Ski season 2000. From June onwards, the ski centers become the stars of the winter season. Las Leñas, La Hoya, Chapelco, Cerro Bayo, Ushuaia's slopes, Caviahue and the Catedral Hill get ready to be crowled. When the snow is closer, the ski becomes an ideal choice for winter holidays. Argentina offers a great variety of ski centers, where the winter sports can be practiced by everybody, experts or curious ones. Each destination has different alternatives for the whole family. From the most difficult slopes to those that allow to learn how to slip on the snow in a few days. Below you can find some details about the main ski centers and their novelties.

Useful advices for skiers
http://www.airmedia.com.ar/bariloche/AHTML/esqui.htm

Las Leñas
http://www.laslenas.com

Las Leñas Valley is located in the middle area of the Andean Mountain Range. It is an exceptional place, according to the opinion of experts from all over the world. There are only a few places that offer the possibility of different combinations, so it is ideal for beginners and for professionals too. The ski center has 12.227 meters of elevation means that work from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. They have a capacity for 9200 skiers transport per hour. To distribute them quickly, three elevation means depart from the base, they are called Venus, Eros and Vesta, they are connected with other means of elevation with a capacity for about 2000 skiers per hour. Las Leñas is an ideal place to practice snowboard. There you cam hire the boards and you can take individual classes if you like, or together with other people too. Those who have a good ski level will be able to enjoy special programs. The season starts at the beginning of August and it comes to an end by October 15th.

La Hoya
http://www.esquelonline.com.ar/esqui.htm

It is located to 13 Km from Esquel, Chubut Province. It is a privileged region and the ski center offers possibilities for the whole family. There are 8 ski slopes. They have 150 hectares surface with slopes between 8º and 60º. Due to its great variety of ski slopes, the beginners can go to the superior ones, suitable to learn and enjoy the snowy landscapes too. The experts can enjoy strategically located slopes in the highest areas of the hill. The ski season comes to an end by October 15th, 80% of the days are sunny ones and the quality of its powdered snow goes on until the spring.

Chapelco
http://www.chapelco.com.ar

It is located on the mountain chain of the same name that in mapuche language means: "trenzas de agua" (braids of water). It is due to the great quantity of streams that go down the hillsides to the Lacar Lake. The ski center has 29 ski slopes, they are ideal to practice all the ski varieties, parapente, paragliding with ski, snowboard, and slipping by sleds. You can also enjoy other activities such as: trips by motos, or sleds thrown by Siberian dogs, etc. There are 11 elevation means that can transfer more than 11.700 passengers per hour. Besides, at night you can enjoy a casino and very good restaurants which offer regional food.

Cerro Bayo
http://www.7lagos.com/bayo/index.shtml

Another choice to practice ski in Argentina are Cerro Bayo's slopes. They offer different kinds of possibilities to all those who want to enjoy the snow. The ski center has 24 slopes: 10% for beginners, 40% for intermediate, 35% are advanced complexity slopes, and 15% for experts, with an average slope of 35%. There are about 200 hectares to ski out of slopes. The novelties for the 2000 season are the construction of 300 meters of "girondas" they are wooden fences destined to accumulate snow due to the wind effect; a new tread on machine for slopes, a new double chair lift, a new refuge with lodging for 40 people and new sanitariums.

Ushuaia
http://tierradelfuego.org.ar/ushuaia/servtur/centros.htm

The most southern city of the world, attracts people from all over the world to its picturesque attractiveness you have to add its ideal ski slopes where you can practice bottom ski, a modality that arises as alternative of alpine ski. Its ideal for beginners, it has 15 slopes, a snow park, 3 quadruple chair lifts and a ski lift. One of the choices to practice alpine ski is the Cerro Castor Complex. Very near Ushuaia you can visit the Martial Glacier, from where you can watch the whole bay, and the Ushuaia peninsula next to the Beagle Channel, to ski there, becomes an unforgettable thing.

Caviahue
http://216.55.27.207/caviahue/caviahue/centrodeesqui.html

It is located to the northwest of Neuquén Province. It has a "Centro de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo", the second one in the whole country. The ski season is longer there, because of its climate and geography. It lasts about 5 months with an average of 2,5 meters of snow in the base. Caviahue has 14 kilometers of signaled slopes, very suitable ones for beginners. The ski center allows the ski practice out of slope, it has 7000 meters descent on virgin snows from the Copahue Volcano.

Cerro Catedral
http://www.365milenio.com.ar

Catedral Hill in San Carlos deBariloche, is the most visited winter center by tourist from all over the world during the winter season. The Hill is divided in two independent areas= "Robles Catedral" and "Alta Patagonia". It has 33 elevation means of different kinds, they have a capacity for about 18.000 skiers per hour. It has 30% of slopes for beginners, 45% for intermediate, and 25% for experts. There are also 8 slopes for competition and an area for bottom ski and another one for snowboard.