Chilean Ski Resort Nevados de Chillán Closes As Intense Winter Weather Arrives

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 2:09 PM ET

Nevados de Chillán, a Chilean ski resort, announced Tuesday that it would be temporarily closed as a significant storm front passes through South America that could deposit more than three feet of snow by Sunday, August 3, 2025.

In the announcement, Nevados de Chillán wrote that a “category 3-4 atmospheric river” was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.

The closure is meant to ensure the safety of Nevados de Chillán workers and visitors and will continue until weather conditions improve.

“We will be constantly monitoring the situation and will provide regular updates through our official channels,” Nevados de Chillán wrote.

Check out a webcam screenshot from Nevados de Chillán on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. It's looking quite wet down low.

Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.

Powderchasers, POWDER’s forecasting team, reported that by the end of the first storm cycle, between 19 and 28 inches will have fallen at Nevados de Chillán.

But the forecasters cautioned that the early phase of the storm would be wet and windy, likely leading to closures and dense snow at a few Chilean ski resorts, including Nevados de Chillán.

Still, a colder round of snowfall is expected at Nevados de Chillán on Saturday, totaling between 11 and 18 inches.

Between both storms, Nevados de Chillán could see between 30 and 40 inches of snow through the weekend, the Powderchasers noted.

Other ski resorts throughout South America will also benefit from the surge of moisture, including Portillo, Valle Nevado, and La Parva, where two pulses of snow could bring around a foot of precipitation to each on Thursday and Friday night.

Nevados de Chillán has seen an underwhelming start to the season regarding total snowfall. This photo from July 11, 2025, shows the low tide conditions. If the Powderchasers are correct, however, the ski resort's snowpack will receive a significant boost from the storm. Photo: RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP via Getty Images

When intense storms arrive, ski resorts around the world sometimes enact temporary closures. In some cases, they do so because the winds are too fast to operate chairlifts safely. Other closures are meant to give ski patrol crews time to mitigate avalanche risk with bombs and other techniques. Avalanches most commonly occur during or just after snowstorms.

Located centrally in Chile, Nevados de Chillán borders an active volcano group. Like other ski resorts in the country, it’s known for stellar backcountry access. The upper portion of Nevados de Chillán is reserved for catskiing access.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: