Cerro Catedral (1030 masl) is located at 22kms from the city of San Carlos de Bariloche, province of Rio Negro, Argentina. It is a large resort with 38 lifts (2 gondolas, 16 chair lifts, 20 surface lifts) that offers skiers an incredible 1150 metres (3773 feet) of vertical descent. Cerro Catedral has 1200 hectares (2965 acres) of skiable terrain, 50% of it over 50 pistes with a total length of 120 kilometers (74 miles): 4 green trails, 6 green runs, 25 blue runs, 15 red runs and 10 black runs. Cerro Catedral is best suited for intermediate and advanced skiers/snowboarders but there is also a lot of terrain for beginners and experts too. There is a terrain park at Cerro Catedral for skiers and snowboarders. There is accommodation located close to the pistes.
Sometimes it helps to understand the perspective of the writer when reading a review. I’m an intermediate skier – used to skiing blue runs in Colorado resorts like Keystone, Copper & Durango. This was my 2nd trip to Catedral – we were there from 8/9/06 to 8/23/06. The conditions during this period were the best of the 2006 season.
THE GOOD:
Lifts – Plenty of them & lines are relatively short (our max wait time was 15 min)
Scenery - Lakes, mountains & forests. It really is beautiful
Price – Still a deal in USD. Single day lift tickets run between $20 USD & $40 USD depending on dates
Ski rental availability – Good equipment & plenty of stores to rent from at the base.
Snow Tour – free service with guides that take ski groups around the mountain to get to know the runs better.
THE BAD
Few “true” runs – There are a total of 35 green, blue & red runs per the snow report on the resort web site. Of those 35, only about 10 are true runs. The rest are trails or short connecting runs.
Short “true” runs – Condor I,II&III is the only top to bottom combination. Pista 6 & Amancay are 2/3 of the mountain. Other than that, you can expect continuous runs of about 10 minutes before hitting a trail or connecting run.
Too many crossings of runs – the trails cross many of the runs & makes for too many people going in different directions
Snow conditions: The combination of humidity, low elevation & relative high temperatures for a ski resort makes for tough snow conditions. We got dumped on when we were there but powder & packed powder conditions lasted only 3 days. In my opinion, you should expect spring skiing conditions as a general rule.
Grooming – Expect plenty of bumps by mid-morning. They don’t use snow machines to fill up & even out terrain when they groom at night.
Bottom Line:
Catedral gets rave reviews for it’s beauty and it having the largest infrastructure in S. America. Unfortunately its weak point is what matters the most to many – the quality of the runs & snow.
JUNIO 20 al 27
XXXIX Fiesta Nacional de la Nieve - Bajada de Antorchas
JULIO
Bajada nocturna de clubes y/o escuelas con antorchas o linternas
Arnet Point
Apertura del living Arnet Point en la montaña
AGOSTO
Memorial Carlos Bustos / Ski
Memorial Bachman / Ski
Memorial Egon Von Kreutzbruck / Ski
Memorial Egon Von Kreutzbruck / Ski
Slalom Copa CUB
Slalom Gigante Copa CUBA
Cool Night
Tetratlon Catedral
Gorila Day
Ice Night
Polo en la Nieve
Catedral Winter Film Contest
Campeonato Nacional de Ski
South American Cup - Emilio
Campeonato Nacional de Ski
South American Cup – CAB
Arnet Point Afterski con DJ´s e invitados especiales
Día del Niño en el Kids Club
Catedral Celebrity Pro Am
Chicas Only
Campeonato Rionegrino de Ski
Boarder Cross Reef – Catedral
SEPTIEMBRE
Carrera Padres e Hijos
Carrera de la Historia
Hi-Tec Xtrail
Patagonico Internacional Infantil
Carrera del Periodista
Freeride Catedral
Carrera de Instructores Aadides
