SKI TOURING IN PATAGONIA

You arrive at Teniente Luis Candelaria airport, in San Carlos de Bariloche.
San Carlos de Bariloche, or simply Bariloche as it is known, lies 1,650 kilometers south-west of Buenos Aires and 900 meters above sea level.
A driver will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel in the heart of the picturesque town.
You will be left to settle in at the hotel, rest up from your journey or explore the small city center, known as the chocolate capital of Argentina! A visit to Calle Mitre, home to some of the best chocolate makers, is a must.

A first day of gentle skiing to warm up and define your technical level so that we can refine the program for the next few days.
We start from Cerro Catedral ski resort, where we can use the ski lifts before putting on our skins.
This is known as ‘slackcountry’, a way of enjoying ski touring while keeping the climb to a reasonable level!
All the routes from Cerro Catedral offer breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks and Lake Nahuel Huapi. We will enjoy some long runs before finishing the day at the hotel.

The area around Bariloche is full of wild and stunning ski touring routes.
Depending on the conditions, your wishes and the level of skiing observed the day before, we set off after breakfast for a day’s adventure.
We take a gourmet picnic lunch with us so that we can enjoy a break during our day in the mountains.
We go back to the hotel in the middle of the day.

We travel 60 km from Bariloche to Baguales Mountain Reserve. This reserve is located in the southernmost part of Argentina’s oldest national park and offers almost 14,000 hectares of unspoiled terrain for ski touring and snowcat tours!
There is certainly no lack of options in this mountain paradise.
A powerful 4×4 will take us to the entrance of the reserve, then we have to use snowmobiles to get to our accommodation.
As soon as your bags have been dropped off, we will head off in search of great slopes and powder to ski.
We spend the night at the refuge.

We spend another day ski touring to explore valleys further from the reserve.
There are a number of peaks with fabulous steeper slopes for those who have the technical level.
This will certainly be the longest day and we can ski up to 1,500 meters total in elevation difference if we wish.
We go back to the refuge for dinner and spend the night there again.

NOTE: It should be noted that the Baguales Mountain Reserve is privately owned by the Prince of Qatar. Consequently, it has happened in the past that the reserve has been closed or the lodge locked at the last minute. It is quite a rare occurrence, but if this happens, we have to alter the program and be flexible!

We take advantage of this exceptional playground to enjoy a few more descents, hen, in the early afternoon, we head back to Bariloche
where we return to our hotel to spend the end of the day and the night.

We leave the hotel and Bariloche to head for Villa La Angostura, a town in the province of Neuquén on the north-western shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi.
It will take us just under 2 hours to get there, taking a panoramic route.
The Cerro Bayo ski area is ten kilometers from the town center.
The ski lift takes us up to the ridge, then we have a pleasant hike along the ridge before descending to more remote valleys.
The scenery is magnificent, but the terrain is quite demanding and suitable for more experienced ski tourers.
We stay in a hotel in Villa La Angostura.

We explore different routes from Villa La Angostura, in search of beautiful virgin slopes to ski.
We then take the Road of the 7 Lakes that runs from Villa la Angostura to San Martin de los Andes. This spectacular road runs between Argentina and Chile and is one of the region’s must-sees. You will have plenty of time to admire the Andes mountain range, the vast forests and, of course, the lakes along this scenic route.
We reach San Martin de Los Andes on the shores of Lake Lácar.
It is in this picturesque village, framed by the Andes, that we will spend the last two nights of our stay.

We start from Chapelco ski resort, voted Argentina’s best ski resort several times. The ski lifts mean less climbing so we can optimize the descents!
There is a wide selection of possible routes, so the program is completely adaptable.
You will enjoy the beautiful views of the impressive Lanìn volcano rising to 3776 meters.
At the end of the day, we return to the charming village to share a final dinner and enjoy the last night of the trip together.

At the end of your journey to discover this incredible region of Argentina, we take you back to the airport for your return flight.