Ski touring trip to Patagonia combining volcanoes in Chile with mountain huts in Argentina.
Here it is! Our first Off-Piste trip to the Southern Hemisphere — and in our opinion, at the perfect time. Why? Because September offers more stable weather conditions there, and in Poland, we can return from summer holidays and kick off the next ski season earlier than anyone else 😄
Where to? What for? How long?
We’ll start in Argentine Bariloche, where after a freeride warm-up on the lifts of Catedral resort, we’ll head deep into the Andes, staying at the legendary Frey, Jakob and Lopez mountain huts.
After a few days we’ll cross over to the Chilean side to summit the local volcanoes Llaima and Villarrica, and shred the slopes of Lonquimay alongside ski teams from all over the world.
We’ve got eight full days on snow ahead of us, squeezing out the absolute essence of northern Patagonia — and after hours, there’ll obviously be juicy steaks and Latin-style bars and restaurants waiting for us.
As always, the trip will be led by a local IVBV-certified guide, born and raised in Bariloche, who’ll definitely have a Plan B (and C) ready in case Patagonia decides to throw some weather chaos our way — which is always something you need to expect down there.
Que tal? ¡Vamos!
Patagonia Chile & Argentina
IVBV/IFMGA guide
Small Group
Backcountry
Price Includes:
- 8 nights accommodation in hotels, double rooms
- 3 nights accommodation in mountain huts, shared dorm-style rooms
- Breakfasts and dinners (except in Buenos Aires)
- All necessary ground transfers
- Local IVBV/IFMGA certified guide
- 8 full days of mountain activity
- Supervision by a Polish team leader
- Standard travel insurance including medical expenses, accident coverage, and personal liability. Additional insurance covering off-piste skiing is required. Many of our clients already have year-round high-altitude policies. If you don’t have one, we can provide coverage for the trip at a cost of 370 PLN.
Price Does Not Include:
- Flights
- Ski or snowboard equipment – you need to bring your own
- Avalanche safety equipment (beacon, probe, shovel) – available for rent, reservation required
- Extreme sports insurance, including off-piste skiing
- Drinks and meals not listed
- Tips
ACCOMMODATION AND TRANSPORTATION
- We’ll fly: Warsaw – Buenos Aires – Bariloche, and return from San Martín de los Andes
- It’s best to book the international flight to Buenos Aires and the domestic flights within Argentina separately
- We’ll share what we believe are the best flight options with those interested
- In Bariloche, Pucón and San Martín de los Andes we’ll stay in hotels, in twin rooms
- In the Argentine mountains we’ll stay in mountain huts, in shared dorm-style rooms
- We’ll have two cars for transportation during the trip and while in Chile
- For more information, check the TRIP PROGRAM tab
OFF PISTE – Terrain Details:
- First of all – when travelling in Patagonia, you need to be prepared for sudden weather changes and, as a result, possible changes to the itinerary. Our general program may change depending on weather conditions.
- Our main playgrounds in Argentina will be:
- El Catedral Resort near Bariloche, where – if conditions allow – we’ll be able to enjoy some proper lift-accessed freeriding;
- Backcountry terrain around Bariloche and the mountain huts Frey, Jakob and Lopez;
- There’s also a chance we’ll visit the resort in San Martín de los Andes.
- Our main playgrounds in Chile will be:
- The area around Pucón, including the Villarica and Casablanca volcanoes;
- The area around Malalcahuello, including the Llaima and Lonquimay volcanoes (there’s also a ski resort there).
- During ski touring days on the volcanoes, you should be prepared for highly variable snow conditions, where ski crampons, crampons, an ice axe, and sometimes even a rope may be necessary, with certain sections reaching slopes of 35–40 degrees.
- We plan to cover around 1000–1500 vertical meters per day while ski touring.
- Besides ski touring, we’re also planning to ride plenty of off-piste terrain accessed from local ski lifts.
Difficulty Level: 7/10
- This trip is for people comfortable skiing off-piste in powder on slopes up to 38° and capable of daily climbs of 1000–1500m. You must know kick-turn techniques and be confident using crampons.
Trip Profile
- It’s primarily a ski touring trip with most days on skins. However, we’ll also make use of the local resort for off-piste skiing and check the availability of snowcats and snowmobiles.
SAFETY
- The group in Argentina will be led by an Argentine guide certified by IVBV / IFMGA
- In Chile, we’ll be guided by a Chilean IVBV / IFMGA-certified guide
- Maximum 6 participants per guide
- The trip will be overseen by a Polish team leader
- INSURANCE:
- The trip price includes basic travel insurance. Additional coverage for off-piste skiing is required. This can be purchased from us for 370 PLN per person. We do not include this in the base price as many of our clients have their own year-round high-altitude policies.
- There is also an option to purchase Trip Cancellation Insurance, which provides a refund in case you are unable to join us due to illness or other unforeseen events.
- Participants must have avalanche safety equipment and know how to use it
- We strongly recommend completing an avalanche safety course before starting your adventure with freeriding or ski touring
- We strongly recommend completing an avalanche safety course before starting your adventure with freeriding or ski touring
- We also recommend an avalanche backpack, which can be rented from us (reservation required)
VISA
- Not required.
HOW TO JOIN THE TRIP
- Fill out the reservation form
- We will contact you to sign the contract
- Pay a 30% deposit
- We’ll complete the group, handle the formalities, flights, details, etc.
- Pay the remaining amount 30 days before departure
CANCELLATION POLICY
- We recommend additional insurance in case of illness or an unforeseen event preventing you from traveling. You will then receive a full refund for the trip. Ask us about Trip Cancellation Insurance.
- We reserve the right to change the program due to circumstances beyond our control, such as insufficient participants, snow or weather conditions, or political situations. In case we need to cancel the trip (even for reasons beyond our control), we will promptly refund all payments made.
Day 1 (September 6)
We fly from Warsaw to Buenos Aires, where we’ll crash at an airport hotel.
Day 2
Around midday we head on to Bariloche. A guide picks us up from the airport and we go straight for our first Argentinian steak 😎
Day 3
A chill, transition day at the Alta Patagonia (Catedral) resort, and in the evening an acclimatisation roast beef washed down with a proper amount of Malbec.
Days 4 - 7
We go ski touring around Bariloche, staying overnight in mountain huts like Frey, Jakob, or Lopez. We’ll be aiming for the best available ski descents and might also sneak in another round of lifts in Bariloche.
Day 8
Rest day while travelling to Chilean Pucon, where we’ll stay in a cosy guesthouse.
Days 9 - 11
We go after the volcanoes Villarica, Llaima and/or Casablanca Llonquimay. On day 11 we head back to Argentina, to San Martín de los Andes.
Day 12
We fly from San Martín de los Andes to Buenos Aires, and then straight on to Europe.
Day 13
