Skiers at one of Chile’s most unusual mountain resorts got a reminder Friday that Nevados de Chillan is not just a ski destination. It is also an active volcanic complex.
Chile’s National Geology and Mining Service reported an eruptive pulse from the Nevados de Chillan volcanic complex Friday afternoon that sent a column containing a high concentration of pyroclastic material approximately 1,250 feet above the active crater.
The episode began around 2:10 p.m. local time on Sept. 18 at Nicanor Crater. Volcanic material dispersed toward the south, and Sernageomin reported that pyroclastic emissions continued following the initial pulse.
Despite the activity, officials kept Nevados de Chillan at Yellow Technical Alert, the same level that has been in place since June.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to infrastructure from Friday’s volcanic activity.
The Volcano Sits Next to an Active Ski Area
That would be a notable volcanic event on its own, but the location makes it particularly interesting for skiers.
Nevados de Chillan Ski Resort operates directly on the volcanic complex in Chile’s Nuble Region. The resort lists 23 trails and 13 lifts spread across terrain that extends high onto the mountain. Its published 2026 winter calendar currently runs through Sept. 20.
In other words, the eruptive pulse occurred during the final days of the resort’s ski season.
As of Saturday morning, Nevados de Chillan’s public news page did not show a new volcano-related closure announcement following Friday’s event. The resort’s published calendar continued to list ski operations through Sept. 20. However, its online mountain report had last been updated Friday morning, before the eruptive pulse, so that report does not confirm conditions after the event.
The resort has been operating under the volcanic Yellow Alert for much of the winter. In June, Nevados de Chillan said several of its services would continue operating normally while the alert remained in place.
🌋 #NevadosDeChillán | Desde las 14:10 h, el complejo volcánico registra un pulso eruptivo, con una columna de alto contenido de piroclastos dispersada hacia el sur, que alcanzó 380 m sobre el cráter. Continúa la emisión de piroclastos y se mantiene la Alerta Técnica Amarilla. https://t.co/uv7o9EZXyd
— Sernageomin (@sernageomincl) September 18, 2026
Nevados de Chillan Has Been Under Yellow Alert Since June
Friday’s activity did not come without warning.
Sernageomin raised Nevados de Chillan from Green to Yellow Technical Alert on June 15 after monitoring detected a sustained increase in volcanic seismicity and evidence of new magma beneath the Las Termas portion of the complex.
That morning, instruments recorded five minor explosions involving ash and gas. Those columns remained below roughly 650 feet above the emission center. Sernageomin subsequently established a hazard zone extending about 0.6 miles around Nicanor Crater.
Friday’s approximately 1,250-foot column was nearly twice as tall as those June emissions.
Under Chile’s volcanic monitoring system, a Yellow Technical Alert means activity has risen above the volcano’s normal baseline and that changes could include minor explosions, increased gas or ash emissions and other signs of volcanic instability.
Sernageomin said Friday’s eruptive pulse remained within the types of activity expected under the current Yellow Alert. The approximately 0.6-mile safety perimeter around Nicanor Crater remained in place following the event.
What Are Pyroclasts?
The material visible in Friday’s column was not simply smoke.
Pyroclasts are fragments of volcanic material produced and expelled during explosive volcanic activity. They can range from fine ash to much larger pieces of rock and solidified magma.
Sernageomin reported that Friday’s column contained a high concentration of pyroclasts and that the material moved south from Nicanor Crater.
The agency continues to monitor Nevados de Chillan around the clock through its national volcanic monitoring network.
That level of surveillance is particularly important here because the mountain has a long history of eruptive activity. The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program records repeated explosive activity at Nevados de Chillan, including an extended eruptive period that ran from 2016 into 2022.
It Has Already Been an Eventful September at Nevados de Chillan
The volcanic activity comes less than two weeks after another major incident at the ski resort.
On Sept. 6, a fire destroyed Hotel Alto Nevados and damaged several nearby buildings in the Plaza Otto area. All guests and employees escaped safely.
Unofficial Networks reported on the massive hotel fire and the resort’s subsequent plan to gradually reopen unaffected portions of the property.
The fire and Friday’s volcanic pulse are unrelated, but together they have made for an extraordinarily eventful end to Nevados de Chillan’s winter.
Friday’s eruption did not prompt Sernageomin to raise the volcanic alert level. For now, authorities continue to classify the activity as consistent with Yellow Alert conditions while maintaining the exclusion zone around the crater.
For a ski area built on the slopes of an active volcanic complex, it is a striking reminder of what sits just above the lifts.
