Valle Nevado: 20 years of passion for snow

It was 1987 when the dream of a visionary, Eduardo Stern, inaugurated a new concept in ski resorts in Chile. The work started many years earlier, at the end of the 70's, when Stern and a group of French engineers began to study the possibilities of a winter resort located where Valle Nevado is today.

Then in 1988, the Chilean-French project opened its doors under the name of Valle Nevado, with a design inspired by the Les Arcs French winter resort. The new resort was located in the central mountain range of Chile, in a beautiful and extensive valley with the ideal altitude and orientation for skiing.

The French influence can been seen today in the design and architecture of the hotels and buildings and is also present in the modern facilities on the mountain, which has developed Valle Nevado into one of the most noteworthy ski resorts in the world. One of its latest feats: the 2001 inauguration of the first high-speed detachable quad chairlift in the Southern Hemisphere: The Andes Express.

The years following the inauguration were highlighted by important milestones, such as the opening of the Bajo Zero restaurant and the famous Hotel Puerta del Sol in 1989. In 1994, Valle Nevado inaugurated the heliski operation, spa and a modern ski school. In 1998, Valle Nevado was bought by four Chilean partners, who have instilled the resort with the family spirit that characterizes it today.

At the end of the 90's and early 2000, Valle Nevado continued to grow. It installed a modern snow-making system and brought something truly new to Chile: the first high-speed quad chairlift in the Southern Hemisphere: The Andes Express. The lift required an investment of close to US$3 million, and it immediately became the preferred chairlift due to its quick and safe operation. A year later in 2001, the luxurious Valle del Sol Apartment Building was opened and three years later, Valle de la Luna or Moon Valley was built.

In the last 8 years (2001-2008), the resort has invested close to US$25 million that has been allocated not only to improving slopes, hotels, machinery and equipment, but also towards a fundamental area of business and an important part of our organizational culture: care for the environment.

This year, Valle Nevado is celebrating 20 years of operation, the passion for snow, the Andes Mountains and quality service. Just like when it opened its doors for the first time in 1988 and started this unique and innovating project, the team at Valle Nevado will surely continue to keep it the ultimate winter destination in the Southern Hemisphere.