Luxury Skiing in Chile (2027 Season): Valle Nevado, Portillo and When to Go
Skiing in July and August, an hour or two from Santiago: which Chilean resort suits which skier, when the season runs and what the resorts have already announced for 2027.
- Chile's ski season runs from June to October, and July and August are the best months, according to Chile's official tourism board.
- Valle Nevado, La Parva and El Colorado sit in the Andes above Santiago; Portillo, about two hours from the city by the Argentine border, was the first ski resort in South America.
- Valle Nevado is 44 miles from Santiago's international airport, or about 15 minutes by helicopter, and runs heli-skiing over 125,000 hectares of terrain.
- Further south, Nevados de Chillán and Corralco ski on volcano slopes, with far larger domains.
- As of early October 2026 no resort had published its 2027 dates; Valle Nevado and La Parva already sell a 2027 season pass.
The short answer
Chile's ski season runs from June to October, and July and August are the best months, according to Chile's official tourism board. The main resorts are close to Santiago: Valle Nevado, La Parva and El Colorado, high in the Andes above the city, and Portillo, about two hours away by the Argentine border. Further south, Nevados de Chillán and Corralco ski on the slopes of volcanoes. For a traveller from the Americas the appeal is the calendar: a winter ski week in the middle of the northern summer.
Which resort for which skier
Valle Nevado is the most complete resort near Santiago: 44 miles from the international airport, or about 15 minutes by helicopter through its official provider, with its base at 3,025 metres and 13 lifts. Its hotel guests can ski across to La Parva through the interconnection between the two resorts.
La Parva, less than an hour from Santiago, has its village at 2,750 metres, more than 40 runs over 800 hectares and a longest run of 4 kilometres. El Colorado, at Farellones, which its own history calls the heart of the "3 Valles", has nearly 100 runs and 17 lifts.
Portillo was the first ski resort in South America and the only one on the continent to host the World Ski Championships, in 1966. It sits about two hours from Santiago and 3 kilometres from the Argentine border, with 500 hectares and 35 runs below a top elevation of 3,310 metres: a single, self-contained resort rather than a village.
In the south, Nevados de Chillán has a skiable domain of 10,000 hectares, 500 of them groomed, and Tres Marías, which Chile's tourism board describes as the longest run in South America at 13 kilometres. Corralco, on the Lonquimay volcano 90 minutes from Temuco, has more than 1,800 hectares and describes its season as the longest in Chile.
When to go, and what 2027 has announced
July and August bring the most reliable conditions; June is the start of the season and September its spring end. In 2026, Valle Nevado opened on 19 June and Portillo extended its season to 11 October, while El Colorado extended to 12 October. As of early October 2026, none of the resorts had published 2027 opening or closing dates. Valle Nevado and La Parva already sell a joint 2027 season pass, and its blackout dates, weekends in July and early to mid-August, show which weeks the resorts expect to be busiest. The 2027 dates will be confirmed by each resort; for every other resort's season, see the 2026–27 ski season guide.
Heli-skiing in Chile
Valle Nevado's heli-ski operation, founded in 1988, describes itself as the pioneer of personalised heli-skiing in South America, with 125,000 hectares of terrain between 4,500 and 2,500 metres and descents of up to 1,500 vertical metres. Portillo also offers heli-skiing, run with its own helicopter operator.
How we plan it
We start from the skier: the resort, then the week, then the rooms at the base and the transfer, by road or by helicopter from Santiago. Instructors and private guiding are arranged before arrival, and the trip can extend across the Andes to Bariloche, where Cerro Catedral's season runs roughly from mid-June to early October, or south to Patagonia outside the ski months. To begin, speak with an advisor.
Questions, answered.
Near Santiago, Valle Nevado, La Parva and El Colorado in the Andes above the city, and Portillo by the Argentine border, the first ski resort in South America and host of the 1966 World Ski Championships. In the south, Nevados de Chillán, with a 10,000-hectare domain, and Corralco, on the Lonquimay volcano. Valle Nevado is the most complete for a first visit; Portillo suits skiers who want one self-contained resort.
July and August. Chile's official tourism board places the ski season between June and October and calls July and August the perfect time to come. June is the opening of the season and September its spring end; in 2026 several resorts extended into the second week of October. The 2027 dates will be confirmed by each resort.
Valle Nevado, La Parva and El Colorado. Valle Nevado is 44 miles from Santiago's international airport, or about 15 minutes by helicopter through its official provider, and La Parva describes itself as less than an hour from the city. Portillo is about two hours away, by the Argentine border. Nevados de Chillán and Corralco are much further south, closer to Chillán and Temuco.
It depends on the trip. Valle Nevado is a full resort with a choice of rooms, a helicopter link to Santiago, its own heli-ski operation and access to La Parva for hotel guests. Portillo is a single, self-contained resort with a long history, the first in South America and host of the 1966 World Ski Championships, and suits skiers who want the mountain rather than a village.
Yes. Valle Nevado's heli-ski operation, founded in 1988, flies over 125,000 hectares of terrain between 4,500 and 2,500 metres, with descents of up to 1,500 vertical metres, and describes itself as the pioneer of personalised heli-skiing in South America. Portillo also offers heli-skiing with its own helicopter operator. Days depend on weather, snow and the group's ability.
As of early October 2026, no Chilean resort had published its 2027 opening date. As a guide, Valle Nevado opened on 19 June in 2026 and the season usually runs from June to October, with July and August the best months. Valle Nevado and La Parva already sell a 2027 season pass, so the dates are worth confirming as soon as the resorts announce them.
Yes. Bariloche, across the Andes in Argentina, skis on Cerro Catedral, whose season runs roughly from mid-June to early October with the most reliable snow in July and August, the same window as central Chile. A combined trip pairs a resort near Santiago with Catedral, and your advisor sets the order around the flights and the snow.
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