Backchillan Backcountry Guides its been running since winter 2012 based out of the magical mountain town of Las Trancas, Chile; at the base of the Nevados de Chillan volcanic complex, formerly known as Termas de Chillán Ski Resort. We are located in South-Central Chile where the Patagonian climate starts.
“Termas” means hotsprings in Spanish, and we do have plenty of that hot water and steam coming right from mother Earth, the Chillán Volcano is one of the top 10 most active volcanoes in Chile and that is what allow us to soak in the thermal rivers with hot water during our tours to Aguas Calientes or at the end of the day on the pools right next to the parking lot of the ski area.
Backchillan Backcountry Guides was founded and its running by a group of 3 friends passionated about the outdoor sports and adventure, and we have a strong commitment to provide a high quality service to our guest, wether your are looking to have fun, to learn or to challenge yourself in your ski trip to South America.
The Andes is the second highest mountain range in the world, and it’s still rising. The ski resorts around Santiago rise to around 3,650 meters.
These northern ski resorts are above the tree line, and as you move further south the elevations are lower which affords some tree skiing opportunities. Average annual snowfalls are generally around the 6-7 meters mark, except for Nevados de Chillan and Ski Pucon that receive a bountiful 10 metres annually. The snowpack is coastal, so it’s reasonably stable, and considering the cool temperatures, the powder is reasonably dry. That being said, Chile ski resorts sometimes also suffer from horrendously icy conditions.
The weather can be very kind and provide lots of sunny days, but considering that many of the resorts are very exposed, nasty weather can close the resorts and access roads for days at a time. This may put a quick dampener on your ski vacation, but when the bluebird day arrives you’ll forget about it and enjoy skiing bliss once again.
Chile is a great place to have a winter vacation in summer, or a winter vacation in winter! The ski season begins in mid-June and runs to October. However the best skiing conditions in Chile are generally mid July to early September, but the busy Chile holidays are during July.
Chile is a great place to have a ski holiday and experience the Latin culture all at the same time. You can speak Spanish to your heart’s content or giggle at the Spanglish where eating is described as “gastronomy”, and skiing is something that you practice. In Chile, dinner is eaten late, dancing goes to the wee hours, and you might get away with having an après siesta. And as part of the culture, only the super keen are up early for first lifts. Fantástico!
Backchillan Lead Guides are passionate and energetic skiers, mountain bikers and climbers. We are all trained to handle medical and rescue emergencies in the wilderness. We are certified by either US, Canadian or French avalanche associations. All of us are certified ski instructors. We are all bilingual, fluent in English and of course Spanish. We have been exploring and skiing the Andes for years so we know the terrain and monitor the snowpack constantly. On top of all of that as individuals, one of our biggest strength is that we are a Team working together to provide high quality outdoor experiences to our clients. We are also committed to develop strong relationships within our local community, that allow us to have a back up group of Assistant Guides and local business that helps us to provide the best services you can ask. Hire local, shop local!
We suggest an “all mountain” ski type
Advanced (Level 5/Blacks and Black Diamond Runs): Able to ski strong parallel turns with a pole plant on all blue runs and easy black runs. Learning, short turns, off piste, moguls, powder and more difficult terrain. You can get down in a Black Diamond, but just getting down isn’t your goal – getting down with style, rhythm and speed is. Long vertical with steep terrain is what you crave.
New to Backcountry Skiing? Don´t worry, we can teach you the basics and start from there, you just need to be confident enough to ski parallel turns on Blue Groomed runs. If not confident with your skiing, we can work on some Skiing Improvement for a couple of days until you get confident to venture into more challenging terrain.
Have more questions? email us at info@backchillan.com
Chile
+56 9 8921 0398
+56 9 6600 0734
+56 9 3371 9196
info@backchillan.com
Valle Las Trancas / Termas de Chillán
Pinto, Chillán, Región de Ñuble,
Chile
backchillan.com