Villarrica-Pucon, Chile

Phil Smith from Snoworks All Mountain SKi Courses from FRANCE writes:

One of our favourite places and on both of the Snoworks itinerary's, Chile and Argentina Extravaganza and the 7 Volcanoes. Villarrica is one of the most spectacular volcanoes in Chile. The lift system is great for beginners and lower level intermediates but if you’re an experienced off-piste skier then you go here to ski off the top of the volcano. It’s an open top volcano and I literally mean open top. On arrival at the crater your breath will be taken away. I’ve been at the top Villarrica about 6 times and it is always very special. Smoke bellows out and you can hear a rumbling noise that sounds like it’s coming direct from the centre of the earth. On numerous occasions you can catch glimpses of lava spitting up and landing on the inside of the crater. If this doesn’t impress you nothing will. Once you’ve savoured the atmosphere you can ski off the top. Either directly down the way you came up of if you’re a strong off-piste skier and competent on steep terrain you can take the ‘steep side’. Pick your route and enjoy. We’ve always had exceptional conditions here. But beware there are some crevasses so only go up with mountain guides. We use Guido from Amity Tours for all our trips, a local guide, great skier and knows these volcanoes like the back of his hand. It can take between 4 to 6 hours to get to the top but it’s a once in a lifetime adventure. Do it! You can find out more about our Adventure trips to Chile on the Snoworks website.

2008-08-19

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