La Parva Ski and Snowboard Terrain

Centro de ski La Parva has reasonable terrain variety across approximately 520 hectares of terrain. La Parva Chile is predominantly suited to intermediate riders. The resort also has beginner slopes that are ideal for the little tackers. The treeless terrain at LaParva also offers off-piste opportunities for advanced riders and there is hike-to terrain for experts in the backcountry areas above the resort, although the joy for advanced and expert skiers is somewhat dependent on the snow conditions.

Centro de ski La Parva has two main base areas. Sector Parva Chica has intermediate runs that feed down to it, whilst the Sector Golondrina base has the ski school and the beginners’ runs surrounding it.

Ski La Parva - Lifts

The folks that stay at La Parva may be the elite of South America, but the quality of the lifts is definitely not in keeping with the upscale image that the resort tries to portray. This is a resort where you may not get lots of ski vertical in each day. Of the 15 lifts, there are 2 quad chair lifts and 3 other chair lifts which can be rather slow. The other lifts are surface lifts.

Lift queues can be a problem on weekends when all the local Santiago people come out to play. In stark contrast, on weekdays outside the peak Chilean school holidays in July, the resort feels almost deserted.

Centro de ski La Parva has night skiing, which is unique for South America.

Lift Tickets

La Parva lift ticket prices are similar to the other ski resorts near Santiago (which are reasonably expensive relative to Chile ski resorts further south) but they cost a little less than those at Valle Nevado.

Keep an eye out for midweek lift pass discounts during August and specials for using your Visa card.

You can purchase a dual pass to ski at both La Parva and El Colorado (and Farellones), or La Parva and Valle Nevado (this can’t be purchased at Valle Nevado), although this costs almost as much as buying separate lift tickets for the two resorts.

La Parva - Interconnected With Valle Nevado and El Colorado

The combined areas of the Tres Valles (Three Valleys) ski resorts are vast and provide approximately 2,400 hectares of terrain. The 3 resorts (or 4 if you count Farellones as a separate resort rather than just part of El Colorado) are interconnected via the lifts and slopes, although access is generally only for strong intermediate riders and above and is only possible when the connections are open. This is dependent on various factors including visibility, wind, avalanche risk, and whether the patrollers have got around to opening up the areas (they operate on ish time).

It is possible to get between the Tres Valles resorts via road but this also occasionally has its challenges. See La Parva travel page for more information.

La Parva Snow and Weather

Like the other Tres Valles resorts, the quality of the snow at La Parva can vary dramatically and as to be expected, the conditions can fluctuate across the 900 metres of vertical. Dry powder, wet powder, concrete, ice, big bumps, and crust – anything is possible. One of the great things about La Parva is that the resort has lots of different aspects so you can generally fish around to find good snow.

La Parva scores lots of fine weather days where you can work on your goggle tan or sit on the outdoor decks at one of the fabulous restaurants and enjoy the rays. When the big snow storms roll in, much of the resort closes because without trees for protection or to aid visibility, skiing or boarding becomes impossible. Like El Colorado, La Parva can also be at the mercy of the wind gods.

La Parva Skiing for the Beginner

Beginners have a dedicated area near the ski school in the main village, where they are protected from speedsters. It’s easy for spectators to watch the novices from the comfort of their apartment or from the Olympico Café. Likewise, beginners can easily come in for a rest.

The next progression is in the same vicinity, and from there more confident beginners can head up and take the Pista del Rio loop.

Ski La Parva - Intermediates

La Parva is characterised by its many long, wide open runs, and with about 75% of the slopes rated as blue or red, there is plenty on offer to keep intermediates very happy. There are a handful of blue runs in the upper reaches of the resort for timid intermediates, and these link with a green run to return to the base areas. Red runs make up the majority of the intermediate terrain. Sometimes one or two of the black runs are groomed, which can also be skied by confident intermediates.

Terrain Park

The Snow Park at La Parva is located in the upper reaches of the resort adjacent to the Tortolas lift. The terrain park continues to improve and it has varied features and jumps. Sometimes there is an airbag set up so you can practise new tricks.

Advanced Skiing La Parva

La Parva has several black trails and it’s a little better than El Colorado and Valle Nevado for advanced on-piste riders. A couple of these black runs may be groomed or they may be ideal for mogul mongrels if there’s been lots of skier traffic. Off La Aguilas quad chair lift there are various treasures on the fringe of the resort including the renowned Manantiales run which provides plenty of vertical.

The real playground for advanced riders is in the unmarked off-piste areas, although this is Chile so the attractiveness of these is dependent on whether the dreaded melt-freeze cycle has set in. La Aguilas area provides some excitement but the chair lift in the Valley of Fabres (Zona de Freeskiing) has extended the fun zone of La Parva, particularly when the snow is “on”. This area is not particularly steep, but the challenge comes in the form of interesting terrain features such as gullies and little rocks to leap off.

Expert Ski and Snowboard Terrain

There isn’t much in-bounds terrain that will challenge super experts, with just a little band of rocks/cliffettes that provide a very short pitch of white-knuckle terrain.

La Parva Backcountry

Where La Parva really shines is the hike-to terrain in the backcountry area above the ski resort. Here you can test your courage on cornices or in chutes. There is a mixture of lines between rocky outcrops with varying amounts of hiking required, the vertical drop, and the degree of gnarliness. Hiking up from the top of lift 1, you can head towards a lagoon and then up to lots of amazing terrain. Needless to say, if you ‘re on a guided tour you’ll be able to find the best lines much easier.

One sphincter tightening line is La Chiminea, a tight rock walled chute that makes a great spectator sport for those in the village sitting on their decks sipping Chilean wine. Nail the run and you’ll be a hero. Wipe out and you’ll need more than vino to heal your pride and your body! Nearby is the hike up to McConkey’s and part of the attraction for these two areas is often the snow quality.