Snowboarding in the Andes

After almost 11 months in Chile we decided it was finally time to get up to the Andean ski resorts surrounding Santiago and get a taste of the high mountain snow that they are known for.

Our first day was at the area's fanciest resort, Valle Nevado, located some 3,000 meters above sea level! What really struck us as odd was the complete lack of trees. We are so used to Mt. Hood's Timberline Resort where trees are abundant (hence the name). It felt a little odd to see the bald, white slopes of the Andes.



A group of beautiful Siberian Huskies including a very cute pup were on display at the lodge.


Jo on the slopes lookin' stylee in her snow gear!


Amazing view!


We settled on a night at the Refugio Aleman, which is located near the foot of the Colorado ski resort. The Refugio is a humble but comfortable mountain hostel who's decent rates made our mountain excursion much more affordable than a night at the fancy mountain resort hotels.

Here is Jo in front of the in house bar at the Refugio.


A view from the hostel. In the background you can see the blanket of smog that covers Santiago on a daily basis. Yikes!


The next day we decided to stay close to the hostel and hit the slopes at Colorado, a bit smaller resort that was accessible by t-bar from about a block away from the hostel.

Jo has had some bad experiences with T-bars over the years. Here she is conquering the beast.


Here we are!