El Colorado is the third ski area of the Three Valleys of the Andes and it is the closest one to Santiago. This resort is connected to the small ski park of Farellones – first ski resort to be founded in the area. El Colorado spreads over a cone-shaped peak with wide open fields and some great steep lines.

El Colorado is well known for both a large number of intermediate runs and the southeast faces holding really good snow and offering some great challenging terrain such as the cone’s east face and the Santa Teresa section. This wide cliff band offers long lines through open bowls and narrow chutes which end up at the road accessing Valle Nevado. All this face is not patrolled and it should be checked in advance for avalanche reports. The cone east face served by a T-bar holds really good conditions as well offering the steepest groomed trails at the resort.

El Colorado as the other two Three Valleys ski resorts has a 4-month season running from mid June to mid October. Sometimes even when the mountain holds enough spring snow the resort will close late in September or early in October as most of the public is already thinking about local summer and surfing.

Also as the resort is settled over a cone it almost has a 360-degree exposure but there are two main faces – east and south – that feature great conditions from opening date around June 15th.
Again this is a place for people coming from Santiago to spend weekend and holidays during the last two weeks of July. August offers excellent skiing and September has mixed conditions from fresh deep powder early in the month quickly changing into spring conditions when temperature rise as the end of the month gets closer.

El Colorado ski resort base area offers different apartment buildings and some standard lodges. The accommodation offered usually includes the apartments and lodges down at Farellones village. This resort is also a weekend retreat for local Santiago people who don’t need La Parva fancy condos or local hip scene. During weekends and holidays El Colorado may get a bit crowded but again lines won’t take more than a few minutes.

There are several restaurants at both El Colorado and Farellones both on the slopes and the villages. For those looking for an active nightlife keep in mind there is a bar and a small disco which opens only a few nights during the week.

El Colorado is a great addition to many of our guided tours and specialty trips. The possibility of skiing all three resorts at the Three Valleys is unmatched in South America. This ski area offers great skiing for intermediates and experts as well. We definitely recommend spending a day or two at this resort but using either Valle Nevado or La Parva as accommodation base.