Featured Image: Courtesy of Valle Nevado
Last Friday marked an exciting day for skiers who have been keeping a close watch on South America’s ski season, as Valle Nevado officially announced the start of its 2026 ski season on Instagram on friday. The post stated that the mountain kicked off the season by partially opening the resort. The partial opening includes the Vaivén lift and its tracks, as well as sightseeing on Gondola Cuando.
This opening comes after El Niño officially hit the Southern Hemisphere recently, bringing a large winter storm system that moved through Chile and Argentina. This storm delivered feet of snow across the Andes, giving South America a good starting base for its 2026 ski season. Valle Nevado stated that they hope to continue gradually opening the resort as more snowstorms are in the foreseeable future. According to the resort's website, light snow is in the forecast for this weekend. If this El Niño trend continues and keeps delivering the goods to resorts like Valle Nevado, then they could be fully up and running in no time.
Valle Nevado is located just 44 miles from the Santiago Airport, making it an attractive destination for international skiers. The resort is part of Tres Valles in Chile, South America’s largest ski area, which includes two other resorts: La Parva and El Colorado. The interconnected ski areas together make up about 7,000 acres of skiable terrain. Valle Nevado has about 2,200 skiable acres, 44 slopes and 13 lifts. According to Snowbowl, the resort averages about 276 inches of snow per year, with July being its snowiest month. Not to mention, the Andes are world-renowned for their backcountry and heli-skiing, which Valle Nevado offers for those who want an even wilder Andes ski experience.
Check out FREESKIERS guide to all of South America's ski resorts opening dates to keep track and not miss a chance to experience powder in the summertime for us Northern Hemisphere skiers.
