Introduction

La Parva is a simple mountain. It is a short way from Santiago to Parva's summit, specially during the summer, when the roads of the ski center La Parva are open to the public. It is possible to reach the pass between the peaks Falsa Parva and Franciscano by car; this pass leads east into the valley of Cerro Plomo. From there it takes a short time to reach Falsa Parva's summit(3790) and then La Parva (3970), observing during the ascent the beautiful landscape.

La Parva is located over a ridge with exposure to the north wind, in the limit of the "puna" zone (where AMS, acute mountain sickness, begins to affect people). Therefore, it must not be underestimated. However, it is a place recommended for beginners who want to climb their first high mountain: it has smooth slopes, little altitude gain, no technical difficulties and few objective risks to deal with.

There are many "Parvas" in the central mountain range of Chile. This name means "unthreshed grain" in spanish, in honour of the contour of the mountain which looks like the hill of straw left when it is separated of the grain.