Spring skiing – Corralco ski centre

Corralco ski centre lies and the foot of Volcano Lonquimay and is a great place to enjoy spring downhill skiing in spring when there are more fine, sunny days than in winter.  Corralco (and other businesses in malalcahuello) have a ski rental service with skis for downhill and randonnée, snowboards and snow shoes. From the ski centre one can go off exploring in the Araucaria forest just a little below the ski centre or explore the surrounding treeless peaks.

Spring climbing of Volcano Lonquimay

Some expert skiers take the “Cumbre” ski lift to 2400 m.a.s.l. (731 ft) and hike or skin up to the summit for a long ski down to the base or into the 700m wide crater. Others skin or climb all the way up from the base and also take other routes behind the volcano to the west side before returning to base.

For non-experts one can hire equipment and guide for the ascent.  The difficulty of the ascent depends on the experience of the participants, the snow and weather conditions. For information on guided tours of Volcano Lonquimay and other volcanoes nearby see

Nearby peaks

A somewhat easier summit climb to do that still offers fabulous views, particularly of Volcano Lonquimay, is called the Cota La Plancha at 1,849 m.a.s.l. (6,066 ft). Parking at the Corralco ski centre carpark, head off in a north-easterly direction, crossing a dirt road (possibly snow-covered) that winds through the park. There is a lower peak to the east, 1,833m (6,013ft) that can be accessed first and then it is a short distance up to the top.

Other viewpoints can be gained from the summit Cota Nueve (9th level), accessed from the refugio Aranales on the Cuesta de Las Raíces road to Lonquimay. This is a great place for randonnée. For more information about possible routes and where to stay see: Volcano Lonquimay in springhttps://www.chilewild.com/tours/

The best qualities of back country skiing are the possibility of being with just your friends, the mountain and nature. It´s a sport where your physical efforts are rewarded with spectacular scenery, virgin snow and varied landscapes, creating unforgettable experiences.

Around Malalcahuello there are numerous places where back country skiing, splitboard and other snow sports can be practised, sports such as snow mobile ski trips, snow bicicles, trekking with snow shoes and sled dog trips.

Where can you do back country skiing around Malalcahuello?

Places where you can undertake the activity include nationally protected reserves such as Conguillio and Tollhuaca National Parks; also the Reserves Malalcahuello and Nalcas. These places offer beautiful and wild landscapes to explore.

Outside of the parks and reserves, there are private options such as cabins, hotels and lodges and private lands such as local indigenas property and other individual land owners. There are also areas that belong to the state. Remember that to enter privately owned land one must ask permission.

To find out more information about the local spots and trip options, it´s a good idea to talk to the locals. The owners and staff of the many accommodation options in Malalcahuello often have valuable local knowledge or can put you in touch with the right people; some of them also offer guided ski tours https://www.chilewild.com/guided-tours/. The local tourism association is a good place to start for contacts randonée

Los Arenales is one of these places, popular place with locals, to practise backcountry skiing. It´s about 5km from the city of Lonquimay, 10km from Corralco and 15km from Malalcahuello;accessible by private transport only. At some point in the history of this place a ski lift was installed but for reasons that are the source of rumours now, the venture collapsed and with it the ski lift was left to decompose disgracefully on the otherwise pictureque snow covered slopes. Now there is a hostal/restaurant that offers a welcome respite from bad weather, hot local food and mate, what more could one want? The place is run by the Lonquimay municipality and local indigenous Pewenche people staff it.