# Ski instructors in El Colorado

> The most accessible of the Santiago resorts, with gentle beginner terrain and the oldest ski village in Chile below it.

- Region: Farellones, Región Metropolitana
- Country: [Chile](https://alpinepal.com/en/ski-instructors/chile)
- Time zone: America/Santiago
- Currency: USD
- Coordinates: -33.3493, -70.2923
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5821498

Page: https://alpinepal.com/en/resorts/el-colorado
Last reviewed: 14 September 2026

## About El Colorado

El Colorado, together with the village of Farellones below it, is the closest and most accessible skiing to Santiago — the first resort you reach on the road up, and where most Chileans learn.

Farellones was the first ski resort built in Chile, in the 1930s, and it still has the best beginner infrastructure in the central Andes.

## Where lessons start

The obvious place to learn in Chile: gentle terrain, the country's oldest teaching tradition and the shortest drive from the city.

## Getting there

Santiago is around an hour and a quarter, the shortest of the Tres Valles.

## Resort areas

- Farellones
- Cumbre El Colorado

## Instructors at El Colorado

_No instructors have joined here yet._

## Qualifications required in Chile

Chile has no state licence. The professional standard is the Instructor certification (Asociación Chilena de Instructores de Esquí).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is El Colorado the best place to learn near Santiago?

Yes, for most people. It is the first resort you reach on the road up, about an hour and a quarter from Santiago, and it is where most Chileans learn: gentle terrain, and below it Farellones, the oldest ski village in the country, built in the 1930s, with the best beginner infrastructure in the central Andes. The lift ticket also covers La Parva and Valle Nevado once you are ready to move on.

### When is the season at El Colorado?

Roughly mid-June to late September, with August the most reliable month — this is the Southern Hemisphere, so it is winter while Europe is on the beach. The access road has a long series of hairpins and is often restricted or requires chains after a storm, so a big snowfall can mean a late start. Weekends fill with day traffic from the capital; a midweek lesson is calmer.