Blue Hills Ski Area

Skiing in Chile: Come for the snow, not the glitz

An erupting Chilean volcano might be causing havoc for ski resorts in Patagonia, but farther north near Santiago an epic snow season is under way.

Three hours from the Chilean capital is a ski resort without any shops, malls or promenades. There are no restaurants, bars or hotels. There’s not even a ski lift. Yet Ski Arpa still attracts clients from around the world – and for good reason. Here, two Pisten Bully Snowcats shepherd up to 22 skiers and snowboarders to the top of the mountain where they have mind-boggling access to 4,000 acres of terrain.

Ski Arpa is the dream of a lifelong ski instructor who scraped and saved over three decades to open a mountain for anyone in love with stunning views and untracked snow. Toni Sponar, a veteran ski-instructor of Aspen, Banff and number of South American ski resorts, bought 5,000 acres of land in 1983. At just $5,000, it was a bargain (even for a ski instructor), the location ideal. From atop the peak of Alto del Arpa, you can see the Pacific Ocean to the west and Mount Aconcagua, the tallest mountain outside the Himalayas, to the east. The south-facing slopes receive plenty of sun and, protected from harsh winds, chutes form in natural abundance. Surrounding you is the Andes, a mountain range of lost empires and mystery, the very spine of the continent.

A year after his dream purchase, Mr. Sponar installed a ski lift and set to work creating an eight-kilometre switchback road to the base lodge. Then disaster struck. A massive storm dumped metres of snow, causing an avalanche that wiped out the lift, the lodge and all of Mr. Sponar’s savings in the process. Over the years to come, he visited the mountain with friends, but it would take two decades before he could resurrect his dream. He purchased two Snowcats, aligned with booking and marketing agents, and in 2004 finally realized his dream of opening a skier’s ski resort.

As we slowly make our way up the switchbacks, the van abruptly stops and a fellow passenger vomits. It’s a rough road, which Mr. Sponar (now 74) maintains himself, zigzagging 600 metres up the valley. I’m feeling a little queasy from the altitude, but the excitement seems to settle my stomach. I discovered the joy of snow when I moved to Canada in my 20s. I grew up in South Africa. When I was six years old, a once-a-century freak snowstorm hit Johannesburg: My schoolteacher, having never seen snow, made the class hide under our desks. She thought it was nuclear fallout.

Blue Hills Ski Area, Canton, MA | Travel New England

The Blue Hills Ski Area in Canton, MA is the closest ski area to Boston. It takes only 30 minutes from Boston to reach the ski area. Blue Hills offers both day and night skiing.

The Blue Hills Ski area has skis, boots and poles, snowboards and boots, and helmets available to rent. Seasonal rentals are also available.

Blue Hills offers group and private lessons for individuals of all ages and as young as 3 (their “Mountain Mite” lesson). They also offer multi-week programs and Ski Camp during the December and February vacations.

The Blues Hills Ski Area has the Prospect Hill Ski and Snowboard Team. The team is an introductory ski-racing program for children/teens (5 to 17 years old) and for all ability levels.

Lift tickets are available in two categories: 12 and under and 13 and above. They are available Monday through Wednesday for afternoons or evenings, Thursday through Sunday for half a day (morning or afternoon), a whole day, two different afternoon and night options, and nights. Sunday is the exception as there is no night skiing on Sundays.

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