If those options are still too pricey, I’ve heard that it is more affordable to stay in Farrelones. It is a small mountain village from which El Colorado can be accessed. Since Valle Nevado is accessible via El Colorado, this is one way to ski that resort without staying there. Unfortunately, this option would require lift tickets for both El Colorado and Valle Nevado. My understanding is that the three resorts in the Tres Valles system (El Colorado, Valle Nevado, and La Parva) do no cooperate on lift ticket prices, so you will still be paying full price for tickets to each resort. However, staying in Farellones should at least allow for cheaper housing. I would also consider two other things: the current snow coverage and your ski ability. My understanding is that Farellones and El Colorado melt the fastest, which can limit accessibility. When I was there last spring, the only part of El Colorado with snow was the eastern face of the mountain (the side that faces Valle Nevado). La Parva had some snow, but our driver told me that El Colorado and Farrelones were otherwise dry and un-skiable. Also, the run down the eastern face of El Colorado looks pretty steep and the only way back up it is via a thigh burner of a T-bar lift. I do not know what level that run actually is and I have only seen it from Valle Nevado, but it’s worth considering your ski level.

I only used transport twice for my trip – to get to Valle Nevado from Santiago and then back again at the end of the trip. I used Turistik, a company that I found to be affordable and organized and would use again. The road up the mountain is full of switchbacks and stray hoofstock, so having a driver is nice. However, if you plan on moving about quite a bit, it may be best to consider renting a vehicle. Also, the road is one way sometimes, typically certain times of the day on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, which can limit movement. For these reasons and due to the distance, I would not recommend staying too far down the mountain and commuting up every day. It’s possible you could find something at the base of the mountain and not all of the way back in Santiago, but you would still be dealing with quite a drive and possible closures due to one way traffic.

It actively snowed very little when I was at the mountain last spring, but the grooming crew did a great job maintaining the existing snow. It was definitely spring conditions – ice and crud – but it was still very enjoyable. It depends what you are comfortable with. I definitely think it is worth a call to the resort to see what kind of coverage they have and how many runs and/or lifts are closed.

Best wishes in planning your trip. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to help.

Good to see your update about recent visit to Valle Nevado. My name is Thomas and I live in Montevideo, Uruguay and I’ve been wanting to get a ski trip in, but checking the reports at Valle Nevado it seems like it just hasn’t really been snowing.

One question – From the research I’ve done, it seems like lodging in the valley itself is quite expensive, like 3 or 4 times as pricey as staying in Santiago. What was your experience in terms of that? Did you stay in the valley or make the trip to and from Santiago every day?

Thanks,
Thomas