Fifty-eight runs above the lakes of Nahuel Huapi
Come in August, when the snow is usually at its best and the July school holidays are over, and be at the lifts at nine with your pass already bought online.
Runs and lifts from OpenStreetMap, which maps about 68 km of run centre lines here. Lift heights come from a 30 m terrain model, which is why the highest lift reads about 2,090 m against a published summit of 2,180. The bar is the share of that mapped length at each level, not the resort's own count.
The view. From the upper lifts the lakes of the Nahuel Huapi National Park spread out below you, with Tronador, 3,554 metres, on the skyline. The rock spires that give the mountain its name stand over the top runs.
The snow changes with height. Near the base it is wet and compact; towards the top it turns to dry powder, so on a warm afternoon the upper mountain is where to stay.
It has a village at its foot. Villa Catedral has hotels, restaurants and bars, and Bariloche, with the rest of the lake district, is half an hour away.
Buy your pass online and reload the card from your phone: the queue at the ticket office can take an hour. Then be at the lifts when they open at nine. By eleven the lines and the car park are at their worst, and when it snows hard, getting out of the car park can take an hour too.
If you can, come in August. The Argentine winter school holidays fill July and the first days of August, and Brazilians make up a large share of the crowd, but August usually brings the best snow of the season.
Experts should head round to the back side, where short hikes lead to the chutes, bowls and cliff bands of Punta Nevada and La Laguna. On a snowboard, expect long traverses to reach some zones.
Stay in Villa Catedral if the skiing is the trip: you skip the morning bus or drive, and some hotels serve dinner. Stay in Bariloche if you want evenings in town and something to do on a day off the slopes, and accept the commute each morning.
The season follows the snow: it opens in late June or July and usually closes in early October (in 2026, on 12 October). The busy weeks are the school holidays, mid-July to early August.
Where to base yourself, and what to do on a day off the slopes
The lake town half an hour below the mountain, and the base for most skiers.
A seven-minute chairlift to a terrace over the peninsulas and lakes.
The glacial lake you look down on from the upper lifts.