Skiing South America - August/September?

I know some of y'all have ventured south to escape the brutal summer Seattle temperatures.

Anastasia and I are trying to figure out dates and locations for a trip to South America -- Chile, Argentina, something down there. Likely a ski trip, at least in part, with a little bit of resort skiing and hopefully some good touring, perhaps hut to hut or multi-day trips in the Andes.

Does anyone have any specific or general recommendations? We were looking in the Bariloche area, but it seems like that's so far south that we'd be working with little daylight and potential brutal winter winds at that time of year.

Marcus,

Jill and I have downhill and backcountry toured in Argentina and Chile in September/October/November 2005 and August 2007. You'll find Trip Reports in TAY. Our 2005 trip was a combination Spanish Immersion school, downhill and backcountry touring, hiking in Patagonia and whale/penguin site seeing along the eastern shores of Argentina also got down to the southern tip. Our 2007 trip was mainly downhill skiing in all the major ski areas in Argentina and Chile with a few days of touring. On both trips, we rented a car which provided a lot of flexibility.

There's always a good thread at Telemarktips plus TGR.

We are currently ski bumming it in Idaho. Then we'll be skiing up in BC at Kicking Horse, Rogers Pass, Revelstoke and then the Okanagan areas for awhile so I don't have access to any of my South America info. You can send me a PM and when I get back from this trip and before we head for The Sierra I'll give you a call.

I know some of y'all have ventured south to escape the brutal summer Seattle temperatures.

Anastasia and I are trying to figure out dates and locations for a trip to South America -- Chile, Argentina, something down there.  Likely a ski trip, at least in part, with a little bit of resort skiing and hopefully some good touring, perhaps hut to hut or multi-day trips in the Andes.

Does anyone have any specific or general recommendations?  We were looking in the Bariloche area, but it seems like that's so far south that we'd be working with little daylight and potential brutal winter winds at that time of year.

I've been to Portillo Chile. Great hotel but ski area gets limiting after a while.
Summer before last I went to Las Lenas, Argentina. Incredible mountain( when the lift El Marte is working).
Lots of hardcores there from all over the world and touring partners easy to find.
Las lenas is basically ski hotels and condos in middle of nowhere so no culture so to speak although Mendoza can be easily reached.
Zap has the goods as does Silas who has traveled extensively there.

Hey Marcus,
I'm going to be living in Bariloche for at least the month of July. Planning on coming back a couple weeks into August. I'm renting an apartment from some Tahoe folks that are now expats in Bariloche. You can check their website LivinginPatagonia.com Also check out unofficialandes.com/ski/blog/
Tim has been going down to Las Lenas for the last couple winters...or summers?? He says it's awesome. Let me know what you figure out, maybe do some touring if youre down there at the same time.

Hi Marcus -

If you've got the time and the coin, renting a car is the way to go.  We had a month with a rental and it allowed us to drive from Santiago, which had zero snow, to the southern lake district with it's majestic and accessible volcano skiing.  You'll recognize the atmosphere: amazing fuji-like volcanos with ski resorts along the base that allowed high access to the wild summits.  When the snow was good, go to the resort, when the touring good, go bag the summit.

Termas de Chillan (the Mt Baker of Chile, with 4K vertical)
Pucon - Villarica (the Aspen [1975]/Mt Hood of Chile?)
Lonquimay - The Mt Adams of SA?
LLaima - Wild and rustic
Antuco - stark, 3rd world
and the hidden gems:
Volcan Casablanca and Antillanca.

A string of fire on the way to Berriloche, Argentina and back.  Exotica.

Hi Marcus

I"ve been to South America every summer for the past five years for 1 or 2 months.  Sometimes I lead groups of college kids down there (not for skiing but we always find our way to several skiing optional days).

My impressions about where to ski:

I never made it to Las Lenas -- been turned back by snow storms on 2 separate occasions.  Terrain-wise it has the most steeps, all dependent on one little chair.  The elevation is high and the snow is very good.  I've heard many stories of great conditions, many more about storm holds, wind holds, inept patrol not getting things open, etc.  It seems a little like Alaska -- come for a week and expect to ski good terrrain 2 or 3 days.

Portillo is a good experience, but saavy skiers can do just as well for powder and fun at the Three Valleys for considerably less money.  The ski areas are linked and the best "runs" are off-piste  from one to another, Euro style.  El Colorado is considered to be the worst and flattest by locals but it has the best long, steep powder tours away from it.

Los Penitentes is a day ski area that's pretty fun.  Lots of powder blows into long 35 degree gullies.  It is a little snow starved usually, so you could have a bad day here or a good one depending on how well you find the blown in areas.  Locals don't trust the avy patrol at this place for a reason, so heads up even in bounds.

Vallecitos -- don't bother -- tiny, flat and no snow even on the very best snow years.  This is a great place to fall on a cactus.

Termas De Chillan is a lot of fun -- typical volcano skiing w/ lots of snow, decent elevation and vert, and fun terrain contour.

Pucon is little, fun, and can have fog for days, or not be operating for any # of reasons.  Late in the season it is great area to tour, and the town is terrific -- lots of polar fleece and dogs.

Bariloche is a great stop.  To me the terrain is like a mini-Whistler, same sort of mix of options w/ everything shorter and smaller, and less of the super gnarl.  The surrounding ski areas are fun as well.  I'd plan on hitting up this area for sure if the snow year was good.

And finally mi favorito, Cerro Castor Ushuaia.  It's at the same (opposite) latitude as Juneau, but the town is significantly warmer due to warm currents.  The ski area is extremely snow sure, and has really fun terrain -- not a ton of sustained steeps but lots of funky craggly nooks, little drops everywhere, long glades of deciduous trees, easy hikes to untracked (relatively) steeps, not crowded, etc.  Ushuaia is very interesting; there is a lot of touring and stuff to do (like walk to a glacier 20 minutes drive from town, good museums for a town its size, some fun bars) and the locals are really nice, a happy mix of folks of all races from all parts of Argentina.  The unemployment and crime rates are basically zero.  It is a good call particularly late in the season as the latitude extends the season and it will be light out for longer.


Here is my one most important South America tip (I'll earn my repuation as the safety police here): Cars are pure evil down there.  Statistically they represent your biggest risk down there by a mile over everything else.   I've driven thousands of miles, in and out of cities, in South America, but I try to keep it to a minimum, and nowadays I try as hard as possible to never rent a car unless I have to, and never rent anything smaller than a double-cab pick up.

My list of desireable transpo: fly, large commercial bus, smaller commercial bus, large rented pick up truck, largest possible rented car, commercial converted minivan, tiny rental car, moped.

In the city of Buenos Aires alone 5000 people die in car wrecks a year and 500 pedestrians are run down and killed.  The rural highways are worse.  People drive very fast and recklessly in shitty cars.  1 out of 10 cars on the road at night don't have headlights and/or taillights.  Barely marked construction projects become visible 10 yards from your bumper.  Buses and trucks pass whenever they feel like it, regardless of oncoming traffic.  Farmers park rusty old tractors in the middle of the highway at night.  Dogs dart out in the road about once every two hours of driving.  The bus from Mendoza to Barliloche regularly rolls off the road in wintertime as the drivers don't slow down in icy conditions.  Drunks zig zag home from the bars.  Converted minivans are stuffed way beyond the capacity of their skinny tires and stock, unmaintained brakes (and then are driven superfast on bad roads -- they are death traps).   Accident victims, regardless of condition, are routinely dragged out of wrecks by disorganized gangs of good sams.

South Americans will tell you to relax and that everything is cool and will be fine -- they know their "system" and they know what they are doing.  They are wrong, and they die on their roads with obscene frequency in what are then characterized as tragic "accidents."  Motor vehicles are by far your biggest risk down there, so mediate it the best you can.  After that not much to worry about travelling in the beautiful Southern Cone!

have fun for me -- I can't go this year but maybe next!