Skiing/Snowboarding

From July to September skiing and snowboarding are the main winter activities in Malalcahuello. Cross country or backcountry skiing is a much lesser known activity for Chileans so most of the activity centres around Corralco ski resort on Volcano Lonquimay https://www.corralco.com/

The website of Corralco boasts 1800 skiable area with 29 pistes and 6 ski lifts. The centre is located within the National Reserve Malalcahuello that is over 31,000 hectares in size and includes the majestic Volcano Lonquimay. The highest chair lift gets you to within 465 metres of the summit (1525 ft) so some fit and expert skiers climb the rest of the way to ski into the crater or to ski down one of the faces of the volcano.  If you are not such an expert, Corralco has many other options from a nice wide, gentle beginner slope to everything in between.

Thermal baths

There are several commercial thermal bathing operations within driving distance from Malalcahuello. The closest one is around one and a half kilometres ( 0.9 mi) from the town centre. It is a beautifully designed construction of Oregon pine, testimony to the prior use of the area as a native timber processing area. The indoor thermal pool is large with options of all kinds of massage and therapies. It also has a restaurant on site as do most of the thermal bathing centres https://www.malalcahuello.cl/

The most natural thermal bathing centre is a little further from Malalcahuello, approximately 40 minutes by car, half of that along dirt roads. Cañon del Blanco offers small pools surrounded by native forest and rivers. They offer nocturnal bathing, staying open until midnight in peak season, which most of the other centres don´t offer http://canondelblanco.cl/termas/

Snow shoeing/sled dog tours/backcountry skiing/splitboarding/tobogganing

If you are not into skiing or snow boarding, but would like to get out in the snow, snow shoeing is an easy option. It involves strapping some wide, flat plastic “shoes” to your boots and walking. It´s a fairly natural action, you just find that you have to walk with your legs a little further apart than usual. Stocks can help you to keep your balance. A popular alternative for children is tobogganing which can be hired at many places in Malalcahuello.

There are many places within and outside of the reserve to go snow shoeing and guides who offer their services for snow shoeing, climbing or backcountry skiing/splitboarding.

One company offers short tours with snow dogs, trained especially to take customers on sleds through the snow.

Cabin-based activities

If none of the above activities sounds like you, or if the day is miserable, it may be a more suitable option to stay in the cabin by the log fire (yes, many still have slow combustion heating), read a book, play cards or board games. Many cabins also have hot tubs and some have spas or other activities which one can enjoy without having to go far, for example www.chilewild.com

Cycleway Manzanar to Malalcahuello

Passing through this beautiful valley the cycleway was constructed along a disused railway line that once connected the towns of Victoria to Lonquimay. The cycleway has a distance of approximately 12km and connects the thermal baths and township of Manzanar with Malalcahuello.

It has a slight rise in altitued between Manzanar and Malalcahuello with a total height variation along route of 142 metres. In reality the difficulty of the trip depends on the wind strength and direction. It was constructed out of road base and has a loose cap of gravel so is better with a mountain bike, although it can be done on a road bike.

Unfortunately, there are several places along the cycleway where one must cross the highway and each crossing is on a blind corner. One must dismount, listen for approaching vehicles then hurry across the road. It would be great if the authourities fixed this issue to make it safer.

Cycleway of Lonquimay

Starting in the rural city of Lonquimay, the cycleway winds along the banks of the Bio Bio River, close to where it begins it´s journey to the sea. The distance is 30km of generally flat terrain, as it follows the route of the steam train from a bygone era of active forestry which once drove the economy of the region.

The cycleway ends in the Tunnel “de los Raíces”. This is a one way tunnel that was built over a 10 year period in 1929 for the steam train that was to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This was never achieved and the tunnel was converted to allow vehicles to pass,however, it does not permit bicycles to pass through. As it is controlled by traffic lights and a toll, the cyclist must wait and hope that a waiting truck or 4WD will be willing to take them through to the other side. The tunnel was once the longest in South America, 4.5km

Mountain chalets Chile Wild – Las Vertientes de Malalcahuello, offer an excursión with vehicle support of this route, https://www.chilewild.com/es/excursiones-guiadas/#1593192829023-a6ca74f2-1bdf

Volcano Lonquimay, Malalcahuello Reserve

This route borders the volcano inside the National Reserve Malalcahuello and is suitable only for mountain bikes in summer. It commences at the carpark of the eastern entrance to the Reserve where there is an administration building staffed by CONAF park rangers who administer the Reserve. Here they ask visitors to register when they are doing tekking or excursions. There is also a bathroom available to visitors during business hours. The starting point is approximately 10km from Malalcahuello.

From the starting point it is all uphill to the lookout which marks the turning point prior to returning in what is an exhilirating downhill ride of some 5.8km. The start is asphfalt but changes to dirt road at the bifurcation where one can go to the Hotel Corralco to the left, straight ahead to the ski centre carpark or the right, to go to the lookout. You will be sharing the route with vehicles so be aware of oncoming traffic and the dirt road has sections of corrugations making it a more challenging ride, particularly the downhill. The road continues on past the lookout, eventually arriving at a small town called Troyo. On the return you may wish to stop at the Hotel Corralco for refreshments. They have a cafe/bar where you can order snacks at any hour and they also have a restaurant and a couple of souvenir shops.

Snowkite is a sport developed from kiteboarding, a sport practised in the ocean and on lakes. In fact, it is recommended to learn kiteboarding prior to learning how to snowkite.

One of the benefits of the sport is that you can reach the tops of ski slpes without dependence on mechanical means, avoiding the queues and allowing one to go off piste and travel quite some distance. The downside is the dependence on wind, not too much and not too little.

Where should you begin?

First it is recommended to obtain a high level of ski or snowboard, once you have dominated this, one can add the kite. It is really necessary to practise with the kite, without the board to learn how to control the kite and be able to navigate with control.

It is very important to be able to read the climatic conditions and know when and where you can snowkite, in order to enjoy the sport and avoid accidents. Similar to other extreme sports, it is technical and potentially dangerous. If you take classes with an instructor and take care you will be able to enjoy to the maximum this sport which is growing in popularity worldwide.

The physical benefits of snowkiting include upper body strength, a workout for your gluteus muscles and cuadriceps. It is one of the warmest sports for winter that you can do.

In Corralco the cost of rental for snowkite gear is CLP$28.000 and a one hour class for up to two people will cost you CLP $50.000 (around USD $115 in total).

Downhill/Alpine skiing

Skiing at ski resorts on groomed runs/pistes using chairlifts and other mechanical devices to take one to the top of the pistes. The skis and bindings are designed for downhill and the boots are stiff and fixed to the skis by the bindings. Poles are usually used also. Advanced skiers may go off-piste but they must go in a downhill direction.

Backcountry/Off-piste skiing

Any skiing away from the groomed runs by people who enjoy exploring places away from the crowds, and who enjoy the added exercise, as well as the challenge that off-piste skiing can offer. Off-piste skiing can be done with downhill gear if it is in a generally downhill direction or with specialised backcountry touring gear that allows one to go uphill unassisted. Typically, backcountry skiing is done with backcountry skiis, bindings, backcountry poles and skins that are applied to the underside of the skis to permit skiing uphill. The heel of the boot is not fixed to the ski as in downhill/alpine skiing. It is advisable to always go with someone skilled in mountain safety and avalanche risk assessment as well as carrying safety equipment.

Cross Countryskiing/Nordic skiing

This is a style of self-propelled skiing that has two styles; the first, classic style, uses a very natural walking/running style to glide along undulating terrain; the second is skating that uses shorter skis and the legs move out to the sides to propel one along in a skating action. Skate style cross country requires groomed runs but neither cross country style is appropriate for the steep slopes of downhill or alpine skiing.

Alpine Touring/Randonnee

This is a type of backcountry that doesn´t use the ski centre chairlifts and is generally practised well away from the ski centres. The ski bindings allow the heel to lift freely to allow uphill movement, for the descent the heel of the ski boot is locked in so one can ski down much like downhill skiing. The gear used and skills required are similar to backcountry ski requirements.

Telemark skiing

Back in the 1980´s I remember my stepfather practising the art of telemark turns on a downhihll slope, heel unfixed with the distinctive forward leg lunge that for me was impossible to imitate and led to many faceplants in the snow. It is, perhaps, a dying art or style, being overtaken by new randonee gear designs that are far more practical and efficient. The boots and bindings required are specific to telemarking but the skis, skins and poles can be any that are for backcountry skiing.

Ski Mountaineering

This is also another kind of backcountry skiing that focuses on scaling mountains, combining classic mountaineering skills with skiing. Quite a lot of gear and skill is required for this, and local experienced guides are often used. The Andes mountains of Chile/Argentina are the perfect place for this activity. There is no shortage of volcanoes to climb. Volcán Antuco, Lonquimay, Llaima, Villarica, Antuco and Cerro Castillo are just a some of the summits climbed. Backcountry skis, skins and poles are normally used, along with safety equipment such as crampons, ice axe, helmet, probe & Arvas or search beacons.

Freestyle skiing

This is a popular competative ski sport involving jumps over specifically designed moguls, acrobatic spins and turns. The gear used are downhill skis (or snowboard), downhill boots, bindings and poles.

Adaptive skiing

Many well developed ski centres now cater in some way for skiiers with physical disabilities. Adaptive skiing is the name for skiing by people with a physical disability or confined to wheelchair. In Chile there are organisations and ski centres that offer services for people with physical disabilities. However, for the smaller centres such as Los Nevados de Chillan and Corralco it is advisable to enquire prior to booking.
Photo: thanks to mountain guide Pep Sanper. Ski mountaineering, Volcano Llaima, Chile

Like many of my age, I have a sad fascination with disused railway lines. Back in 1962 I did my first walk along a rail line long since closed – it was the 20 km line that used to connect the shale oil mine in Newnes (now a ghost town) with the main western line in NSW Australia. The great advantage of walking along a rail line is that it is level – sometimes embankments and sometimes cuttings and in very special cases – tunnels. In the case of the Newnes line, the one tunnel, at the time I did the walk 50 years after the closure of the line, but before too many people knew about it, the tunnel was like a starry sky, lit by glow worms.

Imagine my delight, when staying at Chile Wild – Las Vertientes cabins in Malalcahuello, I discovered that Malalcahuello was once on a rail link that ran from Lebu on the Chilean coast to Lonquimay in the Andes near the border with Argentina. If fact it was one of two sections actually completed of a visionary plan hatched in 1910 to link the Pacific and Atlantic oceans by rail. The other completed section went from Zapala in Argentina to Bahia Blanca on the Atlantic coast. The biggest engineering challenge was a tunnel through the Los Raices mountain range 11 km East of Malalcahuello. Construction of the 4 km tunnel commenced in 1931 and took 8 years to complete – somewhat longer than anticipated due to a cave-in which trapped 42 men for 90 hours in 1932. The rail link opened in 1941 but was closed in the early 1990’s. The tunnel is now an alternate one way road tunnel.

The good news is that the sections East and West of Malalcahuello are being converted into rail trails. We rented mountain bikes to ride the 12.5 km section from Malalcahuello Station to Manzanar Station. It is a nice ride on a gravel track – only downside is that some of the old bridges are no longer in place so you need to be careful where the track crosses Route CH181 on some blind corners. A nice day trip is a ride from Malalcahuello along the cycleway to Manzanar then visit the thermal baths where one can view historic photos of the steam train and township. They have an outside thermal pool adjacent to the river and a spa and Jacuzzi salon that has not been renovated since the original building so makes for a curious visit. The restaurant serves traditional Chilean food.
Very soon the section from Lonquimay to the Southern portal of the tunnel will be ready for riding and there are plans to complete the link by restoring the 11 km section from Malalcahuello to the tunnel. Just how cyclists will get through the tunnel is a matter under consideration. Possibly two set periods a day when the tunnel is closed to vehicular traffic in both directions and used two-way for ten minutes by cyclists.

If you are looking for accommodation close to Malalcahuello, there are many rental cabins to choose from and various other accommodation options, depending on your budget. There is something to suit every budget from 5 star Corralco Hotel at Volcano Lonquimay, to budget backpackers and family-based homestays.

Author: Warren Yates

[Image from El Austral newspaper (Chile: 9th August 2015) p5]

The area is ideal for trekking. There are many hiking trails with the parks and reserves that are scenic and can be challenging

Mountain bike riding is possible on the dirt roads in the area and some trails but most of the walks within the National Park and Malalcahuello Reserve are for walkers only. One of the best rides is to cross the mountain via the Cuesta de los Raices. (note: bicycles are prohibited to transit through Tunnel los Raíces)

Kayaking and rafting are great options in January and February when we have some very warm days, or just hang around swimming in our private natural lagoon and creek.

Canopy and activities such as paintball and indoor climbing for children are available.