altitudes get closed down, creating long queues at the remaining lifts.
Worst part is that despite the huge queue, the 3-person ski lift was quite unorganised, many chairs leaving empty or with just one person!