Find quick answers to common questions about our guided trips, booking process, gear requirements, safety measures, and travel logistics. Whether you’re planning your first adventure or returning for more, this section helps you prepare with confidence.
Still have questions? Feel free to contact us we’re happy to help you every step of the way.
We guide mainly in Lake Districts of Patagonia, Bariloche area and Southern Patagonia as our home.
Including in this range the Andean Chilean Volcanoes, Cerro San Lorenzo and Cerro Castillo, Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre area
Also, we run once a year few Overseas trips as
Ski touring trip to Antarctica, Few weeks of Chamonix adventures as Mont Blanc, Skiing Haute Route and all the classic Alp trips, then one Sailing and Skiing in the Fjords of Norway (Finmark and Tromso), Iceland Ski Touring trip to NW near Isafjordour or Troll Peninsula depending on the snow year.
We have outdoor trips for all skill levels in all activities all around Patagonia, Antarctica, and some trips in the Alps, Our profession is to evaluate your skills and provide the best according to it, we can provide very high service from beginners to demanding athlete clients with excellent stamina and skills.
Backcountry Skiing/Ski Touring/ Offpiste & Slackcountry: You can experience it for first time, just gliding a bit at very beginner stage or we can go straight for the 40 degrees narrow couloir. Our profession is to evaluate your skills and provide the best according to it.
Mountaineering: From first time with your crampons and ice axe walking on a glacier to advanced ridges, aretes, ice climbing, long journeys. Ask us for advice at info@andescross.com
Rock climbing & Alpinism: From beginner top-ropes in mellow climbs, knots teaching, rappel training to medium multi pitch in medium size granite needles, too very hard sport climbing routes (Bariloche is a cradle of climbers, so every little kid is at 5.11 range!) and too hardcore days in the mountains climbing satellites spires of Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre range, including Fitz Roy!
Mountain biking: From easy road and gravel road cycling, to steep single track trails (sign the waiver please ! :)))
Hiking & Trekking: We have had clients over 70 years old, kids under 10 and all in between doing mellow hikes of 30 min, half day, full day, multi backpacking and trekking days and long traverses along the Andes range as well.
Begginers:Persons who never tried the activity and want to start from 0 skills.
Intermediate: Persons who tried the activity and don’t do it often, have some skills but not at high level-
Advanced: Persons who do the activities we offer often, not as professional, but they have been doing it since kids or they have dedicated a lot of time in improving their skills and are committed to the outdoor activities. They are sportsmen/ woman
Expert: Persons who dedicate a lot of their time to Mountaineering, Skiing , Climbing, Alpinism or Biking
Most of our trips demands stamina and being in good physical aptitude to climb mountains, so we can send you a guided training program sheet with all details, so when you come here you are a truly machine and can run up and down the Patagonian Andes!
Lets go climbing or skiing that life is short!!!
Mountain and Climbing gear in Argentina if very expensive, 20/30 % more expensive than in USA, Canada or Europe. We are affected by a protectionist tax system, so we recommend you bring your own ski, climbing, backpacking, mountaineering gear to have adventure in Patagonia.
We do have gear for rental and we provide gear to our customers for our trips, but we do not rent them to No clients.
Even though there are some Outdoor Shops that provide Mountain Gear and can save you last minute if you miss a carabiner , few runners, a screw for a binding, a buckle for a ski boot, or an old skis.
Now lately the have been selling DPS skis and other modern gear.
For Mountain bike the same thing.
Ski Gear – We recommend to bring your personal skis and ski touring gear, clothing.
If you dont have we have some extra modern skis with dynafit set up for rent, also some diamir. DEfinetly at least bring your boots. We can help you with Ice axe and crampons to avoid airline extra weight, and specially if you continue your trip to other parts of Southamerica or Argentina
Climbing gear- Bringing your rock shoes and boots is enough. We have harness, helmet, trad gear, ropes and all the rest to provide good climbing. So travel light!!
Camping gear- We provide tents, stoves and we have sleeping bags to rent. We recommend to bring your own pack, hiking shoes and sleeping bag and pad.
We can help you if you dont have it! but nothing better than sleeping looking stars (million stars hotel) in your own sleeping bag! 🙂
Mountaineering gear- We provide you with our Black Diamond Helmets, Harnesses, Binners, crampons, Ice Axe… so travel light.
Rock shoes and Alpine boots is good to have your own.
The local Argentinian currency is the Argentinian Peso and Chilean currency is Chilean Peso. Check current rate of exchange at www.xe.com currency converter
Credit cards and Debit cards are commonly accepted though many establishments will only except cash or charge more for their product when a customer pays with a card. It is good to always have some cash with you. There are ATMs all over Bariloche and Patagonia, including El Chalten.
Many towns have places to exchange currency as well. The more remote the town you are visiting, the more likely that the exchange rate will not be as good and ATMs may not be filled as regularly.
To stay in Argentina people from Canada, United States, and any country of the (CEE) (EEC) European Economic Community will have 90 days as a “tourist” to stay without requiring a special Visa. There is currently no fee to enter Argentina as a tourist. For extra and current information check the embassy’s website.
The Andes—the longest series of mountain ranges the world—span about 7,242 kilometers (4,500 miles) and runs through seven countries. The segment visible in the image above shows about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) of the range in Chile and Argentina. View the large image to see an even broader area.
The political boundary between Chile and Argentina runs through the rugged mountain terrain. Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Southern Hemisphere, is visible just east of the border, in Argentina. The peak rises 6,962 meters (22,841 feet) above sea level.
More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes
Snowpack in the Andes, is considered Coastal/ maritime snowpack on the Chilean side, since the storms hit straight to them from the Pacific ocean. On the Argentinien side in lower elevations to 2000mts we can compared to Coastal/ Maritime snowpack too, but if you go higher or further east you will find conditions of intercontinental or transitional snowpack.
Argentinien diet is similar to Italians, lots of empanadas, pizzas, pasta, cheese and best steak in the World and of course good Malbec to accompany the meals.
The culture is not well prepared for celiac diets, or wheat free eaters, so be aware of this details and let us know in advance if you need help with it.
Also is hard to find good powerbars, Lunabars, granola bars. So if you are picky about your food bring some of those in your pack to supplement what we provide in our outdoor trips.
When we provide the food on camping days we normally give:
We have clientele from all ages. Mostly in between 25-60 years old. But we have taken kids from 6 years and above with their parents.
Also to mark something amazing, once I climbed with an old swiss guy Tronador with skis in 4 hs (1200mts elevation gain and 10 km) and he was 75 years old. So is all relative!. We never old at least we want! I have seen people in their 80’s at the level of Fred becky climbing around and playing hard, so
Mental and Phisical training is possible in all stages!, but this is another training program that we are working on it!!
Reviews from Clients can be checked at our Trip Advisor site and in the clients page of this website
Yes, you can come alone and join an existent group or we can provide Private Guiding. Normally clients come in a group of friends or as family in our trips. Some of our Andescross family members have become good friends in between them over the years too.
Group sizes can be from:
Private guiding of one client
One UIAGM-IFMGA guides:
AAGM guides on trekking trip:
Groups from one to 8 persons alone, then an assistant will come
The area of Bariloche has a good linked system of mountains huts. Some more moderns than others. Some are “man served” and some are only bivy huts. You can do good treks combining 4-5 huts. Based yourself in Tronador for few days for few runs.
More info about Bariloche Mountain Huts here: http://www.clubandino.org/refugios-y-campings/
In Southern Patagonia, Huts are not a common thing.
There are some bivy huts in strategic places to wait for better weather as in Paso del Viento just in the entrance/exit of the Ice cap.
There is one Refugio at the foot of Gorra Blanca, owned by the Conaf in Chile (belongs to Chile) , that is a good shelter right at the entrance of the Ice cap in Paso Marconi.
Then in Cerro San Lorenzo you can find a good remote hut, runner by the Soto Family, local gauchos from the area.