Skiing and Snowboarding facilities

From the city of Bariloche, special ski buses make the 20 to 30 minute run to the slopes in the morning and return in the afternoon on a set schedule.

The 600 ski able hectares are signaled by a homogeneous system that manages to rapidly make the skier find its way through the various runs with their corresponding difficulties. Catedral has 103 kilometers of runs and 35 lifts, which may transport up to 26,376 skiers per hour

The first of four chairlifts swings skiers up from the base of station at 3,200 feet to the Plateau, which sits at 4,000 feet. More challenging skiing lies above, with a summit known as the Piedra Del Condor, or Stone of the Condor. Here there are wide-open snow fields and long gullies, all above the timberline, where the snow is most reliable. Bariloche offers ski-able terrain for all levels of ability. An expansion program is currently taking place to substantially increase the 20,000 person, per hour uphill capacity by replacing many of the drag lifts with modern chairlifts.

60% of the runs are for the intermediate level. Punta Princesa, where snow remains till late October permitting spring skiing, is recommendable for all levels. De la Garganta, Pista Seis and Del Bosque are for advanced skiers. Amancay goes through the forest providing a unique landscape. De las Nubes and Carlitos are two of the most difficult runs.

Some of them are the track rope, sextuple superbubble, quadruple chairlift and double chairlifts. It has an electronic system of passes, which is a “hands free” ticket that works according to radiofrequency techniques. It has a chip that enhances the access to all lifts. This means that, by using the pass, skiers don’t need to show it every time they want to use the lifts. It's not even necessary to have it at sight: it can be kept inside a pocket or a bag, which makes access quicker and comfortable.

There are patisseries, kiosks and restaurants. Next to the parking lot there are the ski club's, both chairlifts entrances, an information centre, a shopping mall (with a restaurant), boutiques and equipment renting.

Snow Making Process

The resort has a modern and integral system of snow making brought from USA (the biggest in South America). As snow is made from the waters of a stream (La Cascada) that runs from the top of the mountain, and feeds from the snow, technicians call it "recycled snow" or "man-made snow". Barriers have been made -snow fencing-, all along the 300 meters of tracks below Condor chairlift, to prevent snow from evaporating.

This system, and its 46 big sprinklers (Bonanza and Snow Diamond), allows snow be of a higher quality and much more resistant at the foot of the mountain. The sprinkler make snow by a process in which water and air are mixed at a very high pressure; the outcome are real snowflakes that cover a surface of 10 hectares approx.. These, when combined with Snowmax, a natural enzyme that is diluted with water, allows the creation of snow even when temperature is not appropriate.

For the upkeep of all tracks the resort has five Kässbohrer machines, with turbo diesel engines of about 200 and 280 HP, whose combs and cutters let it press and smooth the snow and remove hard or frozen surfaces. As a result, tracks look neat and compact and can be enjoyed by skiers of all levels.

There are new stops at Piedra del Cóndor, beginners area, in Stop Barrilete and Lynch Refuge. The latter has an express sextuple Superbubble chairlift as well as a quadruple chairlift that can transport up to 1,800 passengers per hour, covering 2,586 metres in just nine minutes. At the foot of the mountain and at 1,600m there are the Telefónica Cabins that provide access to the Internet and have press rooms in the middle of the mountain.

Tracks - Ski Areas

Cerro Catedral has 47 tracks that cover 130 kilometers and that are the scene of international tournaments included in the schedule of the International Ski Federation (ISF). Apart from this, it has 140 hectares devoted to snow board; there are 15 tracks for Alpine skiing and snow board. There are some that have a lower level of difficulty, for beginners and intermediates, and some that are much more difficult for advance and expert skiers.
There are two areas that work with different passes and that are not combinable: the Roble Catedral, that has the tracks Punta Princesa, De la Garganta, Pista Seis or Del Bosque, Amancay, De las Nubes and Carlitos, and the Alta Patagonia, that has the tracks Punta Nevada, Del Segundo Lomo, De La Palmera, Intermediate, Primer Lomo, Piedra del Cóndor and La Avalancha. Its higher tops are Punta Norte and Punta Princesa that reach 2,200 and 2,160 metres respectively.