Doing a “season” in South America

Las Lenas would be top choice followed by Cerro Catedral then Portillo in that order. After that maybe a wash between Chillan and Valle Nevado. However each location presents its own set of logistical challenges.

• Las Lenas has little accommodation at the base. Malargue would be the closest town to live in but then transport becomes an issue (unless you have a long term car rental). Are busses running to the resort daily? Can a foreigner buy a season pass here? We are not allowed to at Cerro Catedral. Season pass at LL is expensive but cest la vie. Marte, when open, would make it worth it.
• Cerro Catedral - I wouldnt even being making this post if they allowed foreigners to buy season passes (or had an easy residency program). Day passes are expected to touch $150 US per day this season making that option very cost prohibitive. Transport, apres, housing, and the rest would be easy here.
• Portillo. Little to no accom at the base. Closest town is Los Andes. Do we know anything about public transit from Los Andes to Portillo? Season pass about $1000 US. Are foreigners allowed to purchase?

Ive been reading everything I can both here on TGR and elsewhere but most info discusses doing trips to SA. Anyone whos attempted or done seasons in SA that can chime in? I speak fluent Spanish so thats not a barrier. thanks!

Sorry for bad formatting. Not cooperating on iPad

Cerro cathedral is not worth it(too crowded, lifts too close, side country access is poor). However there are a couple euro style huts with good access near Bariloche. Also check out Cerro bayo and chapelco, maybe between those 2+ some secret touring spots a season could work out in the area (I've only been to catedral).Las Leñas you need a car or stay in a 2 bedroom condo and share a room with other people for $20/25 a night(I did that for about 10 days in 2023, was amazing but I don't think I could do it for a season). There is a bus between Las Leñas and Malargue but you have to transfer them on Y intersection between LL Malargue and San Rafael. There might be some local or airport transfer options but I don't think those line up with skiing times(Marte opened at 1030 typically). Portillo is even more expensive and remote than LL, and resort opene before the road does if you're trying to stay in the valley. I don't think the complex near Santiago is worth it or has great transportation links either.

Having to drive up that road every morning to Portillo would just fucking suck. And it would not be any better on the bus with somebody else driving. The road closes at night so there aint no early ups. And when that rope drops those fuckers drive like crazy except for the ones that dont drive like crazy and their the one in everybody elses way. not something Id wanna do every goddamn day thats for sure. On the other hand, the road up to Navedos de Chillan is a piece of cake. The town at the bottom is really nice and there’s a lot of shit to do on the access road. I don’t know about a bus, but I saw a ton of people hitchhiking and not having any problem getting rides. I thought the skiing there was excellent and theres a shit load of side country thats easy to hit.

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Originally Posted by m2711c

Having to drive up that road every morning to Portillo would just fucking suck. And it would not be any better on the bus with somebody else driving. The road closes at night so there aint no early ups. And when that rope drops those fuckers drive like crazy except for the ones that dont drive like crazy and their the one in everybody elses way. not something Id wanna do every goddamn day thats for sure. On the other hand, the road up to Navedos de Chillan is a piece of cake. The town at the bottom is really nice and there’s a lot of shit to do on the access road. I don’t know about a bus, but I saw a ton of people hitchhiking and not having any problem getting rides. I thought the skiing there was excellent and theres a shit load of side country thats easy to hit.

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interesting can you tell me more about chillan? Can you make a resort terrain comparison? Also when you say town at the bottom are you referring to las trancas, the super small town like 10 min down the road or the city of chillan like an hour down the road?

Have you thought about a search of this forum for answers?
There’s a guy who lives down there, posts regularly on this forum during southern winter. Screen name is Casey E.
Here’s a start
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...rchid=41384151

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Originally Posted by robicano22

Las Lenas would be top choice followed by Cerro Catedral then Portillo in that order. After that maybe a wash between Chillan and Valle Nevado. However each location presents its own set of logistical challenges.

• Las Lenas has little accommodation at the base. Malargue would be the closest town to live in but then transport becomes an issue (unless you have a long term car rental). Are busses running to the resort daily? Can a foreigner buy a season pass here? We are not allowed to at Cerro Catedral. Season pass at LL is expensive but cest la vie. Marte, when open, would make it worth it.
• Cerro Catedral - I wouldnt even being making this post if they allowed foreigners to buy season passes (or had an easy residency program). Day passes are expected to touch $150 US per day this season making that option very cost prohibitive. Transport, apres, housing, and the rest would be easy here.
• Portillo. Little to no accom at the base. Closest town is Los Andes. Do we know anything about public transit from Los Andes to Portillo? Season pass about $1000 US. Are foreigners allowed to purchase?

Ive been reading everything I can both here on TGR and elsewhere but most info discusses doing trips to SA. Anyone whos attempted or done seasons in SA that can chime in? I speak fluent Spanish so thats not a barrier. thanks!

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I've done a ton of reading here but I didn't think to message him thank you

My experience is limited but for my money Portillo is too small to spend a season. If the lake is not frozen it gets even smaller. They have side/back country but it is mostly vertical, which poses some avi and technical challenges. La Lenas is my dream for a season. The mountain is kick ass with the most amazing side and backcountry I have ever seen. Cannot comment on the daily commute from Malargue but I always thought if you are bilinqual there may be a chance for a job at the area and maybe a hookup for lodging. They have a scene at the area with hotels, restaurants and at least one casino. I know you are going to ski but I was looking at dirbagging it. They're on a Euro schedule with everything very late so you could work the evenings and still ski. Lots of US tour groups so Eng/Span might be attrative to an employer. Marte is closed about 50% of the time because of weather, wind and avi issues, but it is still a hell of an area. You can get around 4,500ft. vert off the backside with a shuttle.

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Originally Posted by Mudfoot

My experience is limited but for my money Portillo is too small to spend a season. If the lake is not frozen it gets even smaller. They have side/back country but it is mostly vertical, which poses some avi and technical challenges. La Lenas is my dream for a season. The mountain is kick ass with the most amazing side and backcountry I have ever seen. Cannot comment on the daily commute from Malargue but I always thought if you are bilinqual there may be a chance for a job at the area and maybe a hookup for lodging. They have a scene at the area with hotels, restaurants and at least one casino. I know you are going to ski but I was looking at dirbagging it. They're on a Euro schedule with everything very late so you could work the evenings and still ski. Lots of US tour groups so Eng/Span might be attrative to an employer. Marte is closed about 50% of the time because of weather, wind and avi issues, but it is still a hell of an area. You can get around 4,500ft. vert off the backside with a shuttle.

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yeah LL is a dream. I think Id only work there to score accoms on mountain cuz arg wages are terrible. Id be willing to bet you need contacts/ boots on the ground to get a job there tho

It would be a long way to go to find out you did not really have a job. The Andes, particularly that far south, have some weather issues, but I have skied a lot of places and I was blown away with the possiblities for skiing there. You are right, without a local connection it would be a big gamble relying on the promise of a job or accomodations, but you never win if you do not ever roll the dice. I just wish I would have disccovered LL when I was younger, crazier and in a situation where I could make semi-stupid decisions more easily. I sincerly hope something works out for you. There is nothing like skiing upside down with the condors. Bueno suerte!

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Originally Posted by Mudfoot

It would be a long way to go to find out you did not really have a job. The Andes, particularly that far south, have some weather issues, but I have skied a lot of places and I was blown away with the possiblities for skiing there. You are right, without a local connection it would be a big gamble relying on the promise of a job or accomodations, but you never win if you do not ever roll the dice. I just wish I would have disccovered LL when I was younger, crazier and in a situation where I could make semi-stupid decisions more easily. I sincerly hope something works out for you. There is nothing like skiing upside down with the condors. Bueno suerte!

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Yeah I'm thinking the only right option for me is to shoot for LL and take my chances on scoring. Think I'll be disappointed going anywhere else tbh

As I said, I am in no way an expert on SA, but from my experience and investigation of options for skiing down there I agree that LL is a very good call if they have a good winter. Keep in mind that the weather is somewhat more volatle down there and they can have some very slim snow years. If you do pull the trigger definitely take a setup that will allow you to be self-sufficient going AT . There is much to explore, and since there are no trees a low light goggle lense is a must. The Portillo patrol has a bunch of US and Candian guys for avi expertise. I do not know but suspect LL may be similar. There are a few US companies that have been doing tours down there for years. Those are the the only possible gringo connections I can think of, unless you make a hook up through TGR. Perhaps a recon trip before committing to an entire season would be a good idea.

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Originally Posted by robicano22

Las Lenas would be top choice followed by Cerro Catedral then Portillo in that order. After that maybe a wash between Chillan and Valle Nevado. However each location presents its own set of logistical challenges.

• Las Lenas has little accommodation at the base. Malargue would be the closest town to live in but then transport becomes an issue (unless you have a long term car rental). Are busses running to the resort daily? Can a foreigner buy a season pass here? We are not allowed to at Cerro Catedral. Season pass at LL is expensive but cest la vie. Marte, when open, would make it worth it.
• Cerro Catedral - I wouldnt even being making this post if they allowed foreigners to buy season passes (or had an easy residency program). Day passes are expected to touch $150 US per day this season making that option very cost prohibitive. Transport, apres, housing, and the rest would be easy here.
• Portillo. Little to no accom at the base. Closest town is Los Andes. Do we know anything about public transit from Los Andes to Portillo? Season pass about $1000 US. Are foreigners allowed to purchase?

Ive been reading everything I can both here on TGR and elsewhere but most info discusses doing trips to SA. Anyone whos attempted or done seasons in SA that can chime in? I speak fluent Spanish so thats not a barrier. thanks!

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yeah I'm hoping the accommodations at the base pan out...from there I'll be setup to sit for the month of September in LL and hope to experience a storm or 2. Could definitely be a bust but you can't win if you don't play. Worse comes to worse I'm chilling in arg for a month