Top 10 Ski Resorts in The Andes
The Andes ski season runs while the Northern Hemisphere is summering. From late June through September, the volcanoes and high ranges of Chile and Argentina fill with snow from Pacific systems that cross the low-pressure corridor between the polar front and the subtropical high, dropping metres of snow on mountains that reach 5,000 metres and above. For the Northern Hemisphere skier, the Andes offer something genuinely exotic: the same quality of mountain experience available in the Alps or the Rocky Mountains, but in the southern winter, when ski season might otherwise be nine months away. The region's headline resorts cluster around Santiago in Chile and Mendoza in Argentina, each within a day's drive of capitals with excellent international air connections. The terrain itself is volcanic, dramatic, and varied — from the tight couloirs of Portillo's famous ski walls to the enormous bowl networks of Valle Nevado and the wide, wilderness-feeling runs of Las Leñas. Southern Hemisphere ski culture has its own rhythms and characters, and spending a southern winter season in the Andes is a genuinely different experience from anything the European or North American ski world offers.
1. Portillo, Chile
Portillo is the Andes' most storied resort — a single yellow hotel perched beside a glacial lake at 2,880 metres in the Chilean Andes, accessible only by the transandean road over the Paso Los Libertadores, with a trail network focused on steep, technically demanding terrain that rises above 3,300 metres. The hotel accommodation system is designed around a single weekly booking structure: guests arrive Saturday, depart the following Saturday, and the resort maintains a deliberate cap on numbers that keeps the mountain uncrowded by any alpine standard. The five Va Va Voom runs — parallel routes down a cliff face above the hotel served by poma tows that drag skiers up seated while standing in stirrups — are among the most photographed pieces of ski infrastructure in the world and access terrain that is genuinely extreme on good snow days. The steeps, chutes, and cliff drops on the upper mountain attract a devoted expert clientele, while the lower slopes around the hotel suit intermediate skiers. Portillo was the site of a world speed skiing record and has hosted World Cup races. The season runs from June through October.
2. Valle Nevado, Chile
Valle Nevado is the largest ski resort in South America by prepared trail length, a modern purpose-built resort 60 kilometres northeast of Santiago at elevations between 2,860 and 3,670 metres in the Cordillera. Its trail network covers around 7,000 hectares of skiable terrain across 32 marked runs plus extensive off-piste, and the resort receives an average of seven metres of snowfall annually from Pacific frontal systems. The resort's three hotels — the hotel Valle Nevado, hotel Puerta del Sol, and hotel Tres Puntas — are connected by ski slopes and form a self-contained high-altitude village. The terrain is open, bowl-oriented, and vast; expert skiers who venture beyond the marked runs find virtually unlimited off-piste terrain in the surrounding valleys and ridges. The altitude affects visitors from sea level — Diamox or a day of acclimatisation at Santiago's 500 metres is advisable before pushing to the upper mountain. Valle Nevado is part of a joint lift pass arrangement with neighbouring El Colorado and La Parva that collectively covers the largest ski domain in South America.
3. Las Leñas, Argentina
Las Leñas is the Andes' answer to the great destination ski resorts — a purpose-built village at 2,240 metres in the southern Andes of Mendoza province, accessible by a long transfer from Mendoza airport through the high desert of the Pampa del Diamante. The skiing rises to 3,430 metres and the vertical drop of approximately 1,200 metres is among the greatest in the Southern Hemisphere. Las Leñas is famous for its powder skiing: the upper mountain bowls, particularly the Marte sector, accumulate deep snow from frontal systems and hold it in sheltered northeast-facing terrain that can deliver epic powder days for skiers prepared to hike the ridgelines. The resort does not have the same vertical infrastructure density as a comparable Alpine resort and the upper mountain requires a cable car and a genuine commitment to elevation, but the terrain for advanced skiers — particularly off-piste — is among the finest in the entire Americas. The 2,000-metre Emoción run, a top-to-bottom descent on open terrain, is a Andes classic.
4. Cerro Catedral, Argentina
Cerro Catedral, immediately above the resort town of Bariloche in Argentine Patagonia, is the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere by lift count — a claim complicated by competing definitions, but reflecting a genuinely large resort with over 100 kilometres of marked runs and more than 35 lifts serving complex terrain across a mountain range rather than a single peak. The skiing rises from Bariloche's lakeside position at 800 metres to the mountain's upper cirques above 2,000 metres, and the variety of terrain — from wide groomed motorways to tight glades, from beginner slopes to genuinely expert couloirs — is impressive. The Patagonian setting, with Nahuel Huapi lake visible from the upper mountain and the Andean peaks extending south into the wilderness, is one of the most scenic ski environments in the world. Bariloche has excellent infrastructure: good hotels, a renowned chocolate culture, and a town centre with a vibrant après scene. The season runs from June through October.
5. Nevados de Chillán, Chile
Nevados de Chillán is an active volcanic resort complex in the Bio-Bio region of central Chile, about 480 kilometres south of Santiago, sitting on a mountain that is still geothermally active — the thermal baths at the resort base are heated by volcanic springs. The skiing rises to 2,700 metres on the slopes of Volcán Chillán and offers around 40 trails across a range from gentle beginner pitches to serious expert terrain. The resort's reputation for powder is strong: its position in the bio-bio corridor receives abundant snowfall from Pacific systems, and the steep north-facing bowls off the Las Tres Marías peak accumulate snow that can be waist deep after major storms. The thermal pools make après-skiing here genuinely distinctive — soaking in volcanic spring water at altitude after a powder day is an experience that needs no further justification. The resort's three-star hotel and more rustic cabins offer accommodation at the base.
6. El Colorado, Chile
El Colorado sits on the same mountain massif as Valle Nevado and La Parva above Santiago, reachable from the capital in about 50 kilometres of winding mountain road. At 3,333 metres at its highest point, it offers around 22 kilometres of marked runs on open, above-treeline terrain with excellent views toward Santiago and the Pacific on clear days. The terrain is primarily intermediate and advanced, with little for absolute beginners, and the slope system connects into the Valle Nevado-La Parva network on the joint lift pass. Day-trippers from Santiago are the primary market, and the proximity to the city means significant weekend crowds on the lower mountain. El Colorado processes those crowds efficiently and the upper mountain, when winds allow, provides good open skiing with Chile's characteristically light, dry snow in good storm conditions.
7. La Parva, Chile
La Parva is the third element of the Santiago-area trilogy, a residential resort at 2,816 metres with a condominium model that has attracted Santiago's wealthy as a ski-in ski-out second-home destination. The skiing is advanced and expert-oriented, with the resort occupying the steep, rocky terrain on the upper massif, and the clientele reflects that orientation — La Parva has a more serious, less family-oriented culture than El Colorado. The terrain network connects with both El Colorado and Valle Nevado on the inter-resort pass. The off-piste skiing in the Tres Valles zone between La Parva and Valle Nevado is some of the best in the Santiago cluster, with open high-alpine terrain accessible via a ridge traverse.
8. Chapelco, Argentina
Chapelco is Cerro Catedral's less-visited Patagonian counterpart, located near San Martín de los Andes approximately 400 kilometres north of Bariloche. The mountain offers around 29 runs across 1,000 hectares of skiable terrain, with the summit at 1,980 metres providing views over Lago Lacar and the Mapuche heartland of Neuquén province. The resort tends toward wide, well-groomed intermediate terrain with a family orientation, and it is often cited as one of the most friendly and relaxed ski areas in Argentina. San Martín de los Andes itself is a well-preserved lakeside town with a Swiss-influenced architecture and a food culture built around Patagonian lamb, wild boar, and the local craft beer movement that has taken hold throughout Argentine Patagonia.
9. Termas de Chillan (part of Nevados de Chillán complex)
The thermal spa complex integrated into the Nevados de Chillán resort deserves specific mention as a unique Andes ski experience. The hot springs emerge at around 1,900 metres and the pools — ranging from rock-edged natural baths to more developed spa facilities — are heated to temperatures that make outdoor bathing genuinely comfortable even in heavy snowfall. The combination of serious skiing above and thermal soaking in the afternoon or evening has made Chillán one of the most popular multi-day destinations in Chilean skiing, particularly for couples and groups who want more from a ski holiday than maximum vertical. The road access from Chillán city is subject to closure in heavy snowfall and the resort recommends monitoring conditions before departure.
10. Caviahue, Argentina
Caviahue is a small resort in Neuquén province near the Copahue active volcano, at an elevation between 1,800 and 2,400 metres, and it occupies terrain that receives some of the best powder snow in Argentine skiing — the dry, cold continental climate of this part of the Andes produces markedly different snow from the wetter Pacific-influenced systems that feed the Chilean resorts. The resort is small — around 16 runs served by a handful of lifts — but the snow quality on a good storm day here is genuinely excellent, and the volcanic landscape of the Copahue area, with its steam vents and geothermal surface features, is entirely unlike any other ski environment in the Andes.
Planning an Andes Ski Trip
The Andes ski season runs from June through October, with July and August the peak months for snow reliability and resort activity. Santiago and Buenos Aires both have major international airports with numerous long-haul connections from Europe and North America. The Chilean resorts near Santiago — Valle Nevado, El Colorado, La Parva — are accessible on day trips from the capital, while Portillo, Nevados de Chillán, and the Argentine Patagonian resorts require multi-day commitments. Altitude is a genuine consideration at all resorts: most terrain sits above 2,500 metres, and arriving from sea level without an acclimatisation day risks headaches and reduced performance. The southern winter timing means European and North American skiers can potentially book an Andes trip without conflicting with their home-season skiing. Open the map to explore the full distribution of ski areas across Chile and Argentina and plan an Andean ski itinerary.