El Colorado (Farrellones)

...ski resorts of La Parva, El Colorado and Valle Nevado. All 3 resorts are connected (you can ski between them if you have the right pass) and there are plenty of runs and some world-class off-piste. You can make the trip up and down from Santiago in a day but its worth taking two days (at least) if you can ski or snowboard. As well as the resorts, there is a small town called Farrellones located next to the resort of El Colorado. You can walk from ...
...farellones and two bars in El Colorado, one at the main ski lift base, and another at the lower lift base. Be warned though, there is no European-style apres-ski culture in Chile. If you are out to get drunk there is a good chance you will be doing it with about 10 other tourists, whilst being watched by upwards of 50 chilenos. Not that this is any reason to hold back. There is a nightclub somewhere in between El Colorado and La Parva somewhere, ... more

Apologies to anyone who has read this already - I put it on the Travel-Chile-Santiago page before realising it was better off here. I have added a bit more though

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About 2 hours east of Santiago are the ski resorts of La Parva, El Colorado and Valle Nevado. All 3 resorts are connected (you can ski between them if you have the right pass) and there are plenty of runs and some world-class off-piste. You can make the trip up and down from Santiago in a day but its worth taking two days (at least) if you can ski or snowboard. As well as the resorts, there is a small town called Farrellones located next to the resort of El Colorado. You can walk from Farrellones to the lowest lift at el colorado, from where the lift attendants will let you on if you promise to buy a lift pass when you get off - at the resort proper. Be warned though - it's a button lift.

You can hire ski and snowboard equipment at any of the resorts, but neither equipment hire nor lift passes come cheap. Sure, its cheaper that the big resorts in France or the US, but not by much. I dont think its that much cheaper than, say, Andorra. Ski-ing is very much for the elite in Chile and this is reflected in the prices.

There is a daily bus service up from Santiago but its much more common to hitchhike to and from the resorts. Stupid advice when you are going up to a ski resort anyway, bu take a lot of really warm clothes as you will probably be riding in the back of a pickup. Hitchhiking is THE mode of transport between the resorts. There are no free buses (or any other kind) but there is an endless stream of 4WD trucks that come up from Santiago pretty much every day, and most of them will let you hop in the back. OK, not most of them, but it's unusual to wait more than an hour for a lift. Having said that, expensive 4wds or not they are still South American drivers and every european I know of that has spent more than a month hitching here has been involved in a crash. Belt up!

If you want to stay longer than a couple of days, there are a couple of hostels in Farrellones, but you will need to speak spanish to get the best deals. There is also an internet cafe and a bar in farellones and two bars in El Colorado, one at the main ski lift base, and another at the lower lift base. Be warned though, there is no European-style apres-ski culture in Chile. If you are out to get drunk there is a good chance you will be doing it with about 10 other tourists, whilst being watched by upwards of 50 chilenos. Not that this is any reason to hold back. There is a nightclub somewhere in between El Colorado and La Parva somewhere, to which I have been a couple of times. Each time it was after an extended apres ski session, and each time in the back of a truck, so I still dont really know where it is. It's definitely somewhere uphill from Farellonnes...

Food options are limited. We stayed in Farellonnes and bought food either from the worlds smallest "supermarket" in El colorado or the kiosk style shop in La Parma. Eating out was often the bar/restaurant at the El Colorado main lifts. If it wasn't there it was the bar/restaurant at the El Colorado lower lifts. It isn't a gourmet paradise, that's for sure.

Away from the slopes, El Colorado and Farrellones have a charm of theirown, more reminiscent of traditional chilean villages than a ski resort. Its still possible to stop off for breakfast opposite the bar in Farrellones right next to the lifts and sit in a tiny wooden hut with room for only one table, from which you can watch an old lady toast you a sandwich for breakfast on her equally old gas stove. And the sunsets over Santiago? The only positive aspect of all that smog, thats for sure.

The biggest bonuses, however, are to be enjoyed on the slopes. Chile gets a LOT of snow, I will post pictures if I can figure out how, but that isn't the best bit. The terrain is great too, better at La Parva if you are only visiting one resort, but with options to drop down from El Colorado to the road which links the resorts - a long long way downhill, but that isnt really the best bit either. he bbest bit is the chilenos themselves. Not many of them ski, and those that do tend to stick to the pistes, leaving the powder for the visitors. If you are prepared to hike the off piste is better than whistler, in my opinion (although without the trees). In summary, If you love skiing or snowboarding you are going to enjoy the days. If you love travelling in South America you will love the resorts, the hitchhiking culture, and the scenery. If you get lucky with the snow you may go for a weekend and stay for a fortnight. I have. 

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