Day 1:
Welcome to San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina! This beautiful mountain town sits beside the huge Nahuel Huapi Lake and is surrounded by the like-named National Park and the Andes Mountains. This is the base of our operation. Meet your ski guide.
Night in hotel, Bariloche.
Day 2:
Your mountain guide will start of your ski vacation at the Cerro Catedral Ski Resort on the edge of Bariloche and the Nahuel Huapi National Park. According to the experience of participants, your ski guide will look into different levels of steepness, chutes, open bowls and more.
Night in hotel, Bariloche.
Day 3:
Another day skiing Cerro Catedral Ski Resort with your mountain guide looking for the best runs and best snow quality. We can head into the backcountry side of Cerro Catedral for the day and come back to the resort.
Night in hotel, Bariloche.
Day 4:
We start from Villa Catedral and your ski guide will take you into the backcountry to the mountain hut Refugio Frey. Refugio Frey is rustic, yet cozy located at the base of a beautiful cirque of granite spires. Ski runs are in between 300– 700 meters of altitude drop and the area is surrounded by four valleys which are amazing for every backcountry skier. Here we can find narrow chutes, 35 – 40º, open bowls, steep faces… and great fondue! Not only is Frey in the middle of spectacular ski terrain, but offers excellent Patagonian cuisine, good Argentine malbec, and a nice fireplace where you can chat with friends and other backcountry skiers.
Night in Refugio Frey Mountain Hut.
Day 5:
Wake up to the alpenglow on the granite spires and a fresh homemade breakfast. Another day exploring this paradise of chutes and bowls close to Frey with your ski guide.
Night in Refugio Frey Mountain Hut.
Day 6:
Morning skiing in Refugio Frey area then your mountain guide will take you back out to the Cerro Catedral Ski Resort through the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
Night in hotel, Bariloche.
Day 7:
Rest day. Rest your legs and enjoy Bariloche’s famous chocolate, claimed to be the best in South America!
Night in Hotel, Bariloche.
Day 8:
Today, your ski guide will take you around the Nahuel Huapi Lake to the little mountain village, Villa La Angostura. Here we will enjoy the Cerro Bayo Ski Resort for a day. Take the chairlift to get above tree line, and from this small resort there is an amazing access to the backcountry.
Night in hotel, Villa La Angostura.
Day 9:
Early in the morning, your guide will drive four hours on a very scenic road to San Martin de los Andes. Today, we ski the Chapelco Ski Resort, which is bigger than Cerro Bayo, but smaller than Cerro Catedral. The backcountry from Chapelco offers several options for us to ski.
Night in hotel, San Martin de los Andes.
Day 10:
Drive to Chapelco airport in San Martin de los Andes, or ride with us to our base in Bariloche. Both airports connect to the capital Buenos Aires, Argentina.
End of ski guiding services.
* Optional itinerary alteration upon request. At Andescross we are all about personalizing your Patagonian ski vacation. We can customize this kind of trip according to your ski level and days available to enjoy the area. It is possible to do a nice combination of the best ski areas without spending the night in the backcountry. Or, if you’d like to access more remote terrain deeper into the Nahuel Huapi National Park surrounding Bariloche, we can combine logistics with other mountain huts or spend some nights winter camping depending on weather conditions.