Mountain Review: Valle Nevado
MOUNTAIN SCORE
#4 in Chile
62
#5 in South America
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria6
Snow:
5
Resiliency:
7
Size:
6
Terrain Diversity:
5
Challenge:
6
Lifts:
6
Crowd Flow:
6
Facilities:
6
Navigation:
9
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: CLP 89,000 ($94 USD)
Pass Affiliation: Ikon Pass, Mountain Collective, and Power Pass
On-site Lodging: Yes
Après-Ski: Moderate
Nearest Cities: Santiago (1.5 hrs)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Incredible snow quality
Modern lift network by South American standards
Large selection of on-mountain lodging
Stunning views, especially of the canyon below the base village
Larger than nearby competitors
– Cons
Limited advanced and expert terrain
Some upper mountain lifts could really use and upgrade
Hit-or-miss snow quantities across the season
Altitude can be a bit much for some visitors
MOUNTAIN STATS
Skiable Footprint: 1,940 acres
Total Footprint: 2,224 acres
Lift-Serviced Terrain: 89.7%
Top Elevation: 12,041 ft
Vertical Drop: 2,658 ft
Lifts: 17
Trails: 44
Beginner: 14%
Intermediate: 25%
Advanced/Expert: 61%
VIDEO REVIEW
Mountain Review
Looking to visit South America and coming from the Northern Hemisphere? Valle Nevado is almost the default choice. With access through several North American megapasses and an iconic, high-alpine base village, Valle Nevado is the exotic destination that adventurous ski-resort-goers would picture on a postcard. But just because Valle Nevado looks the part doesn’t necessarily make it a perfect resort, so is this central Chile resort right for you? Well, in this video, we’ll go through Valle Nevado’s overall mountain experience, and then we’ll go through how the resort stacks up in our Chilean ski resort rankings. Let’s jump right into it.
Size and Elevation
Valle Nevado spans 1,939 acres from boundary to boundary, making it one of the largest ski resorts in the Southern Hemisphere. The entire footprint sits above treeline, offering wide-open alpine skiing with minimal natural obstacles—though, like many South American resorts, areas outside the marked trails are not patrolled or avalanche-controlled. With a base village at 9,925 feet and a low point of 9,383 feet, Valle Nevado holds the distinction of having the highest base elevation in the Southern Hemisphere. This altitude helps contribute to favorable skiing and riding conditions, but it also presents a real challenge for visitors not acclimated to high elevations. Even compared to most North American and European resorts, the Valle Nevado base is exceptionally high, and with Santiago sitting more than 7,000 feet below the resort village, there’s no good intermediate stopping ground to acclimate to the elevation.
Terrain Layout
When it comes to the terrain layout, Valle Nevado is primarily divided into two zones: a frontside that covers nearly the full vertical drop and is serviced by both a gondola and a high-speed quad—an uncommon luxury in South America—and a higher-elevation backside accessed almost entirely via platter lifts. The Embalse double chair provides limited egress back to the front side from part of this terrain, although it tends to operate on an inconsistent schedule.
Despite surrounding Andean peaks that top out well above 17,000 feet, Valle Nevado’s top lift-served elevation tops out at 12,041 feet. While the resort advertises a 2,658-foot vertical drop, only about 2,000 feet are realistically skiable in one continuous run. The highest terrain lies on the backside and requires either another lift to return to the front side or a long, often tiring catwalk.
Valle Nevado’s hotels are located on a ridge between the resort and an incredibly deep canyon, making for some awe-inspiring views.
Beginner Terrain
Beginner terrain at Valle Nevado is rated with a green circle and is primarily concentrated in the lower and mid-mountain areas. While the resort does offer a handful of beginner-friendly runs, the overall selection is somewhat limited. About half of the green trails are more like traverses than full runs: they aren’t too flat to maintain momentum, but they’re narrow and not particularly engaging to lap repeatedly. Novices may find themselves running out of terrain quickly if they don’t progress to higher ability zones within a few days. The true learning zone—located on the lower mountain—is decent, with a magic carpet, surface lift, and double chair, and is a step up from some South American resorts that start beginners on T-bars or platter lifts.
TRAIL MAP
Intermediate Terrain
Valle Nevado transforms into a much more practical mountain at the intermediate level, with blue runs accessible from every lift. For those transitioning from beginner terrain, these trails are generally on the easier side compared to intermediate runs at many other resorts. However, a significant number of them—especially in the upper mountain—function more as flat catwalks connecting different zones than as true cruising terrain. The worst offenders are Camino El Torte, which links the Cima Mirador lift to the upper surface lifts, and Camino Alto, which connects Cima Inca to the lower mountain. Many of these runs are flat enough to be classified as greens, but are likely rated as blues simply because blue-level trails are required to navigate further down the mountain. That said, there are still a few genuinely enjoyable blue cruisers on offer—and they provide some of the best views anywhere on the mountain.
Terrain Parks
When it comes to terrain parks, Valle Nevado is home to two modestly sized freestyle areas, both situated on the lower mountain and directly served by platter lifts. These include a medium-to-large traditional terrain park off the Candonga surface lift and a boardercross course off the Escondida surface lift. A small terrain park has also existed off the Prado lift in years past. While terrain parks are not a major focus of the resort, they offer a decent selection of features, including boxes, rails, rollers, jumps, and the occasional quarter pipe contingent on seasonal snow conditions.
Much of Valle Nevado’s expert terrain is off the maintained trail, and should be treated as backcountry, meaning you should really know what you’re doing if you venture into these areas.
Advanced, Expert, and Freeride Terrain
Unlike ski resorts in the United States and Canada, Valle Nevado has a trail rating between the blue square and black diamond: the red triangle. This rating is designed to designate trails that are "advanced" in nature, although most guests will find them to be about equivalent to harder blues at a typical North American destination ski resort. These runs make up the bulk of Valle Nevado's marked footprint, and multiple reds can be found off every mid and upper mountain lift. A small handful of reds remain ungroomed throughout the ski season, but most are consistently groomed.
Valle Nevado's steepest consistently maintained trails are marked with a black-diamond rating. However, the overall offering is limited—only six single-black runs exist, all located above mid-mountain—and while marketed by the resort as "expert" trails, they aren't any harder than a typical single-black advanced run at a North American ski resort. About half of these are groomed on a regular basis, while the others are left to build up moguls depending on conditions. Valle Nevado also uses the double-black diamond symbol, but not for formal pistes—instead, it denotes freeride zones that are not patrolled or avalanche-controlled. Some of these areas require hiking or traversing to reach, but even then, the terrain is relatively tame compared to the more challenging areas found at neighboring La Parva or on El Colorado’s backside. Even the hike-to double-black freeride zones rarely feel intimidating by North American standards.
That said, skiers and riders heading off-piste should proceed with serious caution. While a few freeride areas immediately adjacent to marked trails may receive occasional patrol oversight, the vast majority of off-piste terrain at Valle Nevado is neither maintained nor mitigated for avalanche risk. Snow coverage can also be quite thin, with exposed rocks (“sharks”) lurking just beneath the surface, especially in dry spells. Finally, the canyons to the east of Valle Nevado are rather remote and treacherous, with no roads out, extremely avalanche-prone terrain, and a canyon depth of at least 2,000 feet below the ski resort base village. You should not enter this area unless you know what you’re doing and know exactly where you’re going. We highly recommend that anyone heading off a marked piste carry proper avalanche safety gear—including a beacon, shovel, and probe—and travel with a partner or experienced guide.
Valle Nevado doesn’t see the most snow in the world, but its snow quality is some of the best.
Heli-Skiing
If the lift- and hike-served off-piste isn't enough for you, Valle Nevado offers one of the best-known heli-skiing operations in the Southern Hemisphere. These guided outings reach elevations far beyond the resort’s lift-served terrain, with drop-ins as high as 15,000 feet and vertical descents of over 6,500 feet—more than triple what’s continuously skiable within the resort boundary. Because the terrain lies at higher elevations and sees significantly less skier traffic, snow quality on heli runs is often noticeably better than what’s found inbounds, with deep, exceptionally dry powder remaining untracked for days. That said, the extreme elevation means anyone sensitive to altitude will feel it exponentially more during these outings than they would inbounds.
Thanks to Valle Nevado’s reliably sunny weather, heli-skiing is available almost every day during the peak season. If conditions prevent flying on a Full Day or Full Week program, the resort will refund your money—providing some peace of mind for those booking in advance.
However, this level of access doesn’t come cheap. A single Full Day heli-skiing outing costs approximately $2,000 USD, while the five-day Full Week package runs around $9,000 USD. So if you want to cross heli-skiing off your bucket list while visiting Valle Nevado, you should probably start saving up.
Snow Quality and Resiliency
Thanks to its high elevation and predominantly south-facing terrain, Valle Nevado generally enjoys slightly better snow preservation and accumulation than its neighbors La Parva and El Colorado. Powder quality is often excellent, and thanks to the resort’s more family-oriented clientele, off-piste terrain can remain untouched for far longer than at comparable resorts in North America or Europe. It’s not uncommon to find fresh tracks lingering just off the main trails for days after a storm.
That said, Valle Nevado’s snowfall patterns tend to be feast or famine. The resort often builds its entire seasonal base off just a handful of large storms, with extended dry spells in between. These droughts can last weeks—or even months—leaving the resort heavily reliant on snowmaking to keep groomed runs open. On a good day, off-piste zones can offer deep, soft powder turns; on a bad season, those same areas might be completely bare and unskiable.
Valle Nevado’s high-altitude, highly exposed footprint has some other consequences. Visibility during storm skiing is not easy, given that the terrain entirely lacks trees to help guests define their surroundings (although boundary poles on most runs do help). That same exposure can also bring strong winds that occasionally affect lift operations. On the plus side, the resort operates until 5:00 p.m. daily—an hour later than the standard 4:00 p.m. closure time typical at most U.S. and Canadian resorts—offering guests a bit more time to make the most of whatever conditions they have.
Navigation
Thanks to its compact-looking trail map, above-treeline footprint that allows views of nearly the entire resort, and exceptionally-designed signage by South American standards, Valle Nevado might appear pretty easy to get around at a first glance. That said, getting around the resort requires more planning than one might expect, especially on the upper-mountain back side where many areas are only connected by surface lifts. Some of these lifts are awkwardly placed and require short hikes if you don't follow a very specific route to reach them. Certain routes between the front and back sides involve flat traverses, and while these catwalks can be avoided, doing so often involves out-of-the-way detours. It also takes some catwalking to reach the ski-in/ski-out condos located below the main village base. While technically possible to reach on skis, it’s often more convenient to take the shuttle—especially at the end of the day when legs are tired.
Boasting both a gondola and a high-speed quad, Valle Nevado’s frontside has possible the most modern lift setup in Chile. However, its backside is almost completely served by platter lifts.
Lifts
By Chilean standards, Valle Nevado offers an exceptional lift setup, featuring one of only two high-speed quads in the country and the only gondola at a Chilean ski resort. These two lifts provide efficient access to the majority of the front side, and are supplemented by a mix of fixed-grip chairs and surface lifts that offer some redundancy.
That said, Valle Nevado’s lift system is far from flawless. If you’re not accustomed to using surface lifts, the resort’s back side can be a challenge. This zone relies almost entirely on aging platter lifts—many with surprisingly strong recoil that can, to put it lightly, catch riders off guard. These lifts also tend to run up relatively steep lines, making repeat laps physically tiring even for experienced skiers and riders.
Crowd Flow
Valle Nevado is one of the most popular ski resorts in South America, and it can get fairly busy—especially around the beginner-friendly gondola and the limited-capacity surface lifts on the upper mountain. That said, crowds are kept from becoming truly overwhelming thanks to solid lift redundancies on the front side. One word of warning: avoid getting rentals or lift tickets on Wednesday and Sunday mornings if you can. These times coincide with the arrival of new hotel guests on Tuesday and Saturday evenings, often leading to significant bottlenecks in both areas.
RECOMMENDED SKIS FOR VALLE NEVADO
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Recommended intermediate ski
Recommended advanced ski
Recommended glade ski
Recommended powder ski
On-Mountain Facilities
When it comes to stopping in for a break at Valle Nevado, the resort offers a couple of options. Like with much of the resort’s infrastructure, the most comprehensive services are found on the front side, where finding a rest stop is relatively straightforward. In addition to the base village—which features a mix of upscale restaurants and casual food trucks—there’s a mid-mountain restaurant at the top of the gondola, a range of services at the gondola base, and a food truck at the top of the Mirador lift (though the latter does not have a corresponding bathroom).
The back side, by contrast, is far more isolated. The only real service available is an outhouse bathroom located at the base of the Ballicas platter lift. Unfortunately, this facility is inconveniently placed for skiers accessing other backside lifts—especially the Tres Puntas platter, where the loading area is frustratingly close, but stopping in at the bathroom means dealing with an annoying sidestep climb to return to the lift. There is a ski patrol shack at the top of the Tres Puntas lift, but it doesn’t include public bathrooms and isn’t designed to function as a guest rest stop.
Valle Nevado is staggeringly beautiful across its footprint, with views of Andes mountain peaks stretching over a mile higher than the ski area.
Mountain Aesthetic
Valle Nevado's in-bounds slopes may not be the most naturally distinctive in terms of terrain features, but the same certainly can’t be said for its surroundings. On clear days—which, as mentioned earlier, occur frequently—guests are treated to awe-inspiring views of the surrounding Andes, including towering peaks that rise as much as 5,800 feet above the resort’s top lift-served elevation. Valle Nevado itself sits on a dramatic knife’s-edge ridge, bordered by jagged cliffs that extend well below the ski area boundary. This terrain is especially visible from the Retorno trail on the front side, where skiers are treated to a sweeping view of the ridge below. In fact, the base village is perched right on the edge of these cliffs—and when viewed from the tail end of Retorno, the sight of the village makes for one of the most iconic visual aesthetics of any resort we’ve visited.
Neighboring Areas
It’s also worth noting that Valle Nevado is one of three interconnected ski resorts that make up Chile’s Tres Valles region, alongside La Parva and El Colorado. In fact, parts of El Colorado’s back side are clearly visible from the Valle Nevado base area, and it’s not uncommon for guests to mistake that terrain as part of Valle Nevado proper until they take a closer look at the trail map and boundary markings. While these three ski resorts have historically been independently operated, they are physically connected by skiable terrain under the right conditions, and as a result, it's possible to ski or ride between them.
Despite their interconnectivity, all three of these resorts are on separate tickets, and skiing or riding into La Parva or El Colorado from Valle Nevado does not necessarily mean you will have access to their lifts. However, Valle Nevado and La Parva have been under the same ownership since 2024, and as of the 2025 season, the two neighbors now offer a ticket add-on that allows skiers and riders to access both resorts in a single day. However, no full Tres Valles joint pass currently exists, and Valle Nevado still maintains a separate lift ticket system from El Colorado.
Pass Partnerships
Valle Nevado is particularly well-known among Northern Hemisphere skiers for one key reason: its strong pass partnerships. It’s the only South American ski resort featured on either the Ikon Pass or the Mountain Collective Pass, making it a natural choice for many American and Canadian skiers visiting the Andes. Ikon Pass holders receive 7 days of lift access, while Mountain Collective members get 2 free days plus 50% off additional days.
Valle Nevado is also included on both the Power Pass and Power Pass Select, offering 10 days of skiing per season. These days are shared and interchangeable with neighboring La Parva, allowing guests to sample terrain at both mountains under the same pass allocation.
It’s worth noting that pass holders for all three programs—Ikon, Mountain Collective, and Power Pass—must stop by the ticket window to register their access before hitting the slopes. Direct-to-lift access is not currently available. In addition, none of these three programs are affiliated with El Colorado, while Ikon and Mountain Collective do not include La Parva access—so passholders looking to drop into these resorts will need to prepare to buy lift tickets.
Valle Nevado is also fairly anglophone-friendly as South American ski resorts get. Most staff—particularly in hotels, guest services, and ski school—speak English reasonably well, and the resort caters heavily to international guests. That said, not everyone you interact with will speak fluent English, especially in operational roles like shuttle drivers or lift attendants, so it’s worth knowing a few key Spanish phrases or keeping a translation app handy.
Getting There
One of the biggest considerations when planning a trip to Valle Nevado is its access road. The travel time from Santiago may not look too bad on paper—less than two hours when conditions align—but the drive itself is incredibly treacherous and unlike anything found at resorts in the U.S. or Canada. The road is narrow and extremely winding, involving dozens of hairpin turns and an elevation gain of over 7,000 feet. If inclement weather rolls through, chains are required to make it the full way up safely. Travelers may also encounter a police checkpoint along the way, where officers verify that you're actually staying at the resort.
Due to the road’s difficulty and the congestion it creates, the Valle Nevado access road is converted into a one-way route on weekends and holidays: uphill traffic only from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and downhill traffic only from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
If you’re not familiar with driving in these types of conditions—and most North Americans won’t be—we strongly recommend booking a shuttle from Santiago. Some taxis may offer the service, but they often lack proper winter equipment, leaving you at risk of getting stuck. Shuttle companies like SkiTotal run regular trips to the resort, though it’s worth noting that drivers may not speak English and that you should explicitly remind the company in advance about how many passengers and how much gear you have—especially on the trip back down to Santiago. Vans occasionally arrive without enough space for ski bags or large groups unless you’ve clearly communicated your needs.
Due to these circumstances, we highly recommend staying on-site at Valle Nevado rather than attempting a day trip up from Santiago. But if you do decide to drive, Valle Nevado provides parking options for both overnight guests and day visitors. The main day lot is located at the base of the gondola, but space is somewhat limited, especially on weekends and holidays. Guests staying at on-site hotels such as Hotel Valle Nevado and Hotel Tres Puntas are offered free parking, though it’s limited as well, and accommodations typically ask that you reserve a spot at least 24 hours in advance.
Valle Nevado’s access road is incredibly treacherous, and on many days is one-way in the peak direction.
RECOMMENDED SNOWBOARDS FOR VALLE NEVADO
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.
Recommended intermediate board
Recommended advanced board
Recommended expert board
Recommended powder board
Lodging
Speaking of staying on-site, the Valle Nevado experience might be catered just as much around the lodging as it is the skiing and riding. The vast majority of accommodations are managed by the resort and marketed under a cruise-ship-style model, where lift tickets, meals, and other core amenities are bundled into a single package. During the peak season—typically from early July through mid-September—this system includes fixed arrival and departure dates, with check-ins and check-outs only permitted on Tuesdays and Fridays. As a result, most stays require a minimum commitment of three nights.
That said, it’s possible to work around these rigid booking policies if you really want to. A small number of on-site Airbnbs offer more flexible arrival and departure options throughout the week. However, if you decide to get an accommodation that does not include meals, it’s worth noting that groceries and basic supplies in Valle Nevado proper are both extremely limited and expensive; as a result, we highly recommend stocking up in Santiago before heading up the mountain.
Not every accommodation is directly ski-in/ski-out, but they are all within easy access of the slopes and a couple minutes' walk at most. The village is also served by a convenient shuttle system that gets you from any accommodation to the main base. It's also worth noting that it takes some less-than-fun traversing to reach some of the ski-in/ski-out condos located below the main village base, and it’s often more convenient to take the shuttle—especially at the end of the day when your legs are tired.
Après-Ski
While the overall après culture doesn’t rival that of major North American or European resorts, Valle Nevado offers a decent mix of options for guests looking to unwind after a day on the slopes. Right after the slopes close, the core of the activity takes place around the base village hotels with casual food and drinks. For a more low-key indoor option, the Valle Lounge provides a fireplace setting with appetizers and drinks.
Those seeking nightlife can head to Pub Tres Puntas, which occasionally features live music, karaoke, and dancing, though the scene starts late—typically not until 10:30 or 11 p.m. Other bar options offer quieter spaces with wine, cocktails, and light food that happen earlier.
Valle Nevado offers one of the more well rounded ski experiences in South America, and its pass affiliation, as well as on-mountain lodging, make it a compelling option for many North American visitors.
Verdict
So Valle Nevado isn’t the most modern ski resort out there—and it’s not the toughest or most consistent either. But for those looking to book a Southern Hemisphere ski trip in July or August that’s included on a North American mega-pass, Valle Nevado is pretty much the default choice—and it’s a pretty decent one, all things considered. The resort is a much easier journey than other Ikon destinations halfway around the world in New Zealand, and if you happen to hit it on a good powder day, you might just find yourself skiing or riding some of the best in-bounds snow conditions of your life.
Pricing
If you don’t visit Valle Nevado using an Ikon, Mountain Collective, or Power Pass, a 1-day adult lift ticket costs 89,000 Chilean pesos—about $94 USD as of early May 2025. While that’s relatively expensive by Chilean standards, it’s still noticeably cheaper than the average day ticket at a U.S. ski resort for what you get. That said, most guests won’t actually be paying that rate, as lift tickets are typically bundled into hotel packages. Notably, kids 12 and under and seniors 75 and up ski free, making Valle Nevado an attractive deal for families and older visitors.
