Ah, the skiing. This sport that consists of descending mountains, with snow all around, wind in your face… I learned to ski on my own in 2008 and, when I had the opportunity to go to Chile, I wanted to do it again. I went with my sister who had never skied and thought it was all very glamorous. Sweet illusion. I believe that not even in the Swiss Alps carrying heavy skis and balancing in those tight boots is a glamorous activity. Although it is ultra-fun, challenging and feels incredible.
I already told you in this post what you need to know to ski in Chile. Now, I’m going to tell you about my story as a skier with some experience and that of my sister, her first time on skis, in El Colorado, in the Andes.
We chose El Colorado precisely because of the indications that this would be the most suitable station for those practicing the activity for the first time. We were told that Valle Nevado was more expensive and more difficult. After 40 curves up the Andes, we reached an altitude of 3300 meters and were surrounded by snowy mountains. It was July and it was VERY busy. After arriving, it’s time to load your skis, put on your boots and find a space in the luggage compartment. In other words, the boring part. Then, time to go up the lift!
An addendum is in order here: as I said above, I learned to ski on my own. And anyone who knows me knows that I’m far from being the most athletic and coordinated person in the world. Even so, keeping an eye on what the experienced people were doing and a few falls later, I ended up getting the hang of it in one day.
I don’t know how to go down the blue slopes, the second in difficulty level. Only the green ones, but I can manage well, I don’t fall anymore. I was the one who introduced Rafa and Naty into the world of skiing, successfully, in New Zealand. So, I thought I would be successful with my sister too. We trained a little on the plane, I explained to her the basic movements, how to stop and turn. After that, we had to go on some incline to continue learning.
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The problem was this: Farellones, which is the part of El Colorado aimed at beginners, was closed due to lack of snow. So, I asked the staff which was the slope for beginners, stressing that he wanted a place for someone who had never skied. These places generally have a slightly steep and short descent, with a moving walkway to go up. Nobody from staff He was very friendly when he gave us the information and placed us in a queue surface lift, the kind where, instead of going up in a cable car, you are dragged up the hill by a rope.
The operator of this lift, who was there supposedly to help people on a slope for beginners, was very rude when I wanted to check if we should be there and even more rude when my sister was unsure of where to hold on to climb. The fact is that we ended up going up without any correct information. When we reached the top of the track, I realized that my sister couldn’t get down: it was very steep, practically a cliff.
I asked the operator lift Up there – this is much nicer. He said the track was “very easy”. I then agreed with my sister that I would go down to see what it was like, and come back to try to help her. My initial suspicions were confirmed. It was a very steep track, which picked up speed easily, despite being in the green category. It was easy for someone who knows how to ski, but impossible for a beginner. Result: I went up again, told my sister that it was impossible and we asked for help. After waiting a while, a rather grumpy patrolman arrived and towed my sister down the mountain – holding her by the poles. Further down, he released the poor girl, causing her to fall in the most terrifying fall I’ve ever seen (at the time, I felt sorry).
Ultimately, my sister was a little traumatized and angry at the lack of information. I insisted that she take a look at the cost of a class, just so she wouldn’t waste the day, but it cost around 40 thousand pesos, more than the price of the mountain ticket. And here’s another addendum: I, personally, don’t think the class for beginners is necessary. It takes longer to learn, there are huge groups and it is very expensive. But I change my opinion if the person already knows how to ski and wants to learn how to go down more difficult slopes.
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She then managed to sell the mountain ticket for half the price (that’s not exactly within the rules, but the people weren’t nice to her either, right?). Then she spent the rest of the day there with her skis, while I went to explore the other green slopes.
I really liked the slopes of El Colorado, especially the view. Seeing the Andes from up there is incredible and going down the mountain with this view is even better. By chance, on one of my forays into lift, I went up with one of the mountain rangers. He told me that despite it being July, little snow had still fallen and that’s why some slopes were closed.
And you must be wondering: so you stayed having fun until the end of the day and abandoned your sister? Well, it wasn’t quite like that. After overcoming the anger and adrenaline of rolling down half a mountain, my sister drank a hot chocolate and asked me to help her practice a little with her skis on a flat place. We went to the other side of the station and met some Brazilians, also dropouts, who told us that there was a space there dedicated to beginners. The place I looked for so much when we arrived and no one deigned to tell me it existed. My sister spent the rest of the day there, but she no longer liked skiing.
Moral of the story: skiing is amazing, regardless of age and motor coordination. If it’s high in the Andes with a wonderful view, even better. However, at first it’s really boring. And El Colorado is worth it, as long as you’re not expecting people to give you accurate information. At least it was like that with me.
For those who have already skied in other resorts in Chile, or even in El Colorado: was it like that for you too or was it my sister’s bad luck? Reply in the comments!
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