{"id":1949572,"date":"2026-05-22T13:15:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1949572"},"modified":"2026-05-22T13:15:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:15:25","slug":"inside-chiles-most-intimate-backcountry-ski-operation-where-you-can-ski-volcanoes-and-1000-year-old-araucaria-forests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1949572","title":{"rendered":"Inside Chile\u2019s Most Intimate Backcountry Ski Operation Where You Can Ski Volcanoes and 1,000-Year-Old Araucaria Forests"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For Forrest Schmidt, one trip to Chile over 10 years ago turned into a life in the Andes. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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For most skiers, \u201call-inclusive\u201d means a lift ticket and a buffet. <\/strong>Forrest Schmidt means something very different: a hot titanium stove in a tipi, filet mignon next to a steaming hot spring, and ancient araucaria trees holding cold smoke over a perfectly set skintrack.<\/p>\n

Schmidt, a 44-year-old \u201cEast Coast kid\u201d from rural New York, runs APEX Andes (Andes Puro Exploraciones) out of Malalcahuello in Chile\u2019s Araucan\u00eda region.<\/strong> His guide service is small by design with no more than six guests on all-inclusive trips and is built around one idea: he and his team handle everything so you can just ski.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe idea is that you go out with us, you don\u2019t think about anything, you just enjoy and really be present,\u201d he says. \u201cYou know, the connection is a huge thing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

APEX Andes takes guests on all-inclusive adventures to seldom skied Chilean volcanoes. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Local Operation In A Big Corner Of The Andes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

APEX is based near the Corralco ski area, in a landscape of active volcanoes and araucaria forests.<\/strong> Schmidt describes APEX as \u201cthe premier guide service in our region,\u201d with long-term relationships with Chilean landowners and Mapuche communities. The company offers day tours, volcano summits on Tolhuaca, Lonquimay, Sierra Nevada, and Llaima, plus six- to 11-day all-inclusive programs for intermediate to expert backcountry skiers and splitboarders. Even day tours are door-to-door.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEven with your day outings, we pick you up at your place. The idea is you get off the plane and don\u2019t think about a single thing, and just enjoy 10 days of relaxed vacation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ski touring in the Araucan\u00eda region. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Most of the travel is human-powered, with occasional snowmobile shuttles to cut long, flat approaches. <\/strong>\u201cPrimarily we skin to shred,\u201d Schmidt says. \u201cEarning turns on skins.\u201d What he leans on hardest is local knowledge\u2014efficient climbs, smart terrain choices, and good snow. \u201cWhen you come out, you\u2019re going to have the most efficient up and the best snow quality every single day,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd a lot of that is due to being truly local.\u201d<\/p>\n

Signature Trips<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Grand Slam Tour: 4 volcanoes in 10 days<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The flagship itinerary is the Grand Slam: four volcanoes in ten days.<\/strong> Guests tick off Tolhuaca, Lonquimay, Sierra Nevada, and Llaima, stringing together big descents and hot-spring finishes. Tolhuaca is remote and rarely skied in a day\u2014unless you know the shortcut.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMost people do it in two days. Because we\u2019re local, we have the good route. It\u2019s one of the most impressive volcanic summits here; you actually stand on a pinnacle that overlooks everything below you; you can see 13 volcanoes on the horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The lanscapes in the Araucan\u00eda region are bizarre. |Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lonquimay mixes ski-area access with backcountry laps into the crater.<\/strong> Llaima is tall and wild, with sometimes rough skiing off the summit if coverage isn\u2019t perfect. Sierra Nevada, though, is the heart of the program.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy favorite is by far the Sierra Nevada,\u201d Schmidt says. \u201cIt\u2019s really spread out and has more lines than I think I can ride in my lifetime. But I\u2019m trying.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One of his favorite routes runs from the summit straight down to the Ca\u00f1\u00f3n Blanco hot tubs\u2014\u201ca really nice way to wrap up a big day in the mountains.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Backcountry Ski & Ride \u2014 9 days<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Backcountry Ski & Ride package is a nine-day, mostly guided trip (seven guided days plus a couple of resort days), built as a sampler of the zone: volcano objectives, storm-day trees, and some lift-served skiing to save legs and stack vert.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Best timing?<\/strong> Fly into Temuco (ZCO) between late July and mid-September. Schmidt points to one sweet spot in particular:<\/p>\n

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\u201cEvery year we get a big storm right around the 18th, which is also the Independence Day here in Chile. It can be a really fun mix to see how we party here and also get some pow turns in.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There are at least 10 named volcanoes in Chile\u2019s Araucan\u00eda Region, and 6 of them are monitored as active or potentially active by Chile\u2019s geological service. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Hot Tent Program \u2014 9 days \/ 2 nights in a tipi<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If there\u2019s one product he really wants people to know about, it\u2019s the hot tent trips. <\/strong><\/p>\n

A premium nine-day version includes seven guided ski days, two nights at a luxury riverside lodge, and two nights in a heated tipi already pitched deep in the backcountry.<\/strong> Guests bring only a daypack; beds, seating, and all meals are provided.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe hot tent is something that changes what people think about winter camping,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause of the titanium stoves that we have and that we have all the sleeping comforts. We have nice chairs with lamb skins that everybody gets to utilize the whole time, and we also eat like kings, stacked wine. Yeah, we just eat really good.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Think filet mignon, proper sides, and good wine\u2014sometimes right next to hot springs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Guests enjoy the hot tub after a long ski day at APEX Andes. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Snow, Trees, And A Cooling Micro-Climate<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite being farther south, Schmidt argues that his snowpack is better and drier than more famous zones like Villarica, thanks to geography and the absence of a large nearby lake.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cOur snow is really good quality snow. I wouldn\u2019t be here if the pow wasn\u2019t good,\u201d he says. \u201cThe benefit that we have is that there\u2019s no lake close by, and our snow stays drier for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The volcanoes sit on the front of the Cordillera and help trap cold on the backside.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cThey kind of create a cooling micro climate behind them,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe reap the benefits of that and we spend a lot of time riding wide tree zones 2,000 meters (6,000 feet) and below, because it conserves the snow quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Terrain ranges from mellow, 30-degree bowls to true \u201chow steep can you ski\u201d faces.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Skiing Through 1,000-Year-Old Araucaria Trees<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If APEX has an iconic image, it\u2019s a skintrack winding through araucaria trees after a storm.<\/strong> These gnarled, spiny evergreens can live for over a thousand years and have fed Mapuche communities for millennia.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey capture my heart and a lot of other people\u2019s too,\u201d Schmidt says. \u201cTalk about a perfectly designed tree to be really strong over time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Their geometry fascinates him. <\/strong>\u201cWhere the branches come out of them, it always grows six of them, and it looks like a perfect star,\u201d he says. On a powder morning, snow clinging to their branches throws the trees into sharp relief. \u201cThe way the snow hangs in them creates a really nice contrast\u2014just the softness of it and puffiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a winter back in Colorado, that\u2019s what he missed most.<\/strong> \u201cIt was good being back in the north in the snow again, but I was already just jonesing to be in our forest down here. There\u2019s another energy to them all the way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

1,000-year-old araucaria trees dot the region\u2019s landscape. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Culture\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Forrest talks almost as much about food and culture as he does about ski lines.<\/strong> The all-inclusive programs include a restaurant circuit in Malalcahuello and chances to meet local ranchers and Mapuche families. \u201cWhen we\u2019re here, we do a tour of restaurants and let people really experience all of the different cuisines that are here and the local flavor,\u201d he says. \u201cOne of the most enjoyable things about vacation is eating and eating well. And one of the most difficult things on a vacation is eating and eating well.\u201d APEX works closely with two main lodging partners: a high-end timber lodge on the river with hot tubs, a gym, a wet bar, and an in-house chef, plus a more affordable, social hostel used for the budget hot-tent option. They also place custom groups in standalone cabins.<\/p>\n

The connection with the local Mapuche people is deliberate.<\/strong> Early on, Schmidt almost launched a snowmobile-based cultural tour business; that idea morphed into guiding, but the relationships remained a core part of APEX. \u201cCulture is one of the huge things,\u201d he says. \u201cGiving back to the actual culture here and trying to change what the world view is. When you meet them face to face, you realize all it takes is a bad egg to just fuck up all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Araucaria region has a rich cultural history. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Araucan\u00eda Avalanche Advisory<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With no national avalanche bulletin in Chile, Schmidt eventually decided he\u2019d better start something himself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During COVID, when resorts closed and novices poured into the backcountry, he noticed kids skiing serious zones with no rescue plans and little understanding of risk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cThere were kids out in zones, like where we go, you know, but with no idea what they were putting themselves into,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople say the south is flat in Chile, and if you\u2019ve ever been to the south, you\u2019ll fully disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In 2020 he formed a local group, started running practice days, and launched the Araucan\u00eda Avalanche Advisory\u2014the first public avalanche information of any kind in the country. <\/strong>Right now, it\u2019s a crowd-informed, conditions-based advisory highlighting when, where, and what kind of avalanche problems exist. Long term, he wants to grow it into a true forecast center: weather stations, snow-study plots, and a small staff to collect real-time data. \u201cBy no means is it perfect,\u201d he says. \u201cBut as we get more qualified people in the zone, we can start to weigh in and help improve that advisory. Hopefully [it becomes] a model of a program that can work in Chile on a small scale, and hopefully, in the end, get the government to back it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Touring through Araucaria trees. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From Greek Peak To The Andes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Schmidt\u2019s path to running an Andean guide service started in central New York, on a small hill called Greek Peak.<\/strong> A friend handed him a snowboard when he was 12; he was hooked. He became an instructor, went to college, and then bailed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI realized that I loved what I was studying, but it just wasn\u2019t anything that created the same kind of fire that being on my board did,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He chased certifications, moved to Mammoth, worked as an instructor, then managed a ski shop until he left in 2013. <\/strong>\u201cI decided to do something drastic and just go somewhere I\u2019d never done back to back winters. So I took my unemployment money and I came to Chile and really quickly fell in love with the culture and the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move stuck.<\/strong> After years exploring Chile\u2019s central Andes, he committed to Malalcahuello, built APEX, and hasn\u2019t looked back. \u201cEverywhere I look, there\u2019s new inspirations, and there\u2019s new lines and new peaks,\u201d he says. \u201cEight years touring in a zone, and I really still have no itch to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughs when I tell him he sounds younger than 44.<\/strong> \u201cI think the only thing I can attribute that to is like chasing what I love to do all the time,\u201d he says. For his guests, that obsession shows up as a simple promise: the best snow he can find for your level, the most efficient uptrack he knows, a hot meal, and a bed\u2014whether that\u2019s a timber lodge on the Caut\u00edn River or a warm tipi tucked under thousand-year-old trees.<\/p>\n

Chile\u2019s Araucaria region where APEX Andes operates is nothing short of spectacular. | Photo: APEX Andes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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For Forrest Schmidt, one trip to Chile over 10 years ago turned into a life in the Andes. | Photo: APEX Andes For most skiers, \u201call-inclusive\u201d means a lift ticket and a buffet. Forrest Schmidt means something very different: a hot titanium stove in a tipi, filet mignon next to a steaming hot spring, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-1949572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1949572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1949572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1949572\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1949572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1949572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1949572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}