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Ski Arpa Cat Skiing
We are currently preparing our 2009 rates to go live.
However you can contact us now for 2009 rates and to book.
Ski Arpa is in the two valleys of "Valle
el Arpa" and "Valle la Honda", with its
terrain only accessible with Ski Arpa's
2 snowcats. At the summit you will
see to the east "Cerro Aconcagua",
the highest peak of the Americas,
and on clear days, west to the Pacific.
Ski Arpa is high alpine bowls and cat
skiing with no trees.This is South
America's only snowcat-serviced
ski resort, offering backcountry
skiing & boarding adventure in Chile. |
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There is no accommodation right at Ski Arpa and most people stay in Los Andes . See our
accommodation section for more info. For non skiers and snowboarders who are travelling with skiers or snowboarders, we are happy to offer normal hiking, horseback riding, and wine tours near the town of Los Andes. These activities can also be a great option for a day off of skiing or snowboarding if on a multi day trip and a chance to see more of Chile and its countryside.
Please click HERE for more info. |
The town of Los Andes is 73 KM north of Santiago
and about 1 hour drive from Santiago. Ski Arpa
is then 35 KM and about 1 hour drive from the
town of Los Andes. The last 13 KM are not yet
paved and of those, the last 5 KM are extremely
rugged driving. Do NOT try to get up to Ski Arpa
with a normal rental car, we recommend four wheel
drive to ensure not getting stuck and a truck or jeep. |
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We highly recommend letting us at Southamericaski.com organize transfers to Los Andes and
daily ones to Ski Arpa for you. |
In normal weather, road conditions and traffic, Ski Arpa is about 1 hour drive from Casa
San Regis or 1 hour and 15 minutes from
the town of Los Andes , one way. However,
it can easily take longer (up to 2 hours)
depending on weather, road conditions and
traffic one way. The last 13 km of the road is
very narrow, in the moutains, bumpy and
cleared by shovelling after snowfalls. for more
info on how to get to Los Andes and Ski Arpa,
please visit our getting there section. |
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The terrain in Valle El Arpa is entirely in the alpine (no trees), with huge bowls and steep sustained vertical up to 1000m (3000+ft). Depending on your group and where you
want to ski, up to six runs can normally
be squeezed into a day, with opportunities
for short 20 minute hikes to reach lines
that have only ever been skied a handful
of times (some less). Most cat rides are
roughly 25 minutes +- 10 minutes going
up depending on the pick-up location
and the snowcat.
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To do your first ride up from the refugio
at the base is generally 40 minutes to
get up to the top.
The runs generally take 30 minutes to
an hour depending on size of the group,
ability level, how many photos want to
be taken, how much time at the top and stopping points, difficulty of terrain being attempted, how many jumps want to be
done, stability (sometimes people must
go 1 at a time), snow conditions etc. |
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With a fast group that has an
advanced level and does not stop a
lot, runsare generally 40 minutes
skiing down. There are hikes to Alto
Del Arpa to ski Las Cornices in the
afternoons, which generally take
about 1hour or slightly more from
the drop off to the Refugio with a
good group (incuding the hike). |
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Skiing at Valle El Arpa is an amazing experience provided by Toni Sponar,
the owner and a pioneer of CAT skiing
in the Andes, a true character. Due to
the remote location and weather
conditions, Ski Arpa will not be open
every day of the season. However, when
it is open and it’s good, you won’t be able
to imagine anywhere better. Condors
often soar by the summit to investigate
the skiers, and the occasional Guanaco
can also be spotted during the ride back
to the top. On clear days, you can often
see west to the Pacific Ocean |
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We at Southamericaski.com find it important to mention while
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2008 Prices and Conditions
The following prices are for skiing and snowboarding only at Ski Arpa Cat skiing and do
not include any ground transfers. However we at Southamericaski.com Vacations are
happy to create a package in addition to your skiing and snowboarding experience at
Ski Arpa that includes transfers. Options are round trip transfers from Santiago Airport,
bus station, hotel or train station (if going to or coming from Termas de Chillan), Valle
Nevado and 3 Valleys Ski Area, Portillo Ski Resort or if coming from or going to
Mendoza or Las Lenas, Argentina. Please contact us to put a package together for you.
We can obviously as well custom design a trip to Ski Arpa by itself or in combination
with wine tours or in addition to Santiago, Termas de Chillan, Valle Nevado and
3 Valleys Area and Las Lenas and Bariloche in Argentina. |
This is true adventure skiing in vast, variable (could be powder, could be wind blown,
could be cardboard) terrain. SIGNING A RELEASE WAIVER FORM IS REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE. Participants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by their parent and
their parents must sign a special release form. At Ski Arpa all skiers and snowboarders must
be accompanied by an experienced mountain guide with avalanche certification.
Schedule: Ski Arpa operates by pre booked days only. Reservations in advance are required
as Ski Arpa may be fully booked or not operating. Each cat can carry 12 people per trip. |
Full Day Package - Four Runs*:
(price per person)
2 persons (minimum) _US$358/person
3 persons _ _ _ _ _ __ US$303
4 persons _ _ _ _ _ __ US$276
5 persons_ _ _ _ _ _ _ US$272
6 persons_ _ _ _ _ _ _ US$259
7 persons or more __ _US$n/a
Additional runs_ _ _ __US$15/run/person
Price/Run* 6 person minimum:
Adults ____________$US$25 per run
Students ___________US$22 per run
Minors <13 y.o.______US$22 per run
and accompanied by parent |
Avalanche Transceivers: Please
bring one or rent one from Ski Arpa for $5.
Skis and Boards:
Bring your own gear as rentals are not
available. Ask us where to rent in Santiago.
Private Snowcat Rental:
Private 6 runs with guide *
up to12 people _ _ _ _ __ US$1,800
Backcountry Access Permit:
Randonnee or Tele up_______US$8/day |
| *Prices include mandatory guide fee. Each run is 800-1000m vertical. |
Terms and Conditions - Cancellation and Road Closed Policy
Cancellation Any Ski Arpa cancellations must be made in writing to Southamericaski.com Vacations via email or fax.
Cancellation fees The following cancellation fees will apply:
• If cancelled more than three weeks prior to the ski date the guarantee will be returned in full, less a service charge equivalent to 10% of the value of the guarantee.
• If cancelled between three and two weeks before the ski date 50% of the guarantee will be returned
• If the reservation is canceled more than 5 days but less than 9 days before the ski date 25% of the guarantee will be returned.
No show If Ski Arpa is open, skiers not arriving on their reserved ski date will not receive any refund.
Bad weather and/or avalanche danger If the road to Ski Arpa is closed or the area is closed due to avalanche danger, skiers with a paid reservation will receive a 100% refund less any incurred credit card fees and a $10 processing fee. |
Toni Sponar
Ski Arpa Cat Skiing is owned and operated by
Toni Sponar. Born in Austria in 1934, Sponar
is in his late 60s but has the looks, attitude,
enthusiasm and skiing ability of a
twentysomething. Two decades ago, he
used the money he had saved working for
more than 35 years as a ski instructor in
Aspen, Colo., to buy 4,000 hectares of land
in the Chilean Andes from families and
farmers.
His dream was to run his own private ski
resort,and to do what he loves on his own
terms. Toni's lifetime of ski experience
includes: ski instructing, ski guiding, ski area
management and ski industry consulting.
Toni will welcome you to his Valle with warm
arms and in many tongues. He speaks
German, English and Spanish. |
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