Western Patagonia, Argentina blanket nine major ski resorts. With technology renovation, fighting for its target audience who loves winter sports.

Photography by Ana_Cotta

In Mendoza, Neuquén, Black River, Chubut and Tierra del Fuego, our country is home to nine major ski resorts, where they spend about 350 thousand passengers per year. These centers offer snowy slopes, equipment hire, teachers, restaurants, shops, child care and emergency responders. But each has its peculiarities.

Facts to consider:

The 2011 snow season has already begun with various news: in some places the snow falls, in others, such as Cerro Bayo, fight on all cylinders for Puyehue volcano ashes do not complicate the activities. On 26, Cerro Catedral received the first groups of students. Therefore, there are no excuses and everything is raised to make a decision and make reservations. Before, you have to know the options displays the country from north to south.

Places to go:

Mendoza:

The land of vines and Aconcagua is conducive to snow sports. Las Lenas, the ski center near Buenos Aires (1,200 km), has the highest slopes (between 2240 m and 3430 m) in the vast total area of 17,500 hectares. Offers for experts, a continuous decrease of 7,050 meters. Also, there are activities for babies, children and less adventurous adults. The snow park is fun jumping ramps encouraged. Services Las Lenas: 13 lifts, 3 000 rental equipment, lockers, thirty cannons for artificial snow, own TV, wi-fi 24 hours (buying prepaid cards), magnetic revenue for turnstiles, internal transportation, center The Pyramid shopping, hotels, places to eat and nightlife, all without leaving the Valley. Sports Las Lenas include day and night skiing, snowboard, snowshoe tours, dog sledding tours in the mountains, snowmobiling, mountain races and backcountry excursions to reach virgin slopes. A minor detail is not: the security system in Las Lenas, called Gazex, supports 13 devices, strategically located for remote analysis of avalanches and snow.

Mendoza is another ski resort: Penitentes. Just 4 miles from Aconcagua, its typical ice formations on the slopes simulate a procession of hooded white. The Ministry of Tourism in Mendoza gave no details of the 2011 season, as of 2010 suffered a shortage of snow. A similar situation occurs in Vallecitos, where three years ago the snow to be asked twice. This picture does not prevent tourists come to enjoy the huge mountainous frame, ideal for trekking.

Neuquén:

The Neuquén Cordillera has four ski resorts. Caviahue is supported by the volcano Copahue. In a family atmosphere, this oasis is still secret and ancient monkey puzzle enhanced with turquoise lakes. The 11 lifts absorb 7400 skiers per hour to travel through twenty tracks. In 2011, he proposed: two new groomers snow thousand rental equipment, tours tracked vehicle or snowmobile, to see the crater Copahue, Salto del Agrio, waterfalls and lakes frozen, hot springs, sulfur, steam and mud, snowshoeing, relax in hot springs Copahue, dinner at 1,750 feet in the light of candles. And an added attraction: the landscape of snow is not only in the ski resort, but also covers the town of Caviahue, 900 inhabitants, which houses most of the hotels.

A 370 km from Neuquén, the volcano Batea Mahuida, the ski resort of the same name is a bounded enterprise of the Mapuche Puel. It has two lifts (one t-bar of 600 m and 200 m poma) 3 track (600 m and 300 m), one hundred and twenty pairs of skis and snowboards a restaurant with ancient gear preparations, the fruit of Araucaria. Ice sculptures are made and sold textiles and woodwork. Classes are taught by instructors from the Mapuche community, which also lead sled dogs. All this happens in front of the spectacular view of lakes and Moquehue Aluminé, volcanoes Villarrica, Llaima and Lonquimay, and the village of Batea Mahuida. Lodging options are in Villa Pehuenia or alumina, near the ski resort.

To the south of Neuquén, appears Chapelco. There, live cameras displaying the snow this year, it was June 8. With 24 tracks, three tracks off the track, and snow park with ramps and obstacles for jumps and stunts, has much to bear. It has 12 lifts, a gondola lift, double and quad chairs, chair and detachable pomas Rancho Grande, elevation means of modern Latin America, say the makers of the place. Other amenities: transportation to the hill, ample parking, wi-fi in the hostels. He said 800 teams this year and opened new channels to rent in Edge Chapelco and Cerro Mocho experts. This year also celebrates the 25th edition of the classic Tetrathlon Chapelco: August 6, competitors will be 80 km skiing, mountain biking, kayaking and running. The proximity (20 km) from the lovely mountain village, already well populated, San Martin de los Andes, is one more reason to vacation in Neuquén. Moreover, the Hidden Valley Country Club have free access to Chapelco.

9 km from Villa La Angostura, on Route Seven Lakes, in view of Lake Nahuel Huapi, Cerro Bayo ski resort seeks to position itself as a premium. There are chefs in height, electronic holidays, snow pole and extra pampering for Gold Club members. Do your strengths? 340 hectares of skiable surface, uninterrupted declines of up to 6,000 m, 14 km ski slopes in 23 four difficulty levels and over 200 acres of backcountry, three rentals, 13 lifts (six double chairs, two cars and four teleski and novelty 2011: six times a gondola lift that will triple the height to 1,500, carrying up to 8750 skiers per hour). To combine different tastes in family groups, within which not all want to ski, Villa La Angostura and Bariloche, with its urban infrastructure, are very close to Cerro Bayo.

Photography by felixion

Cerro Catedral:

Also this year, Cerro Catedral exhibits overwhelming numbers that grew from its inauguration in 1942: 1,200 hectares, half of which are skiing, 38 lifts (including a rolling carpet chairlift in the Forest, a detachable quad high-speed, six times with polycarbonate dome, the cable car with a capacity for thirty pedestrians), 120 km of slopes, ski equipment 7 000, 2 000 snowboards, 18 different schools in the hill to learn snow sports, track sleds, snow tubbing (better known as culopatín), snowshoeing. Comforts of the modern world go online with Internet credit card, magnetic card entry to the turnstiles, 19 inns, two parking spaces, large space with activities for children. All this happens in the vicinity of Bariloche, a city that thinks the visitor throughout the year, city postal dazzling nature and pleasures in the form of chocolates, smoked and European pastries.

Chubut:

13 km from Esquel, Chubut, the La Hoya ski resort combines the uniqueness of their geological formation, longer seasons and dimensions that allow customized treatment. The name of this winter destination is because it is surrounded by several hills, as the Nahuel Pan (2,200 m) and Tres Picos (2082 m). Therefore, the sun hardly reach the surface, the powder does not undergo melting and freezing processes and retains excellent quality season continues almost until October. La Hoya has 24 tracks covering 14 kilometers of pistes. There are 11 lifts, a quad chairlift from the base to the first season. There are two hostels (Parador La Piedra del Sol) and boutique brands. Like all Argentine centers, you can go skiing and snowboarding, alone or in class. Children have their own school. Equipment? The rental has about 500 available, with their staffs, boards, boots, jacket, pants and helmet. There are lockers and secabotas La Hoya are included in the rent. To stay there is a lodge at the base. Another option is to sleep in Esquel or Trevelin: from the first, you can also do the walk in the Old Patagonian Express, the old train The Trochita, in the second, taking a Welsh tea, from the two, we arrive at Parque Nacional Los Alerces.

Photography by thejourney1972 (América del Sur «adictos»)

Tierra del Fuego (Patagonia):

The particularity of Cerro Castor, Tierra del Fuego, is that always has snow. This ski resort, the southernmost in the world, benefits from its low temperatures associated with its topography. Thus, in early April and the snow is present. Also, this year: snow good, plentiful, until October, reinsured with 12 snow cannons. Since 1999, when Castor was launched, gained visits, with its dual appeal: proximity (26 km asphalt) with the magical city of Ushuaia and winter sports.

Cerro Castor has 600 skiable acres, 26 trails of different levels, a snow park, an area for beginners and backcountry areas. It also has nine lifts capable of carrying 9,200 people per hour, 2,500 ski equipment available for rental in three rentals (at the base and the city) and five points delicacies. Rounding out the proposal: childcare, activities for kids, wi-fi at the base and the height 480. It is possible to stay in the cabins of the base premium: few, we must hurry to book them. If not, sleep in the world’s southernmost ciuwdad is a temptation to taste the fish (crab, black hake, seafood) and livestock (Patagonian lamb). From there, the alternatives, in addition to skiing, there are several fascinating National Park Lapataia, Faro del Fin del Mundo, sea lions and penguins, casinos and nightlife.

Facts to consider:

Las Lenas, from Buenos Aires, Junín RN 7 up, then go through General Alvear, San Rafael and El Sosneado, finally, take Route 222 to El Valle. From Mendoza capital, is 500 km from San Rafael, 200 km from Malargue airport, just 45 minutes.

Penitentes: from Buenos Aires, RN 7, in a way similar to Las Lenas, in about ten hours covered the 1,089 km away.

Caviahue: between Buenos Aires and Caviahue is 1,500 km. The largest city of Neuquén reference is where you have to take the RN 237 and then the RN 22 through Zapala to Las Lajas, finally, RN 21 and 26 to Caviahue. Among the people of Caviahue and the ski resort is only 3 km, gravel.

Batea Mahuida: by plane, you can get to Neuquén. From there, RN 22 to Zapala, then 46 and 23 for RP Aluminé: subtract only 63 km to Villa Pehuenia.

Chapelco are no direct flights from Buenos Aires Chapelco. By car, are 1,600 km via Santa Rosa (La Pampa). From San Martin de los Andes, take Route 234 along Lake Lacar by 15 km, then splice the RP 19 by 5 km.

Cerro Bayo: usually came via San Carlos de Bariloche, but you can also go by car to Villa La Angostura. From there to the hill have to walk 3 km along National Route 231 and take the RP 66: 6 km of gravel on the rise.

Cathedral: as for Cerro Bayo, should go through San Carlos de Bariloche. If by land, there are several paths that connect distant 1,640 km from Buenos Aires, one of whom, the RN 22 through Zapala.

La Hoya: by plane to Esquel, and 13 km for a wide gravel road to the ski resort. By land, the distance from Buenos Aires to Esquel is 1,850 km.

Cerro Castor: by plane to Ushuaia, and then 26 km by RN 3 completely paved.

Bon voyage!