Las Leñas
Argentina's expert mountain, legendary lift-served terrain, gated by weather.
- Vertical
- 1,200 m
- Summit
- 3,430 m
- Season
- Jul, Oct
- Country
- Argentina
Las Leñas is the high-altitude expert mountain of Argentina. The Marte chair accesses big-mountain terrain that has drawn pro skiers, photographers and freeride competitions for decades. The catch is wind, Marte closes often. When it opens, very few places in the world ski like this. When it doesn't, intermediates still find good groomers in the lower bowl. Trip-shape matters here more than at almost any other South American resort.
- Marte chair, legendary lift-served big-mountain terrain
- 1,200 m vertical, among the largest in South America
- Treeless high-alpine bowls and chutes
- Self-contained base village
After five seasons here.
Las Leñas is the only resort in South America where I tell people to plan their trip around a single lift. When the Marte chair opens, the terrain it accesses is the best lift-served big-mountain skiing in the Americas. When it doesn't, you ski groomers in the bowl below and wait. That trade is the whole pitch.
Snowboarder cutting a clean line down an empty Las Leñas face, bluebird, no one else around.
- +Expert and advanced skiers and snowboarders chasing big-mountain terrain
- +Powder hunters with flexible dates and the patience to wait out wind
- +Touring-minded riders who treat lift access as a starting point
- +Travellers happy to bookend with Mendoza wine country
- ,Beginners and low intermediates, the lower bowl runs out quickly
- ,Anyone on a tight short itinerary, Marte may not open
- ,Travellers who want town life, restaurant variety or social après
Skiers, snowboarders, and mountain-oriented travellers see this place differently.
When Marte is open, you'll ski lines you'll talk about for years. When it isn't, you'll repeat the same intermediate groomers. Bring wider all-mountain or freeride skis and book a guide for day one.
Marte's upper cirque is a snowboarder's dream when conditions align, high, dry, treeless, big features. The traverses to access the better lines reward riders who can skate and read terrain.
The lift-served terrain blends straight into serious backcountry, the surrounding Andes here are vast and lightly skied. Hire a local guide who knows the snowpack; this isn't a 'just go' zone.
South America ski trips rarely involve just one resort.
A 4 to 5 hour drive across the Andes. Many Las Leñas trips pair with a Tres Valles week in Chile to hedge against Marte closures.
→ Read moreIf you want steep lift-served terrain without the weather lottery, La Parva on the Chilean side is the closest alternative.
→ Read moreIf you want the size of Las Leñas with a real town attached, look at Catedral, different terrain character, much more diverse trip.
→ Read moreWhat I see people get wrong.
- 01Booking 3 days only. Marte may not open in 3 days.
- 02Underestimating the transfer time from Mendoza or Malargüe.
- 03Bringing rental gear when your own would serve much better.
- 04Not hiring a guide for the first Marte day, the entries and traverses are not obvious.
Five to seven nights onsite, ideally with a Mendoza wine-country bookend on either side. I'd hire a local guide for the first Marte day no matter how strong the group is, build mental space for at least one full wind day, and pack my own skis. If I had two weeks, I'd cross into Chile and pair this with Valle Nevado or La Parva, that combination is the most powerful expert-skier trip in South America.
Heli drop in the Las Leñas backcountry, when Marte is wind-held, this is the move.
Bookend dinner on the Mendoza side, Argentine parrilla after a Las Leñas week.
Everything you need to decide if this resort fits your trip.
Fly to Malargüe (LGS) or Mendoza (MDZ), then a 2.5 to 4h transfer. Roads can close in storms, so build buffer days.
Onsite at the base village. There is no other realistic lodging within an hour, and the village is built to be self-contained.
Optional. Most travellers transfer in. A car is useful only if you're combining with wine country before or after.
Built for advanced and expert riders. Intermediates ski the lower bowl. Beginners will find it limiting and expensive for the trade.
Get on it early. The cirque opens dozens of lines and endless variations. Don't expect to ski Marte every day, that's the whole psychology of Las Leñas.
Hire a guide your first day on Marte. Knowing the lines, the entries and the traverses transforms the experience, and the safety margin.
Bring your own skis or board if you ride seriously. Rental boots in particular are basic; bring boots if nothing else.
Onsite restaurants, hotel dining and a small bar scene. Quieter midweek; lively when school holidays land. Combine with Mendoza for the food story.
High-altitude, cold, dry, windy. Marte closes for wind frequently. Storm days deliver legendary conditions when they hit.
Day and multi-day onsite. Not in the major international pass programs.
Booking 3 days only, underestimating the transfer, bringing rental gear when your own would serve much better.
When you're a strong skier or rider chasing big-mountain terrain, you have schedule flexibility, and you accept that the prize is gated by weather.
Let's build the itinerary.
Tell us when you can travel and what you ride. We'll design a Las Leñas trip around the conditions.