La Parva is a ski resort in the Andes Mountains, about 35 km northeast of Santiago, Chile. The area around La Parva is called Tres Valles and is popular with winter sports enthusiasts and is the largest, most concentrated ski region in South America. The Tres Valles area includes not only La Parva, but neighboring ski resorts Valle Nevado and El Colorado.
Understand
[edit]La Parva is a fairly large ski resort but is rarely crowded. It has a skiiable surface area of about 400 hectares with 20 trails served by 14 lifts, including 4 chairlifts (2 high-speed quads, 1 triple, and 1 double). It has 10 surface lifts. The area receives an average 7.6 meters of natural snow each year and snowmaking equipment is used when conditions dictate. Natural conditions are usually dry powder. The longest continuous run is 2½ km. All of the skiiable terrain is above the snowline.
The mountain has a peak elevation of 3,630 meters and the base is at 2,670 meters giving it a vertical drop of 960 meters. The terrain is about 15% beginner, 45% intermediate, 30% advanced and 10% expert. Some of the slopes are lighted for night skiing and lifts operate until 22:00. (La Parva is the only ski resort in the Tres Valles region to offer night skiing.) For the advanced skier, off-piste skiing is available with a large back bowl. Helicopter skiing is available as are guided backcountry trips. The ski season extends from June to late September.
In summer months, the resort caters to bicyclists, hikers, and climbers. Summer lift packages are available to bring you and your bike to the top of the mountain.
Get in
[edit]La Parva is about 50 km northeast of Santiago, which has the closest international airport with scheduled commercial airline service: Arturo Merino Benítez airport (SCL IATA).
By car
[edit]By car, it's a 75-km trip that will take about 90 minutes from the Santiago airport to La Parva. Car rentals are available at the airport as are taxis. There are also shared ski shuttles operated by Ski Total and CTS Turismo that can take you directly to La Parva in Mercedes Sprinter vans. Prices start at 32,000 pesos one way (and very little more for round-trip on the same day).
If you decide to rent a car, the route is straightforward: simply take Ruta 70 (Autopista Costanera Norte) around the north side of Santiago and east to La Parva. Note that the Autopista is a toll road. It's about 80 km from the airport to the ski resort and will take at least 90 minutes. Remote mountain roads are often narrow, twisty and covered in snow or ice. Inquire locally about road conditions and traffic restrictions. During winter months, snow chains are often required on mountain roads, which may or may not be open depending on weather conditions and avalanche risks. Note: Roads often have limited (and separate) hours for ascending or descending the mountain. If winter driving in the mountains seems too risky or complicated, use the shuttle services instead and let the professional drivers deal with any issues.
Get around
[edit]Walk, ski, or bike.
A lift system operates year round to bring visitors to the top of the mountain. In the winter, lift tickets are sold on a daily basis with unlimited ascents. During summer months, tickets are sold for individual ascents and descents with a normal price of 16,000 pesos (2025 price).
See
[edit]- Spectacular mountain scenery
Do
[edit]In the winter:
- Ski
- Snowboard
- Snowshoe
In the summer:
- Hike
- Mountain bike
- Mountain climbing
Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]
Most skiiers buy groceries before coming to the ski area. They then cook meals in their condos. There are only a few restaurants on the mountain. The nearest town is Farellones.
- 1 Marmita De Pericles, Emile Allais 91. Daily 12:00 - 15:30 and 18:30 - 23:00. Cozy rustic restaurant specializing in fondues. Choose a cheese fondue or meat or cheese, then a chocolate fondue for desert. Fun place for dinner with friends. 50,000 pesos.
- 2 Olimpico, La Parva, Viña del Mar, Lo Barnechea. Informal slopeside eatery with light food like pizza and sandwiches. Hot coffee.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]There are no typical hotels at La Parva. The ski village is basically a very large condo community with many individual buildings. A few operate as Airbnb units. Some operate as refugios, which is a barebones hostel, often providing meals and a hot fireplace at night.