July, August and September are the best months to heli-ski in Chile. July and August have colder temperatures, September is warmer. Skiing is exceptional in August, typically the best month.
Skiing in the Central Andes of Chile, July through September, is possibly the best heli-skiing on the planet, this time of year.
Our average skiing is five days a week, a significant amount of heli-skiing in a week. We often ski all six days, basically the entire week.
- Super 7 HD, Head Core 115
- Rossignol Soul 7, K2 Pontoons, K2 Coombas.
- All safety equipment and BCA Airbags, included in package
Avalanche transceiver - BCA Tracker beacons, ABS backpack (BCA 2015 model) – refill canisters each season, Skis and Ski poles, Harness, Shovel & Probes.
Yes. We offer a Semi-Private Package for 8 Heli-Skiers, in which we match individuals or small groups.
Our packages are for intermediate to advanced skier/snowboarder.
In a Private Package you make your own group of 4 people (you may have fewer than 4 people in your group, but all 4 seats MUST be paid), single occupancy is included and you usually have 10 hours of flight time with one mountain guide/one helicopter.
In a Semi-Private Package we match clients to make a group of 8 skiers/snowboarders, (double occupancy is included). Typically 12 hours of flight time is included (i.e. 6 hours for each group of 4 people), with 2 Professional Heli-Ski Guides per helicopter
You arrive Saturday morning, ski/snowboard Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Friday evening you return to the hotel in Santiago and take your return flight on Saturday.
Puma Lodge (our best selling package)
- Lodge: a stylish, contemporary 5-Star lodge, surrounded by the magnificence of nature, rugged mountains, deep valleys and the Cipreses River
- Location: Cortaderal and Cochapoal Valley (3 hrs South Santiago)
- Terrain: access 100’s of hectares of high quality terrain
- Package: We offer Private and Semi- Private Heli-Ski packages
VIK Lodge
- Lodge: Viña Vik is an avant-garde retreat and wine-spa that merges exceptional design, incomparable location and natural setting, warm authentic service, and environmentally- minded practices
- Location: Cipreses Valley (2hrs South Santiago)
- Terrain: an amazingly vast mountain region offering a wide variety of perfect heli-skiing terrain. Every run is surrounded by a breathtaking backdrop of 5,000-meter peaks.
- Package: Only Private Heli-Ski packages
Santiago
- Lodge: 5-Star Hotel
- Location: in the Cosmopolitan city of Santiago, a happening city of sophistication with the highest standards in cuisine and with great nightlife.
- Terrain: only a short flight to the heart of the Andes
- Package: Only Private Heli-Ski packages
Barraco Lodge
- Lodge: is a cozy and one of the best-equipped lodges in northern Patagonia.
- Location: Nothern Patagonia
- Terrain: pristine terrain and ever more ski adventure in this astonishingly beautiful land of wild rivers, granite cliffs, waterfalls, hidden lakes, glaciers, and volcanos
- Package: We offer Private and Semi- Private Heli-Ski packages at the end of the season (Mid-September to mid-October) in that region.
Altiplanico Lodge
- Lodge: charmingly and cozy rustic lodge
- Location: Maipo Valley
- Terrain: world-class mountain terrain only minutes away by helicopter
- Package: We offer Private and Semi- Private Heli-Ski packages
Yes, if you are accustomed to skiing with your own Heli-Ski Guide. He/she will guide in cooperation with a Powder South Heli-Ski Guide, who is an expert with our terrain.
We are not recommending the Argentinian Uco Valley for heli-skiing, because we can accomplish double the amount of skiing/snowboarding on the Chilean side. If we ski/snowboard 14 runs on the Chilean side, on that same day we would only get 7 ski runs on the Argentinian side. Why?
- Altitude: Argentina's Uco Valley section of the Andes has a mandatory mountain pass (not always passable by helicopter), at 4,300 meters.
- Distance from the lodge is too great for efficient ski descents, and refueling.
- Helicopter and pilot dependability: In Chile we have access to over a dozen AS-350, B3 Helicopters (and Mountain Pilots) in excellent or new condition,. In Argentina access to helicopters is limited to only a few, and 1 Mountain Pilot with the experience required for heli-skiing.
For these reasons we recommend and prefer heli-skiing with our Chile operation rather than in the Uco Valley of Argentina.
Our terrain is comprised of extremely beautiful southern faces, steep couloirs, ridgelines, and big bowls with vertical descents ranging from 800 to 2400 meters.
It is hard to compare with Canada or Alaska, each continent and hemisphere has its own character. But the Central Andes is definitely big mountain terrain. Skiing or snowboarding the Andes is a unique experience. The terrain is extensive, dramatic, and pristine. Steepness ranges from medium to relatively steep angles (38 - 42 degrees).
By submitting our reservation form online, accompanied by your deposit of €2,000.
Trip balance payment is due in full, 120 days before the start date of the activity.
We offer many activities for down days or rest days as:
Horseback riding • Massage • Helicopter to beach/go eat fresh seafood • Wine tasting • Outdoor pool • Go to Santiago for night life (La Taquilla) • Shopping at Pueblo Los Domínicos handcraft market • Outside hot tub • Jacuzzi • MTB biking • Hiking (guided or unguided) • Fly helicopter to Valle Nevado to ski on non-Heli day (if high winds aloft or flat light) • Go cat skiing at Valle Arpa snowcat operation in Los Andes • Play parlor/board games at the lodge, read by the fireplace.
It can get quite warm if sunny and temperatures rises, even 20 celsius on a warm sunny day at the lodge (Puma or VIK)
