Valle Nevado

Valle Nevado ( - Snowy Valley in the Spanish language) is a ski resort located on the El Plomo foothills in the Andes Mountains, at 46 km to the east of Santiago, the capital of Chile. Founded in 1988 by French entrepreneurs, it includes housing facilities along with around 900 hectares of skiing area.

History
The construction of the site began in 1987 and was completed the following year. This French-Chilean project was inspired by similar European resorts, especially Les Arcs in France. In 2001 the resort opened the first detachable chairlift in the region, gaining a significant advantage on its competitors.

From 2008 to 2010 important building projects have been realised in order to offer more housing to the tourists. One of the biggest among these projects is the construction of two buildings named Valle de los Condores. The last year also sees the installation of additional chairlifts and a ski lift, and the opening of several new slopes.

Valle Nevado Ski Resort opened the first mountain cable car in Chile in 2013.

Description
The season traditionally starts in June and ends in October. The ski resort has 34 marked slopes, 4 for beginners, 11 for intermediates, 14 for advanced levels and 5 for experts. Access to the slopes is done through 16 mechanical means installed on the mountain. There is also a snow park for practicing more radical maneuvers.

Services
Valle Nevado has a ski and snowboard school, equipment rental service, medical center, mini-market and several stores. There is also a wide variety of restaurants and hotels close to the slopes.

Climate
Due to its elevation, Valle Nevado has an alpine climate (Dfc, according to the Köppen climate classification, bordering on Dfb and ET), with drier summers and humid winters, with an average annual precipitation of 1042 mm. Summers are chilly and dry, while winters are cold and snowy.