Bariloche
-Argentina-
by Gaston.
This is a resort that has almost every
possible terrain and skill level as well, from beginner to
advanced, with the exception of Caluars which are at least 10
minutes away of hiking and are not very extreme.
You cannot miss the out of bounce here...
from "la palmera" to "la laguna", this
adventure rides are top of the line experiences.
When it comes to snowparks... Bariloche is SO dead...they had a halfpipe a few years ago, and when they make transfers or table-tops, those are usually too large for a beginner or an intermediate. But that's not all... they make one or at least too, so it's hard to make a nice routine down the mountain.
The lifts depend on how much money you are expecting to pay, and which side of the mountain you want to ride...Yes!.. the dammed thing is split!... On one side we've got "Robles"(great Caluars and nice freeriding bowls and deep walls as well... here you will find "la laguna", a real backcountry safari...you have to climb for about 30 minutes to get there, and avalanches may happen if you don't ride with a local) with old lifts, only doubles and pomas. On the other side we've got "Alta Patagonia"(where the "snowpark" is supposed to be, it has good bounces and a few gaps out of bounce. Here we have "La palmera"... a nice powder-only ride with the hell of a view).
So here it comes...it is u$s 25 to ride
Robles and u$s 42 to ride Alta Patagonia. The catch here is that
Alta has a whole new set of lifts, including a six-seat-bubble
that you can connect to a four-seat chair that takes you to the
top in 15 minutes max!!!... the same time that takes the first
Robles chair to get you to the first of the tree levels to the
top. Besides, there are no pomas on the "Alta " side...
only chairs.
Transportation: Access to the mountain is
easy from any point of San Carlos de Bariloche City. Regular
buses leave the train station every 30 minutes. the ticket is
about u$s 2.50, but you can get round trips at a cheaper price.
Lodge: At Bariloche you will find all kinds
of places to stay at, from fancy hotels to very low budget
hostels and family houses like the B&B, but without the last
B... only bed and no breakfast. I personally prefer staying
at this houses, they are cheaper, cleaner and more private than
any Hostel.
If you need more detailed info about this resort, I consider myself to be a local and I'll be glad to help you out with any question that you may have.
If you do know other ski resorts well and you want to help me to make this page grow... just e-mail me to gassnow@yahoo.com whith the description and if posible some pics.