Join Merlín, an UIAGM/IFMGA-certified guide on this ski tour through Chile and Argentina! You will find scenic beauty on every slope!
Andes
11 Days
Aug, Sep
High
Advanced
Calling all experienced skiers who want to come discover the beautiful slopes of Argentina and Chile! Come join me on this 11-day ski tour!
We’ll begin our trip in Coyhaique, Chile, which is home to what some say are the world’s most beautiful mountains. I’ll pick you up at the airport and transport you to our accommodation in order to debrief about the program before settling in for the night.
From there we will go to Cerro Castillo, which houses many mountains and valleys that are perfect for ski touring and backcountry skiing. While there, we will eventually hike to our campsite in the mountains, with porters to help us carry our camping equipment. We will camp for 2 nights, in order to be in the closest proximity to the ski slopes.
After a week around Cerro Castillo, we will cross to Argentina. We’ll take the scenic Route 40 to El Chaltén. This small town is home to the incredible Mount Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre and the Southern Ice Field, all of which we will have the opportunity to see as we ski through the region, before finishing the trip in El Calafate.
This trip is meant for experienced backcountry skiers, who are in great physical shape, so please keep this in mind when signing up. Prices for this trip also vary based on group size, so if you happen to have a group of 4 or more people who like to backcountry ski, this might be the trip for all of you!
So, if you are an avid skier, eager to unearth the amazing mountains of Chile and Argentina, this trip is for you!
And if you love skiing in Argentina, then check my other trip, doing a guided ski tour in El Chaltén for a week!
We will pick everyone up at the Coyhaique Airport, and then transport everyone to Villa Cerro Castillo. Shortly after we arrive, we will spend the day debriefing; conducting an equipment check, and going over the details of the program. We will spend the night at Villa Cerro Castillo.
We will take a short drive to ski at Portezuelo Ibáñez. Assuming the conditions are good, we will take 2-3 different ski runs once there. Then return to Villa Cerro Castillo for lodging.
We will take a 30 minute drive to the beginning of the ski trail. For this trip, we will carry skis and personal equipment and the porters will
carry the camping equipment and food on the walk to our campsite (Camp Neozelandés). The walk takes between 3-4 hours; optional ski in the afternoon.
There will be different full-day ski options depending on the weather and snow conditions. We will again stay at Camp Neozelandés.
There is a possibility that we will do a ski tour in the morning. Then we will go to Villa Cerro Castillo in the afternoon (3 to 4 hours). We will stay at
Villa Cerro Castillo that evening.
This is a long day on the road, but it will be very scenic as well: We’ll drive for 12 hours along Buenos Aires lake, which is the second largest lake in South America, and then on the historical “Route 40,” which is the longest road in Argentina
from North to South along the Andes). Total driving time: Aprox. 12-14hs. We will stay in El Chaltén.
We start the morning driving to Mosquito Creek (1 hour); we will then hike from there carrying our skis until we
reach the snow, usually starting above the three line (1000m above sea level). We will Ski the Loma del
Diablo, which has a vertical gain of 1200m. We will stay in El Chaltén.
We will drive to Lago del Desierto ( 1.5 hour drive). We’ll then hike to Laguna Huemul in order to reach the base of the Huemul Glacier (1 to 1.5 hours). From there, we will ski the “Cerro Vespignani.
Vertical gain: 1500m.
This is our last night in El Chaltén.
We will drive 30 minutes to “El Pilar” to start our ascent into Fitz Roy Basecamp (3 hour hike). After setting up our
campsite at Camp Poincenot, we will continue to Laguna de los Tres (another hour carrying the skis on steep rocky trail). We will then
cross the frozen Lake and Ski at Glacier de los Tres, the closest you can get to Fitz Roy Mountain!
After breakfast, we’ll go back to Laguna de Los Tres, and skin up the Cerro Madsen, with great views of the Piedras Blancas Glacier. Back to the camp and hike back to El Chaltén.
Vertical Gain 1000m.
Fare well dinner with a good “Asado” ( barbecue). Lodging at El Chaltén.
Transfer to El Calafate Airport. End of the services.
5.0
(89)
Mountain Guide
Certified UIAGM-IFMGA Mountain Guide from Argentina.
I live in El Chaltén since 1998. I'm originally from Bariloche and I started with mountain activities when I was 15 years old. I've done climbing and ascents in many mountains of Patagonia, Perú, Bolivia, United States and Europe; such as Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre, Alpamayo, El Capitán, Mont Blanc and Aconcagua among others. I'm also a Ski Instructor and I am passionate for backcountry ski.
I speak fluent English, Italian and French and have been leading trips and expeditions for more than 20 years. I work together with a group of guides, so if I'm not available for the trip you request, one of my colleagues will guide you!
Certificates
AAGM | UIAGM
Nicole
Merlin is the best guide out there. I highly recommend anyone to book with him. Super helpful and fun. We enjoyed our 2 day rock climbing adventure with him.
After a few headaches in the beginning (the national park had been closed, but has recently been opened again), we had a great experience and a wonderful tour with Merlin and Mountaineering Patagonia! Merlin offered us great flexibility and patience and a week later the perfect weather arrived for our mountain adventure.
We had an amazing ski trip in Patagonia! Merlin and Martin are exceptional ski guides and we got to ski a lot more terrain than if we had gone on our own. They did a great job adapting our trip plan to the ever changing Patagonia weather. Would highly recommend to anyone considering an adventurous ski trip in Patagonia
Looking for a new backcountry ski adventure to a wild and remote place? Want the comfort of a sailboat to return to every day? Ski first descents? Experience the beauty of massive glaciers, fjords and mountains as far as the eye can see? Check, check, check and check. This was my second trip with Merlin and Patagonia Mountaineering and won't be my last. This trip delivered everything that an expedition can deliver while all the time under the careful guidance of Merlin and Sebastian.
Great experience with Mountaineering Patagonia for a ski touring hut trip of Frey and Jakob huts out of Bariloche, Argentina. I booked with guide and operator Merlin and went on the tour with guide Lucas and we joined forces with another small guided group. I would hope to ski out of Chalten and would definitely use Mountaineering Patagonia again.
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