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Las
Leñas
Ski with a particular seal from the Cuyo area. Undoubtedly, Las Leñas
is one of the most important resorts in Argentina due to its matchless
snow quality, ski runs for all levels, Nordic ski and unbeatable areas
for the practice of off-piste skiing.
Located near the capital city of Mendoza, it is also the highest resort,
with a 1,200-meter vertical drop, between the 3,430-meter-high summit
and the 2,240-meter-high base, thus creating a paradise for extreme
skiing and heli-skiing, with options for beginner and intermediate
skiers.
As a result of the dry features of the weather, the 230 hectares of
skiable surface expose a snow quality that is internationally
recognized.
It has a slalom stadium and 27 authorized runs with a maximum skiable
length of 7,050 meters, among which one of the longest runs for
intermediate level in the world stands out. It is reached by 13 lifts
and, if the weather conditions do not contribute with the necessary
amount of snow, Las Leñas has a modern system to make artificial snow.
Practicing off-piste ski in Las Leñas and sleeping in the Valle Hermoso
high-mountain shelter, or using randonée skis with seal fur is an
experience for advanced skiers in good physical shape hard to be put
into words.
With first-class accommodation and gastronomy, ski and snowboard
schools, among other services, Las Leñas is a classic.
How to Get There: 450 km away from the capital of the province of
Mendoza,
in the Malargüe district and 1,200 km from
Buenos Aires,
this place can be reached by air, car or bus. There are flights from
Buenos Aires to the Malargüe airport, and from there, a transfer to Las
Leñas. During the high season, there are direct flights from Sao Paolo
(Brazil) to Malargüe.
From Buenos Aires by car, you must go along National Routes 7, 188, 143,
144, 40 and Provincial 222 to Las Leñas, 20 km after the city of Los
Molles.
Season: from June 11 to September 24, divided into high, mid, low
and special.
Weather: in the winter, it is moderately cold during the day and
very cold during the night. Temperatures range between 11,7º and -1,4ºC.
Activities: skiing, snowboarding, snowmobile rides.
Services: accommodation, gastronomy, kid nursery, medical clinic,
institutional museum.
Chapelco
Like a sentry keeping watch on San Martín de los Andes, the
1,980-meter-high Mount Chapelco lodges one of the most attractive
ski resorts in the Argentinian Patagonia. Located 19 kilometers from the
mountain village, this internationally renowned resort, with 20 runs of
several difficulty levels and excellent snow quality, combines
adrenaline and scenery. The impressive view of Lake Lácar, the silence
of the lenga forest and
the stunning presence of the Lanín breaking the mountain range horizon
turn this place into a unique option for the practice of winter sports.
Apart from the modern infrastructure and the beauty of its environment,
Chapelco is one of the safest and most reliable ski resorts in the
world. Its 140 "skiable" hectares, with slopes ranging from 20Cº to 45Cº
and a 730-meter vertical drop, are patrolled by highly qualified teams
that watch the runs and have fix posts at several spots in the mountain.
Chapelco offers the possibility of practicing various ski modalities:
alpine, Nordic and randonee
. Likewise, its runs are chosen by lovers of snowboarding, who
display their skills in the four categories of this sport: half pipe,
parallel slalom, big air and fun park, at the Snowboard park located at
the end of the Graeff lift station, on the 1,700 platform.
Snowmobile tours and rides on sled pulled by Siberian huskies or
snow-rackets walks along the virgin forest may also be enjoyed.
How to Get There:
from San Martín de los Andes, take National Route 234,
bordering Lake Lácar, and then turn into National Route 19, and from
there 5 more kilometers to get to the base of the mountain.
Season: from
June 11 to the end of season, divided into low, medium and high season.
Timetable: from
9am to 6pm.
Activities:
alpine, Nordic, off-piste skiing and randonee, snowboarding, snowmobile
rides, sled rides, snow-rackets walks.
Services: first
class restaurants, lockers, clothes,
souvenirs and film
development stores, medical assistance at the base, public phones and
Internet access at the base and 1,600 station, ski rental, large parking
space, information office, nursery, transfers.
Bariloche
Its peaks resemble the towers of a Gothic style medieval temple. That is
the reason for its name. Mount Catedral (cathedral), located 19
kilometers from the City of San Carlos de Bariloche, opens its doors to
the inhabitants of the world who wish to experiment the adventure
promised by winter sports.
At 1030 meters over sea level, Catedral seems to try to join the ground
and the sky. A pioneer among South American ski resorts, at present, it
is the most complete and it continues updating its facilities in order
to offer visitors the most advanced infrastructure. From this season on,
the unification of its sectors will offer 600 hectares of skiable
surface divided into 53 well-signaled runs of various difficulties,
which reach 2.000 meters over sea level.
All skiing disciplines, including off-piste, are available. Those who
practice freestyle and snowboarding will also enjoy an area specially
designed with bumps and rails to show their abilities. Catedral is also
the stage for the most important international competitions.
The updating program, applied to its 39 lifts, will allow the total lift
capacity of the mountain to be increased by 70%. Likewise, access will
be controlled by a system of hands-free passes which works through radio
frequency. Therefore, it will not be necessary to show the pass in order
to get on the lifts, as it may be detected even if it is inside a pocket
or a backpack.
Furthermore, Catedral has a modern snow-making system which creates real
flakes that cover a skiable surface of about 10 hectares.
How to
Get There:
From
Bariloche, along Av. Bustillo to kilometer No. 8 (Catedral
intersection). Then, turn left into the paved road till you reach the
ski resort access, with its free parking space for 960 vehicles. There
is also a regular bus service every 30 minutes. You can also go up by
taxi or on a tourist excursion transfer vehicle.
Season:
From June 18 to October 10, divided into high, low and mid season.
Timetable:
From 9am to 5pm.
Activities:
Alpine, Nordic, randonée and off-piste skiing, snowboarding, sleds,
paragliding, hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking.
Services:
Refuges, first-class restaurants, lockers, garment and souvenir stores,
photo development, medical service at the base, public phones and access
to the Internet at the base and at the 1,600 station, ski rental, large
parking space, information center, kids nursery, ski school, shopping
mall, discos, transfers to the mountain, press room, quad vehicles and
snow cats.
La Hoya
Together with the Los Alerces National Park, La Hoya gives shape
to a landscape of forests, lakes and cascades of matchless beauty. Very
close to the city of Esquel, and 1,350 meters over sea level, stands
this winter resort. Its privileged geographic location lets visitors
enjoy the snow since early June. Its white summits, which reach 2,150
meters, unfold 60 hectares of skiable land, with large runs for all
levels.
Its powder snow is a real added value: fresh all year round due to the
orientation of the mount with respect to the sun. Alpine and Nordic
skiing and snowboarding find an excellent framework of practice for
beginners, advanced, expert skiers and competition participants. It also
offers a special area for randoneé skiing, a circuit for snowmobiles and
spectacular off-piste areas with deep snow.
Through its 9 lifts, which transport up to 4,400 skiers per hour,
visitors can access its 24 runs. For winters with poor snowfalls, La
Hoya is provided with a modern system of artificial snow production,
which maintains the quality of the runs, providing skiers with better
safety.
Visited mostly by families, the infrastructure of La Hoya is very good.
Therefore, tourists may enjoy the snow without risks.
How to
Get There:
located
Northwest of the Province of Chubut, 13 km from the city of Esquel.
There are paved routes from Bariloche, Trelew, Puerto Madryn, Neuquén or
Buenos Aires, which is 1,850 km from Esquel.
Season: from early June to mid October.
Weather: in the winter, temperatures range between -5º and 10º C.
Activities: alpine, Nordic skiing, randoneé, snowboarding.
Services: school, first aid stand, boutique.
News: gastronomy, skiing and snowboarding school, snow garden,
kids nursery and mini shopping center.
Cerro
Castor
The newest in Argentina and, like everything in Ushuaia, the
southernmost in the world, Castor Mount opens its fifth season.
Very close to Tierra del Fuego capital city, where the sea and the
mountains meet to be the protagonists of a dazzling geography, Castor is
only 195 meters over sea level and its top rises to 1,057 meters.
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| Cerro
Castor - Argentina |
With a skiable drop that reaches 772 meters, Castor Mount distributes 19
runs with different levels of difficulties and off-piste sectors into 20
kilometers. Nordic ski is the most outstanding modality, with circuits
that go through lengas forests which can also be visited on snow
rackets.
Unlike the general belief, Castor enjoys very good weather and the best
quality of powder snow, due to the stability of its temperature,
offering one of the longest seasons in South America.
Modern lifts, skiing and snowboarding school, and all the services that
complement the infrastructure and Ushuaia scenery, turn Castor Mount
into a complete resort, to ski in the confines of the world.
How to Get There: located 26 km from Ushuaia, where there is an
international airport and a tourist harbor for large size vessels. It
can also be accessed by land through National Route 3.
Season: from July 09 to October 16.
Weather: in winter, temperatures range between 5º and -5ºC.
Activities: skiing, snowboarding, snowblading.
Services: school, first aid stand, boutique.
Penitentes.
Another classic spot in Mendoza, only 180 kilometers from the capital
city of the province and very close to Chile. Watched by Mount
Aconcagua, the highest summit in America, its excellent snow quality is
even in all its runs, framed by an unsurpassable scenery.
Inaugurated in 1979, Penitentes winter resort occupies at present
more than 300 hectares of skiable surface. The best dry and compact
powder snow during most of the season is distributed into 28 runs of
different lengths and drops for beginner, advanced and expert skiers.
Several of them have been approved by the FASA (Argentine Federation of
Ski and Andinism) and the FIS (International Ski Federation) and they
are the stage for various competitions.
Penitentes offers a ski school with a group of experienced instructors,
as well as a snow garden for kids to enjoy the mountain.
Its hotel infrastructre, with a capacity of 1,950 beds, includes all
kinds of accommodation, from hostels to 4-star hotels, all of them at
the base of the mount so that visitors can go in and out with their skis
on.
With Mendoza's sun as a loyal companion in the mountian, skiing in
Penitentes is a true pleasure.
How to
Get There:
This place is reached through International Route 7, which joins the
main provinces of the country with Santiago de Chile. It is totally
paved and it does not have cornice tracks.
Mendoza
may also be accessed through National Route 40, which
goes all through Argentina from North to South.
By plane, the Francisco Gabrielli airport is reached, located 6 km from
the city of Mendoza. From
Buenos Aires,
daily flights head for Ezeiza, from where international flights depart.
There are several bus companies that connect the Province of Mendoza
with the rest of the country and bordering countries. There are regular
transport services from Mendoza to Penitentes.
Season:
From mid-June to late August, divided into high and low.
Weather:
Average winter temperature reaches 1º C, ranging between -4º and 7º C.
The weather is dry and most days are sunny.
Activities:
Ski, alpine, nordic, competition and extreme; snowboarding,
heli-skiing.
Services:
Ski school, snow garden, shopping center, kindergarten, disco. |