August 30, 2007 Termas de Chillan, Chile

Silas, Jill and I finally found a moderately priced warm cabana, A-frame, just west of the hairpin turns before Las Trancas.  Our 3 bedroom cabana with kitchen, shower and wood stove cost $20 per person per night. The hostel at Las Trancas is a bit ‘spartan’ and noisy because all the buses stop here and the driver’s hangout in the open and rustic lobby. It is convenient to access transport to the ski area especially if you do not have a rental vehicle.

Chillan has a few expensive hotels, thermals and a casino adjacent to the lifts.  The lift system is fixed-grip chairs and T-bars.  Lift tickets were $31.  We found 3-day old, wind-affected powder up high and corn on the lower mountain. .  After a couple of runs, Silas descended a trough, had 11 nice toe deep powder turns, and then was gone until late afternoon. He entered some of the complex terrain from mid mountain to the base. He confirmed that our decision not to follow him was smart. The Spanish, Slovak and Canadian Olympic teams were training.  Although you might think its fun to share the area with these young athletes, the unfortunate part is that they utilize some of the best slopes for training purposes.  So if it’s not an off piste day, you’ll find numerous slopes closed for the racers.  The snow off piste was crusty so touring was not desirable.  Silas spoke to a guide who took her clients touring towards Volcan Chillan and described terrible conditions.  I carried my binoculars and watched a touring group descend via kick turns.  So with the sun out, Jill and I cruised the corn on the groomers until we met Silas later in the day. The area in and out of bounds is very complex. It is difficult to capture on film just how complex the terrain really is but you could spend days touring the surrounding territory.  Up high off the upper lifts, you can tour to Volcan Chillan(3122m) and Neyado de Chillan(3212m).  I would recommend visiting this area whether riding lifts or touring.