Catedral ski resort guide & reviews Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do in Catedral
Resort Reviews
San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche, is in Argentina's lake district in the province of Río Negro on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. The mountain peaks that tower above the resort look that Gothic towers and thats how the resort got it's name - Mount Catedral (cathedral).
Catedral is a modern European style ski resort which first opened it's slopes in 1938. Thanks to on-going investments in it's infrastructure, the resort is well equipped on and off the slopes with modern lifts and excellent childcare facilities including a kids club.
Après-ski
The après-ski in Catedral is great fun and has everything you need from lively bars, clubs and all types of restaurants serving up local and international cuisine.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1030m |
| Top lift | 2180m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 120 |
| Longest run | 9 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 4 km |
| Season | June - Sept |
| Snowboard parks | 1 |
| Heli Skiing | ✔ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✘ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Lively |
Catedral ski area guide
Cateral is home to some excellent skiing with a long season and good snow record with annual snowfall of over 760cm. Spread over 600 skiable hectares, there are 50 pistes covering 103kms and 40 lifts. Around 15% of the on-piste skiing is for beginners, 60% for intermediates and the rest for the advanced.
Punta Princesa is the highest lift station and here, the snow usually lasts until late October and this is when spring skiing is at it's best. From the top, there are stunning views of the National Park Nahuel Huapi, Mt. Tronador of 3554m and the surrounding lakes. It is very similar to the lake views from Trebble Cone resort in New Zealand.
On the other side of the valley, a high speed gondola takes you to the top of Mount Fraiteve from where you get stunning panoramic views taking of the whole Milky Way. From here you have the choice of either dropping into Sauze d’Oulx or SanSicario. Beyond SanSicario there is Cesana, Clavier and eventually Montgenevre across the border in France.
Beginners
Ski holidays in Catedral for beginners are ideal as there are gentle pistes to learn the basics from the excellent ski instructors before a gradual progression on to the blue runs.
Intermediate
Intermediate skiers and boarders are particularly well catered for in Catedral with stacks of intermediate runs and some superb rabbit runs through the trees which are ideal for those flat light days.
Advanced
There are several very challenging blacks including De la Garganta, Pista Seis and Del Bosque but the most difficult are De las Nubes and Carlitos. The best thing here though is the easy access to the open bowls and the back-country where you can go ski touring and stay overnight in the mountain huts. Organised tours can be arranged locally lasting for 1 or several days - an experience you won't forget and on a par with the classic Haute Route linking Chamonix to Zermatt.
>Things to see & do
Catedral offers planty of other options if you fancy some time away from the pistes...
- 40km of winter hiking trails
- Heli-skiing
- Snow biking
- Bobsleigh
- Sledging
- Snow tubing
- Snow shoeing
- Snow mobile and quad bikes
- Dog sledding
Snowboard
Snowboarding in Catedral - Bariloche is amazing due to the ski resorts modern snow parks, fun tree lines and open bowls with deep powder. Las Nubes Terrain Park is designed for those who like to be challenged with drawers, rails, jumps, cans and a seperate area to learn and have fun.
Cross-country
The 4km of cross country skiing tracks are near the top of the Amancay Gondola between 1550m and 1650m and cater for beginners to advanced.
Featured ahalets
There is a wide selection of self-catering accommodation in Catedral including log cabin styled chalets and apartments for all budgets.
The total bed count is some 3000 and most of them are very close to the pistes taking away the morning nightmare of taking the bus to the lifts. If you fancy staying in Bariloche, there is no shortage of accommodation with some 22,000 beds
See all rentalsOur view on Catedral ski resort
We think Catedral is an ideal modern resort for family ski holidays. With lots of gentle pistes on your doorstep, tree lined runs and incredible views of the Patagonia lake district plus easy access to the buzzing city of Bariloche, this is a ski resort that lives up to it's reputation.
