Skier on the summit ridge of Cerro Catedral above Bariloche, Patagonia
Destinations · Argentina & Chile

Ten resorts.
Two countries.

Argentina and Chile share the longest ski spine on the planet. Ten resorts worth your time, each one a different mountain, a different town, a different reason to come back. What follows is the honest brief on each: who it fits, where it sits in a trip, and the small details that change how a week actually plays out.

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(01) 🇦🇷 Argentina

Cerro Catedral, Bariloche, the headline mountain.

Cerro Catedral
Flagship destination
1,150 m vert
Jun, Oct

🇦🇷 Bariloche

Cerro Catedral

Biggest resort. Real city below.

Max elev.
2,180 m
Lifts
39
Pistes
53
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Chapelco

Chapelco

🇦🇷 San Martín de los Andes

Calm, refined, rare tree skiing.

730 m
vert
Max elev.
1,980 m
Lifts
11
Pistes
29
Cerro Bayo

Cerro Bayo

🇦🇷 Villa La Angostura

Small mountain, lake views, mellow.

550 m
vert
Max elev.
1,782 m
Lifts
12
Pistes
24
Las Leñas

Las Leñas

🇦🇷 Malargüe

Legendary steeps. Freeride capital.

1,200 m
vert
Max elev.
3,430 m
Lifts
14
Pistes
29
Cerro Castor

Cerro Castor

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

Southernmost ski resort on earth.

830 m
vert
Max elev.
1,750 m
Lifts
11
Pistes
34
(02) 🇨🇱 Chile

Valle Nevado, the heart of the Andes Centrales.

Valle Nevado
Flagship destination
810 m vert
Jun, Oct

🇨🇱 Santiago

Valle Nevado

High-altitude, Ikon Pass, slopeside.

Max elev.
3,670 m
Lifts
14
Pistes
44
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La Parva

La Parva

🇨🇱 Santiago

Locals' mountain. Big off-piste.

980 m
vert
Max elev.
3,630 m
Lifts
14
Pistes
30
El Colorado

El Colorado

🇨🇱 Santiago

Closest to Santiago. Sunny laps.

910 m
vert
Max elev.
3,333 m
Lifts
18
Pistes
22
Ski Portillo

Ski Portillo

🇨🇱 Los Andes

Iconic yellow hotel. Ski-week format.

760 m
vert
Max elev.
3,310 m
Lifts
14
Pistes
35
Nevados de Chillán

Nevados de Chillán

🇨🇱 Chillán

Volcano skiing. Hot springs base.

1,100 m
vert
Max elev.
2,700 m
Lifts
10
Pistes
32
Choosing between resorts

The decisions that quietly shape your trip.

Picking a resort in South America is rarely about "the best one." It's about what you want your week to feel like. A few of the calls worth thinking through before you book.

01 · Argentina vs Chile

Bariloche or Santiago?

Both put you on real terrain within a short drive of a real city. Santiago opens the door to three resorts in one window: Valle Nevado, La Parva and El Colorado all sit on the same ridge, and together they roughly add up to what Cerro Catedral does on its own as the largest ski area in South America. Bariloche, on the other side of the Andes, gives you one big mountain, a town worth coming back down to, lakes, craft beer, and that asado at altitude people keep telling stories about. So which week do you want? Three resorts from one base, or one mountain with a city wrapped around it?

02 · Big terrain vs full experience

Las Leñas or Cerro Catedral?

Las Leñas sits higher, drier, and has built the kind of reputation skiers cross continents for. Fewer chairlifts though, fewer beds, and a village where the resort essentially is the trip. Catedral is the largest ski area on the continent, with a real city below it, restaurants, lakes, weather that moves fast. So the real question is what kind of trip are you building? One where the mountain is the whole story, or one where the mountain is half of it and the town is the other half?

03 · One country or two

Wait, there's a direct flight between Bariloche and Santiago?

Roughly two hours in the air. Which quietly puts Cerro Catedral and Valle Nevado, arguably the two best resorts in South America, inside the same week. Sounds simple. Then you start thinking about border timing, transfers on both ends, gear in two countries, and which side of the Andes is actually getting the storm. Doable, and worth it when it's planned right. Worth pausing before you book it on instinct.

04 · Gear strategy

Buy, bring, or rent?

Boots are personal, those come with you. Outerwear and layers are almost always cheaper and better at home than at a resort shop in the Andes. Skis and boards are a different question. Rental quality in Argentina and Chile is better than people expect, and skipping the airline ski fee adds up fast. Unless you ride something specific like race skis, a splitboard or an AT setup, the smart move is usually to travel light and pick up the right setup once you land. Which shop in which town? That's where it gets local.

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