Ski touring in the Southern Volcanoes of Chile

Ski down the slopes of the stunning volcanoes in Chile (Lonquimay, Llaima, Villarrica, Mocho, Osorno) in this 9-day trip with Nicolás, IFMGA certified guide.

Group

9 Days

Jul - Nov

Description

Join me for a long week exploring the southern Chilean volcanoes by ski touring. On this amazing trip, you will discover the Araucania, the rivers and lakes district of Chile. The trip takes you through active volcanoes and incredible trees like the old araucarias. In addition, you will enjoy delicious local food, hot springs, the local culture, and other unforgettable memories.

We will ski down 5 different volcanos: Lonquimay, Llaima, Villarrica, Mocho, and Osorno. Each of them has a very different shape. It will therefore make for unique descents. Moreover, the landscapes and views of the region are stunning.

During this trip, we will discover the ancient forest of the area and the big rivers and lakes. It will also be a chance to live the culture and enjoy the great food of the area.

We will sleep in different lodges and hotels close to the mountain. The idea is to discover the region by skiing down the volcanos, eating good food, and resting in beautiful places every day.

Did you find this trip interesting? Then please contact me to organize your next adventure in the Chilean Patagonia!

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Transport during the trip
Permit and entrance fees

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival

We meet at Temuco airport to begin our trip. We travel 2 hours to Malalcahuello, where we will sleep in the hostel at the bottom of Lonquimay Volcano.

Day 2: Lonquimay Volcano

After a good breakfast we drive 40 minutes to the end of the road, where we will begin climbing up the volcano. 4 to 5 hours by easy slopes (30º) and incredible views of the region will take us to the big crater of this volcano. We put the skis on top and we enjoy 1 hour of descent to the car and then to the hostel. (Hot springs optional)

Day 3: Llaima Volcano

We start early with 2 hours drive to the bottom of Llaima volcano. Then we will do a long and easy plateau before climbing up the cone that will take us to the summit and crater of this beautiful mountain. It takes around 5 to 6 hours up and around 2 hours skiing down.

Day 4: Resting day

We move from the Llaima area to the city of Pucón. There you will have the option to go to hot springs and visit the city.

Day 5: Villarrica Volcano

A 40-minute drive will leave us at the bottom of the volcano, where we will begin going up during 4-5 hours to arrive to the top of this active cone. If we are lucky we will see the lava and the activity of this beautiful mountain. The way down is easy by long slopes of snow.

Day 6: Mocho Volcano

We start early from Pucon and we drive 2 hours to the south to climb in the Mocho-Choshuenco massif. It’s a beautiful and different volcanic massif with 2 summits. We will try to go up the Mocho by 4-5 hours of climbing and descent with outstanding views. We will sleep in Neltume, where we can visit the lakes of the area and the different waterfalls of the Fuy River.

Day 7: Travel day

We do a 3 hour trip to Puerto Octay, where we will enjoy the afternoon with a good dinner and views of the lake and the volcanoes.

Day 8: Osorno volcano

We drive 1 hour to arrive to the bottom of the Osorno volcano. We will do 4-5 hours going up. In the last part we will take off the skis to climb up to the top (45º). This volcano doesn’t have a crater because there is a glacier on it. The view from the top is something you have to see by your own.

Day 9: Departure

I take you to Puerto Montt airport. It’s 1 hour drive.

Details

More info

What to bring: your complete ski equipment (alpine touring), ice axe, helmet, warm mountain clothes, gloves, headlamp, sunscreen, sunglasses, and personal items. If you like to travel light you can rent part of the equipment here in Chile.

The Villarrica volcano is the most active volcano in Chile, so restrictions to climb to the top are always changing and we will adapt the trip depending on it.

Is important to be flexible to change sketches depending on forecasts and conditions in the moment. There are many choices, and we always try to look for the best places to enjoy.

In winter we get fresh snow but is windy, so the conditions are variable, and we used to have a mixture of firm snow, powder, and ice. In spring is firm snow in the morning and spring snow at midday, so the recommendation is always to bring narrower skis with good camber.

If you would like to do a longer or shorter trip, we can organize a tailor-made trip for you.

Meeting point

Temuco airport.

About the guide

Nicolás

Mountain Guide

UIAGM/IFMGA mountain guide from Chile.

The mountain is my life, every time I ski, climb or walk in this incredible environment I am happy and I find the beauty of the world. I think, like mountain guides, we have the best work in the world, we take people through this wonderful terrain and we enjoy discovering together.

More than 12 years ago I got into the mountains, this took me to travel to different places around the world. I have been climbing in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, France, Italy, Switzerland and Spain.
I have done long expeditions to Aconcagua, Marmolejo and another 6000’s, I have climbed and guided the classics of the Alps like Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, Lyskamm, and I have ski mountains in the Alps and volcanoes in the Andes.

I first studied 3 years in Chile in the national school of mountaineering to become a local mountain guide (ACGM). I did the training to get the international license of mountain guide (UIAGM) in Bolivia and I completed the ski training in France (ENSA).

I speak Spanish, English and French fluently. I also can speak a little bit of German, Italian and Portuguese.

See my programs, contact me and I can take you to discover the mountains and to have incredible moments!

Languages

French | English

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What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

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