Cerro Chapelco is located in the province of Neuquen about 2 hours flying away from Buenos Aires. Founded at the Lacar lake shore and surrounded by beautiful mountains and forests the small town of San Martin de los Andes is base for skiers and snowboarders visiting Chapelco. The big scenery attraction in the area is the Lanin volcano reaching 3,500 meters and shadowing all other peaks in the area.

The local airport is served only a couple of days during the week making Bariloche the second airport to fly into.
A wide and safe dirt road connects the town of San Martin with the ski area.
Cerro Chapelco is big for families and at the same time features the best terrain park in Argentina.

As a mid-size ski resort Cerro Chapelco offers excellent terrain both on and off-piste. Even when Chapelco is well known as a family destination this fact doesn’t mean terrain is only for beginners or intermediates. Based on its vertical drop of almost 2,400 feet and a wide variety of runs above tree level and through trees as well Chapelco is a definitely cool ski area.

The back bowls are fantastic as they face South and hold excellent snow conditions. Skiing this area is quite fun but keep in mind you ski in but you will have to hike out.
There is a big highlight for Chapelco and that is local tree skiing is probably the best in all South America.

Chapelco has a pretty similar location to Cerro Catedral in Bariloche meaning the best time to come would be early July and the month of August. If possible try to avoid the last two weeks in July as local holidays bring many families from Buenos Aires and the rest of Argentina. The skiing during the first 2 or 3 weeks in the season – late June – are fun as well but stay tuned for snow forecasts as the resort may be opened a 100%. As for September the conditions are pretty good as well – turning into spring skiing early in the month.

A typical day in Chapelco starts with a great Patagonia style breakfast before riding up to the ski resort. The road climbing to the ski area is definitely beautiful highlighting the Lacar lake and the Lanin volcano.
Lifts are open from 9 to 5 and it will take you all day long to explore the front face. The backside is a lot of fun but keep in mind you will have to hike out.

Already back in town San Martin de los Andes offers a wide range of restaurants and bars. Here typical Patagonia dishes are served in most places and local beers are a must. As another Lake District town regular excursions are offered during the day including lake sailing, several treks, horse-back riding and more. At night different pubs, disco and a casino are also available. For those looking into shopping San Martin - the main street – has many shops open until late night.

Cerro Chapelco is a really special place to explore with your family or couple for a 4 or 5-day period of time. If you are looking for fun in a terrain park then Chapelco is an excellent option. This resort offers a great terrain with a combination of wide open bowls, steep lines and the largest peace of skiable forest in Patagonia. Don’t expect big trunks all over but a combination of big trees and small-size aspens.

This resort would be a really good addition to a bigger trip over Patagonia and if possible to the Central Andes. By doing this you will get to ski a true Patagonia ski area – mountains, forests, volcanoes and lakes – and a classic high Andes major ski area where the landscape, terrain and snow are different.