Termas de Chillan Video 17mgs

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Light Powder at the End of the Tunnel- Termas de Chillan, CHILE

As Good As It Gets- Bluebird in Termas de Chillan

What isn't deservedly captured in the above is the culture of Termas de Chillan. We had the luxury of staying at the Gran Hotel, the premier on mountain accommodation at Termas de Chillan and savoring the complete experience. Termas is a ski-in-ski-out resort and littered throughout it are numerous thermal hot spas. Think cramped boots and sweaty thermals to hot spa in a flash. Think toasting your buddies from the spa as they ride the lift above you. Thats what I'm taking about.

The Gran Hotel has its very own pool with a heavy water fall to massage your shoulders and tall snow banks surrounding to prove your manhood. With a newly opened casino, the Craps die always fall in your favor on the fresh felt and the complimentary pisco sours make the losses hurt a little less.






Not to mention the Spa which is, well, just like a spa should be- relaxing and rejuvenating. Sandra and her team of masseuses can treat you with a light, muscle loosening massage or an aggressive Thai body massage to open your eyes to the flexible capacity of your body. Boys, you can even throw some hot rocks around and do the cucumber thing on the eyes. You name, if your girlfriend has read about it in Cosmo, they do it here, and just quietly, its actually awesome.






The biggest highlight for we ski-posteriors was the buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast consisted of eggs cooked in every fashion, sausage, pancakes, fruit, cereal, chocolate treats, cheese, cold meat. It was all there. We never did make it to lunch on account of the epic skiing, but we enjoyed the banana bread we poached from breaky on the lift.

Dinner was an affair not to be missed though with a deluxe appetizer buffet sporting seafood, gourmet cheeses, soups, things you eat with tooth picks, and all matter of cuisine that left you full before the main course showed up. One night was a pasta buffet, the next a set menu with steak or chicken dishes that made the mouth water. Throw in world class Chillean wine that sets you back little more than pocket change, and maybe you are now beginning to understand just how hard it was for Todd and I to leave.

Every resort has its Achilles heel though, and at Termas it just might be the lack of locals to practice your Spanish with. There are innumerable Portuguese savoring snow for the first time in their lives, but they don't know how to ski pow, and leave it up to you to shred the off-piste. The wind can strip the upper mountain of fresh snow, but unlike many South American resorts, there is tree skiing here. When its puking up top, you can still ride the lift and shred the Japanese Forest and other secret stashes that you will just have to find for yourself.






The locals you do find will be some of the most hospitable and stoked skiers you might ever meet. Take Jose and Christian. The one day we took a lunch break, we feasted on a prime "Asado' BBQ on their deck before heading back out to shred some of their favorite stashes. We closed out the day with a soak in a thermal pool and a 40oz. Quilmos cerveza to rehydrate.

As the photos and video will attest though, the real draw card is the skiing. 9 lifts access an abundance of terrain that is guarded by a volcano looming above. The touring here is incredible and many will argue it consistently receives the best quality snow in South America. But you will just have to go and find out for yourself.


Check out the Thermas de Chillan website.

For more information and tour options visit SouthAmericaSki.com

Photos: Todd Weselake Photography