Corralco

Our Take

Corralco sits on the flanks of the Lonquimay volcano in Chile's Araucanía region, one of the most geographically remote ski resorts in South America. The resort has 700 hectares of skiable terrain on a stratovolcano, with skiing that descends through native araucaria (monkey puzzle) trees -- ancient conifers that have survived here since the dinosaur era -- and across lava flows from the volcano's 1988 eruption. The combination of volcanic terrain, ancient trees, and Andean snow is genuinely unlike anything in the Northern Hemisphere. The powder at Corralco benefits from the resort's southerly latitude (38°S) and the cold Andean air that keeps snowfall dry. The on-mountain lodge operates as a boutique hotel with limited capacity, and the deliberate exclusivity -- access requires a 4WD drive from Malalcahuello -- means Corralco operates with crowd densities that most resorts can only dream about. For the South American powder seeker who wants something fundamentally different from the Portillo-Valle Nevado-Bariloche circuit, Corralco is the correct answer.

Nerd Stats

Fun Facts

• Corralco sits on the Lonquimay stratovolcano -- the 1988 eruption created new lava fields that the ski runs now cross.
• The Araucanía region's monkey puzzle trees (araucaria araucana) are 2,000-year-old living fossils -- they predate the dinosaur extinctions and you can see them while skiing.
• Access to Corralco requires a 4WD vehicle from Malalcahuello -- the self-selecting filter keeps daily visitor numbers low.
• The on-mountain lodge has 44 rooms -- the resort's total capacity is a fraction of what comparable acreage would hold elsewhere.