Corralco

Snowboarders who enjoy wide-open faces and long arcing turns will love this place! When there’s fresh snow there are endless lines to be had here. The 500 hectares of open space means you can score fresh line after fresh line, all day long. And the south-facing trails means fresh powder stays in good condition for days on end.

When there’s no fresh pow however, the freeriding becomes more limited. With few natural features and a windy upper-mountain, the snow can get stripped easily, leaving icier conditions that require a good sun-release to enjoy. That said, if you wait till after midday, the sun works it’s way around and releases just enough to provide some fun spring corn conditions.

Corralco has a super-relaxed approach to backcountry and sidecountry access. From the top lift it is possible to traverse right or left and access more open faces and a few gullies. A hike to the peak takes 20-30 minutes, but usually requires crampons, as it is very exposed up high.

The sledding scene here is fairly well established too. It’s common to see big 4WDs towing a few sleds to the base of the resort, where they head round the back of the mountain or further afield. If this floats your boat, look up Sled Chile – a local snowmobile guiding company.

The freestyle opportunities here are limited. There are occasional contests that require the construction of some form of jump, but other than that there is no park to speak of (yet!).

The sidecountry terrain does offer a few good jump-building spots and fun cornice drops though.

If you like to lay it over and go fast, this is the spot for you!

The US Ski Team have recently started using Corralco as a September training ground – and for good reason! The groomed trails are incredibly wide and consistent, and there are few people on the mountain to get in your way.

The trails themselves provide a good number of different pitches, catering to varying levels of on-piste rider. Granted, the lifts are slow, but the rewards for carving are up there.

The beginner area in Corralco has to be some of the best learning terrain in the World! That’s a big statement for sure, but the sheer width of runs and the consistent 10-15 degree pitch means that this is the ideal place for anyone learning to link their turns or progress onto intermediate terrain.

The school here is small but they have a solid team of English-speaking instructors ready to take you through your first few days on snow. The slow lifts could be considered a drawback, but they actually provide a nice opportunity to rest those unaccustomed legs.