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Spend 8 days summiting and skiing the Patagonian Andes! Tackle four of Chile’s most spectacular volcanic summits, and ski to your heart’s content on exhilaratingly steep corn slopes! In your off-time, take in Chile’s scenic lake district by diving into its culture, cuisine, and reenergizing hot springs.
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Arrive in Temuco for the 2-hour transfer to Malalcahuello, where your tour begins. Arrive early enough, and you’ll have a free afternoon to relax in Malalcahuello’s natural hot springs!
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Transit to the base of the Corralco ski area on the flanks of the Lonquimay Volcano. Take the chairlift to the highest point of the ski area, and then make an ascent on this beautiful and easily accessible peak. At the summit, take a mental image of the dramatic views of the region’s other stunning volcanoes before the long, long descent. You’ll be taking them on soon! Head back to Malalcahuello, have another soak in the hot springs, and hit the hay.
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Get ready for an early transfer to Las Araucarias Ski Resort at the base of the Llaima Volcano. Today, you will ascend and ski down this impressive volcano with its vast crater, twin peaks with spectacular smoking fumaroles, and araucaria forests. When you’re done, get transferred to your hotel in Malalcahuello.
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Leave Malalcahuello behind for the resort town of Pucon. Nestled on the shores of the scenic Lake Villarrica, this cozy little town is towered over by your next objective, the impressive Villarrica volcano. Take the afternoon off to explore Pucon, and enjoy another opportunity to relax in the termas (hot springs). Overnight in Pucon.
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As was the case with the other volcanoes, your climb on Villarrica starts at the base of a small ski area. You will skin half to two-thirds of the way to the summit before transitioning to boot crampons. The 5,000-ft (1,520 m) vertical climb to the summit will take you about 5 hours, while the descent back to the parking lot takes only 25 minutes! Spend another night in Pucon.
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Day 6 takes you to Puerto Varas, a beautiful city on Lake Llanquihue. Across the lake, you’ll have a clear view of your next objective, the imposing Osorno Volcano. Take the day off to rest and tour the city, always keeping an eye on Osorno.
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Your final day of touring brings you to the base of Osorno, a 1-hour drive away from Puerto Varas. Like Villarrica and Lonquimay, Osorno features a 5,000 ft (1,520 m) ascent, and you’ll skin for a good portion of this elevation gain.
Depending on the conditions, the summit can involve a couple of exciting rope lengths of climbing rime ice, in which case you’ll leave your skis behind for the last stretch. Other times, the route is covered by snow, allowing you to ski from the summit. High-five on top, taking in 360° views of the mountain’s lakes, before your final big ski run of the trip. Chat about your favorite moments of the adventure in the cozy village of Puerto Varas.
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Your journey wraps up in Puerto Montt, a beautiful city on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Catch your first flight home here — don’t forget to wave goodbye to the volcanoes of southern Chile.
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What you get on this adventure:
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- An experienced, certified ski guide with extensive knowledge of the area
- Four days of backcountry ski touring and summiting
- All in-country transportation for the duration of the tour
- Accommodations included in the itinerary (double occupancy hotels, single supplement available)
- All lift tickets and park entrance fees as per the itinerary
What’s not included:
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- Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
- Transportation to Temuco, Chile
- Food, drinks, and snacks
- Accommodations not included in the itinerary
- Additional room charges
- Transportation from your hotel in Puerto Montt to the airport at the end of the tour
- Departure taxes and excess baggage fees
- Customary guide gratuities and support staff tip pool — optional
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To enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to be in excellent physical shape. You will be on your feet for several full days, skiing, touring, and summiting in some very steep terrain. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. Your guide highly advises a structured and specialized training regime in a gym or with a personal trainer in preparation for this trip. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information on physical training.
For the enjoyment and safety of everyone involved, participants must be approved to participate in advanced backcountry skiing tours either through a previous trip with the guiding service or through recommendations and a vetting process.
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To participate in this tour, you need to have previous backcountry skiing experience. You will be skiing, touring, and summiting on challenging and steep terrain for 4 full days. You must be capable of linking turns on steep slopes (up to 45 degrees) while maintaining control. You should also have some experience using alpine climbing and mountaineering equipment, including an ice ax and crampons. Your guide advises you to have at least 14 days of experience touring in the backcountry with varied terrain and snow conditions.
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For backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
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- Alpine touring skis, telemark skis or splitboard with touring bindings (can be rented)
- Climbing skins
- Touring boots
- Snowboard boots for the splitboard
- Touring poles with powder baskets (can be rented)
- Ski or splitboard crampons — optional, but highly recommended
- Backcountry touring pack with an internal frame (30-40 L)
- Avalanche safety equipment (can be rented):
- Digital, 3-antenna avalanche transceiver or beacon
- Lightweight snow shovel
- Avalanche probe
For technical mountaineering gear, you will need to bring:
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- General mountaineering axe
- Mountaineering crampons
- Helmet — dual-rated climbing/skiing helmet recommended
- Harness with belay loop, gear loop, and adjustable leg loops
- Two small, lightweight locking carabiners
- Two ski straps
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
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- Two durable and waterproof duffle bags (90-120 L)
- Daypack for city days and trekking (10-20 L)
- Helmet
- Sunhat, beanie, and balaclava
- Neck gaiter
- Sunglasses and ski goggles
- Lightweight and midweight insulated gloves
- Liner socks — optional
- Hiking socks and ski socks
- Hiking shoes
- Lightweight top base layer
- Warm polar guard or fleece jacket mid layer
- Lightweight synthetic jacket
- Weatherproof, breathable hardshell jacket with a hood
- Breathable softshell jacket
- Quick dry shorts
- Base layer bottoms
- Breathable and weather-resistant softshell pants
- Water resistant hardshell pants with zippers and crampon patches
- Non-cotton underwear
- Two 1L Nalgene bottles
- Hydration system — optional
- Headlamp with 3+ bulbs
- Extra batteries
- Two luggage locks (TSA compliant if traveling from the US)
- Wag bags and heavy-duty garbage bags
- Stuff sacks
- Sunscreen — SPF 30 or higher
- Lip balm — SPF 15 or higher
- Personal toiletries
- Personal first aid kit
- Snacks – 3-4 lbs
- Hand warmers and face mask
Your guides recommend you pack all your equipment in your two duffle bags. Do not simply pack your backpack, since baggage handling machines can damage its straps.
It is essential to lock these bags for their trip. Depending on the airport, you may be able to put your travel locks on after they have been searched. If not, lock the bag with zip ties. For travelers from the US, if the TSA cuts off the zip tie to search your bag, they will replace it.
You will still need travel locks to lock your bags in the hotel and base camp. Generally, you will take one duffle to the base camp and leave one in the hotel with your belongings for the town.
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All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
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- Avalanche safety pack, including backpack, beacon, shovel, and probe from Isoterma Cero
- Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots, and poles can be rented from Isoterma Cero
- Splitboards can be rented from Isoterma Cero
Ski rental locations are in Malalcahuello and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
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Group sizes and prices:
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- For this group adventure, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 6:1.
- If joining alone, you’ll be placed with peers that share a similar level of experience.
- The cost is per person and doesn’t decrease as the group grows.
Backcountry skiing in Chile can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
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- If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
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To get to this ski tour, most people fly into La Araucanía International Airport, also known as Temuco Airport, in Temuco, Chile. Make sure to pick a flight that arrives by the early afternoon.
Your guides will meet you in Temuco at a pre-arranged time and transfer you to Malalcahuello, marking the start of your tour.
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57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Chile’s Lake District, please refer to Chile’s COVID-19 entry requirements.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
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