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.