Backcountry skiing trip in Patagonia

Amazing 8-day trip in Patagonia, backcountry skiing in some of the most beautiful spots in Argentina and Chile, with a certified guide.

Andes

8 Days

Sep, Oct

Description

Spring is a great time for ski touring in Patagonia. If you are lucky, you may find powder snow and ski under the sun!

In fact, some experts refer to this part of South America as ‘the best spring skiing in the world’.

This time, I invite you to an 8-day backcountry skiing trip around Bariloche (in Argentina) and Villarica (in Chile). Our ski touring goals will be between 2000 and 3000 m high. You won’t need any acclimatization.

The adventure begins in Bariloche, in Nahuel Huapi National Park. This place is often compared to Switzerland because of its snowed peaks, huge blue lakes and wonderful rainforests.

After spending some amazing days, we’ll cross the border to Chile and enjoy some volcano-skiing! This time, we are visiting Casablanca, Villarica and Osorno volcanos.

But there will also be time to relax. We’ll explore some hidden hot springs inside Villarica National Park, which are among the best in the world.

Please contact me if you want to be a part of this fantastic ski trip along Argentina and Chile’s Patagonia!

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Transport during the trip
Permit and entrance fees

Itinerary

Day 1: Arriving at Bariloche.

A 30 minutes transfer from the airport in Bariloche brings you to the nice Hosteria in a quiet location in Bariloche city center.

You will meet me and check the gear needed for the trip. A dinner in a local beer brewery is waiting for you.

You’ll spend the night at Hosteria Las Marianas.

Day 2: Ski tour Cerro Challhuaco, Bariloche

We experience the southern snow for the first time today!

A half hour drive brings us to Challhuaco valley.

From there we’ll ski up to Mount Challhuaco and enjoy the view over the lakes and Bariloche city.

This is an easy ski tour to begin with in Bariloche’s backcountry.

Here we will do some avalanche safety training and make sure that we are ready for this trip.

Overnight at Hosteria las Marianas.

Day 3: Ski tour at the Samore Pass

We leave Bariloche and travel by car along the Nahuel Huapi Lake.

Passing the small, fancy ski village Villa la Angostura we will reach the Samore-pass next to Puyehue volcano.

This pass offers some great skiing as it’s one of the places with most snowfall.

After the skiing we cross the boarder to Chile and drive up to a small ski area named Antillanca.

There, we spend the night in a wooden lodge.

Overnight at Antillanca hotel.

Day 4: Ski tour Volcano Casablanca

We will reach the top of our first volcano today, the volcano Casablanca which means ‘white house’.

It lies in the middle of the Valdivian rainforest but it’s white peak sticks out of it.

After we have skied it we travel along the big Llanquihue lake. From far away will we be able to see the magic volcano Osorno.

A white pearl that is surrounded by green meadows and deep blue lakes.

A very cousy mountain lodge is waiting for us with a delicious dinner. Overnight at Teski mountain hotel.

Day 5: Ski tour Volcano Osorno

On our third ski touring day we will ski up to volcano Osorno, which erupted for the last time in 1869.

It has the most glacial parts of all the surrounding volcanoes. With a clear sky we will be able to see Puerto Montt and the pacific ocean from the top.

After the tour, we drive down to the lakes basin and drive further north to the city of Osorno.

We will stay here overnight but before that we make a stop at a small, great Chilean seafood restaurant.

Seafood is get fresh every day from the nearby fjord.

Overnight at Hotel Lago del sur in Osorno.

Day 6: Hot springs 'Las Geometricas'

We deserve a relaxing bath in natural hot spring today!

These thermal pools are located in a privileged place called ‘Cajon negro’. This path was completely inaccessible before, up in a hill in the middle of native forest inside the Villarica National Park. It has 17 pools with temperatures ranging between 8 to 42C.

They are accessible by a beautiful 450 meters wooden walkway painted in red.

Then, we’ll have a nice ride towards Chile’s outdoor paradise**, Pucon**. A city full of action at the shore of the Villarica-lake.

Overnight at Hotel Malalhue in Pucon.

Day 7: Ski tour Volcano Villarica

The highlight of the tour!

We leave Pucon behind us and drive into the Villarica national park.

After 15 minutes we will reach the base of the small Pucon ski area. We will climb the 2840 m high volcano Villarica today.

The long ascend is very much worth it: a view into the bubbling magma in the crater and a great downhill run on the slopes up to 35°.

Day 8: Transport to Bariloche, through Lanin National Park

Today we drive back to Argentina, to Bariloche where we started our journey.

On our way we pass through the wonderful Lanin-National park with it’s typical Araucaria trees. A typical Patagonian ‘asado’ (barbecue) will be waiting for us.

Overnight at Hostería Las Marianas in Bariloche.

Details

More info

Skiing level required: advanced, you must be able to ski safe in all snow conditions, up to max. 35°.

Meeting point

Bariloche.

About the guide

Federico

Mountain Leader

Fede is originally from La Pampa, but changed the plains for the mountains to dedicate his time climbing and skiing. He is a fully certified IFMGA guide, who has climbed in many destinations around the world like Patagonia, Switzerland, France, Italy, Croatia and Peru.

He is also a ski instructor and has been teaching at the AAGM (Asociacion Argentina de Guias de Montana) for 8 years. Fede is well known for his endless list of jokes and for doing the most amazing "asados" (argentinian BBQ).

He lives between Bariloche and Switzerland, where he works full time as a Mountain Guide and Ski Instructor, so he can guide a big variety of trips both to the Andes and to the Alps.

Languages

French | English

Certificates

AAGM

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