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Chapelco Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Chapelco Ski Resort

Chapelco Ratings

Overall: 4.0. Based on 61 votes and 76 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.0

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Chapelco is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.4

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Chapelco has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.7

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.8

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.3

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Chapelco.

Public Transport: 4.1

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Chapelco, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.3

(1) No places to stay in/near Chapelco, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 4.1

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 4.1

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Chapelco.

Ski in/Ski out: 3.6

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 4.4

(1) There are no child care facilities at Chapelco, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.4

(1) Chapelco relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.4

(1) There are no snow groomers at Chapelco, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Chapelco are groomed daily.

Shelter: 4.3

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Chapelco is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 2.8

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Chapelco, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.2

(1) Chapelco usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.5

(1) The staff at Chapelco are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Chapelco are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.5

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.4

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.4

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.4

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.7

(1) No intermediate terrain at Chapelco, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.3

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.7

(1) Not even a kicker at Chapelco, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.3

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Chapelco, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.6

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Chapelco has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.0

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.9

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.8

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 2.8

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 4.0

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.9

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.8

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.8

(1) Overall, Chapelco is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.8

(1) Overall, Chapelco is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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June 03, 2018
sergio Marini from Ski Argentina Argentina
Buen dia.Esquie muchos años en Bariloche hasta que conocí SMA cerro Chaleco.Tengo que confesar que me enamore de este cerro, por a belleza del lugar.Los medios de elevación, luego de la inversion hecha por nieves del Chaleco. Ultima empresa concesionaria del mismo , le han dado mucha agilidad al, cerro. La prolongación del Palito, pudiendo conectar ahora fácilmente con Pradera del Puma, la incorporacion de los 2 lift de salida de Pradera mas la nueva silla del Mocho y la ya no tan nueva Rancho Grande hacen del cerro un placer de ser esquiado. Por otro lado y volviendo el tema BRC. Les cuento que CPC tiene bosques increíbles que BRC no tiene, es solo una montaña blanca. En definitiva, lo invitaría e a recorrer el cerro y evalue absolutamente todas las diferencias..seguro se quedara con Chapelco.Estoy esperando ansiosamente la apertura el día 23 para poder disfrutar este ano como los últimos 25. Saludos cordiales a todos ... Sergio Marini. (note from the editor: names of other reviewers are not included.)
June 18, 2013
Gary from Ski United States United States
Chapelco is a small but great family oriented easy cruiser run resort with some limited back-country, park and intermediate terrain. The snow quality is dicey due to the low altitude. You need to wait for the good powder days but these are usually limited to under 10 per season. The town has some limited night life dominated by ski resort and ski shop locals. Food choice and quality is limited even if you do not stray from Argentinian staples. The lifts at this resort are the best in Argentina. Most other resorts are plagued with ancient and dangerous equipment. Best to avoid talking about politics and avoid any interaction with the police. Argentinians are surprisingly friendly and warm but can be quite shallow. The rider and skier fanatics are your best bet for meaningful social interaction. Avoid the family vacation period in July that is very expensive and crowded. Think snow! [note from the editor: edited for the sake of direct relevance]
July 28, 2012
Hector from Ski Argentina Argentina
For me, Chapelco is the best ski resort in Argentina. For the last 35 years I go down there every winter. They should improve a couple of things though, i.e. reinstate the locations for skis and boots 4 the owners, keep operational the slope (Silla Triple) at the base if snow permits, allow to jump off the lift at tower 6 to accede comfortably to Travesia Baja (the way to Pradera del Puma) and a couple of things more that we used to enjoy in the past.
December 07, 2009
Mark Cervantes from Ski Afghanistan Afghanistan
I just wanted to reach out and thank all the people that have been contacting us in regards to Chapelco and all the others we have first hand knowledge about. Fabio in the US mentioned us a couple of months ago and we have already helped several people plan sick vacations for next year in Patagonia. If you want info on the Chapelco or any of these resorts contact us at info@toursthroughargentina.com or visit our site soon. We ski them all and love telling people how to best enjoy them. I am packing the car and headed to mountains so perhaps we will meet along the way !! Bring on the freshies... Mark Cervantes(Owner/Founder)
July 23, 2009
Andrew Adams from Ski Canada Canada
Chapelco rules. I traveled last year with the Big Powder guys and it really blew my mind. The best views I had ever seen and all kinds of free ride tree terrain, a nice park, great bars and restaurants and, most of all, good people. Don't hesitate and visit South America.
February 25, 2009
CASA Tours from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Chapelco is a family orientated mountain with some of the best tree skiing in South America. Its lengthy forests provide a unique opportunity to ski non-alpine terrain in a continent where most of its slopes are above tree line. Chapelco also accesses some fantastic wide-open off-piste terrain from the top of its lifts. The resort has a very homey feel with some great restaurants tucked away on its slopes. Spectacular views of the massive Volcan Lanin and Lascar Lake make for a stunning backdrop. The resort and town are quaint and laid-back and small enough to be charming, but big enough to appease a wide variety of interests and abilities.
September 05, 2008
Laura from Ski Argentina Argentina
We go to Chapleco every year since 15 years ago, and this year it was the worst organization I ever saw there. The Chapelco rental was a disaster: every day our equipment was rented to another people, so we had to spent near 1 hour to have a new one. And the upper places of the mountain was always closed, not only for the climate, also because they did not put it in conditions to ski...a real pity because I think is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
August 24, 2008
Shaun White from Ski United States United States
IGNACIO... everybody knows... Cerro Catedral (Bariloche) is the best resort in South America.
August 06, 2008
Celedonio Ulfulfio from Ski Peru Peru
We've com from a ski week from Chapelco. This is the 3rd time we ski, 2 times in Las Leñas and this one in Chapelco. Little snow, half of the resort was opened and many crowds. The weather conditions were bad, many snowy days. Most of the lifts are slow but 1 chair was speedy. I prefer Las Leñas, more comfortable and the hotels are in front of the trails. In Chapelco you have to stay at San Martin de Los Ande. I liked skiing between the trees.
August 06, 2008
Phil Smith Snoworks All Mountain Ski Courses from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
San Martin de Los Andes is a bustling town with a great atmosphere and plenty of bars and restaurants. The skiing is at Cerro Chapelco and is included as part of our Snoworks South American Ski Adventure. Each year we’ve been here we’ve experienced exceptional conditions and decided to extend our time there this year. The skiing on the lower slopes is easy and is great for cruising and warming up. The runs are also through the trees and this is where we spend most of our time when the visibility closes in. We’ve had some amazing off-piste skiing through the trees here and all to ourselves. Higher up the slopes steepen and if you take the ski lift to Cerro Esclonado you can take some off-piste routes down into the valley and through the trees. Be careful as these slopes are pretty steep and if heading off-piste you need the appropriate safety equipment and instructors or guides. Unfortunately I’ve yet to ski the slopes on Cerro Teta as the lifts have been closed each time we’ve been there and hence the reason for extending our stay this year. If you would like more information on this resort and our Snoworks South American Adventure trips please go to our website.

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