Didn’t get enough skiing and riding in this winter?
South America has got your back.
- South America ski resorts just got up to 3-feet of snow this week
- South American ski resorts are opening early including Valle Nevado, Chile opening tomorrow
Needless to say, South America is going off right now.
Skiing and riding in South America can be challenging. There are a lot of steps and you need to take to stay on top of your gear, your money, your travel, your lodging, your tickets, your food, your booze, and your Spanish to pull it off cleanly.
How to Get There:
Fly to either EZE in Buenos Aires, Argentina or SCL in Santiago, Chile. Take bus to ski resort you’ve chosen. Go skiing/riding. We recommend flying into Santiago as flights are cheaper, bus station is closer to airport, city is easier, buses are cheaper.
- How To Get From Santiago, Chile to Bariloche, Argentina:
- How To: Get from EZE to Buenos Aires to Las Leñas or Bariloche
When To Go:
The best time to ski and ride South America is early August to early September. This is when snowpacks are deepest, crowds are lowest, prices are lower, and powder is plentiful.
Bring Your Own Gear:
You don’t want to rent gear in South America if you don’t have to. Gear down south is generally old and beat up and there aren’t many options, especially in the freeride genre.
Eat Meat and Drink Wine:
The top food and drink items on South American ski trips are the meat and the wine, especially in Argentina. Do not leave Argentina without eating a “bife de lomo” and quaffing some 10-year-old Malbec wine. We’ve often eaten “lomo” you can cut with a fork and drank old Malbec that awakens ancient feelings.
Exchange Rates in Chile & Argentina:
Know the current exchange rates, write them down, keep them on your phone somewhere, or take a screen shot of this with your phone right now.
As of June 14th, 2018:
- $1USD = 27.73 Argentine Pesos
- $1 USD = 637 Chilean Pesos
Overall, things are cheaper in Argentina and Chile than in the USA. Lift tickets and food are cheaper than in the USA. Booze at a bar is about the same as the USA. Food in restaurants can be cheaper than USA, but at fancier places and/or at ski resorts, it’s nearly the same as the USA. Lodging is generally cheaper than in the USA, but that might not be true at ski resort areas, yet there is almost nearly always some sort of dirtbag option for cheap rent somewhere near the resorts, which we don’t generally have in the USA.
Ski Resorts in South America We Recommend Highest:
- Catedral in Bariloche, Argentina
- Las Lenas in Argentina
- Portillo in Chile
- Nevados de Chillan in Chile
- Valle Nevado, Chile
I skied several times in all Argentinian and Chilean ski resorts. All of them suffer LACK OF SNOW last 15 years except for Cerro Castor, Portillo, Caviahue and Termas de Chillan.
The famous Bariloche is covered by snow in the lower half for only 6 days in the season at an average.