It’s not always obvious, but there’s always somewhere to ski, no matter the time of year. Between June and October, ski resorts above the equator become mountain bike destinations and summer alpine playgrounds. But this is when winter enthusiasts can enjoy Southern Hemisphere skiing.
In this post, we’ll not only cover the countries where you can ski, but our pick of the top cat ski destinations and best ski resorts in the Southern Hemisphere.
Let’s head south, starting with some countries you never imagined possible to ski.
The Wilds Of The Northern Andes
While Argentina and Chile are generally hailed as the best places to ski in South America, The Andes stretch over pretty much the entire length of South America, giving several countries high-altitude opportunities for Southern Hemisphere skiing.
Due to the extreme terrain and lack of infrastructure, these areas may not be the best choice for every skier and snowboarder, as there are only a handful of ski resorts. However, for high altitude ski-mountaineering, the options are endless.
Many of the best places for skiing in Columbia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador are on high-altitude glaciers, which often have windows at the end of the wet season that provide the best weather and snow conditions. For example, heading to Bolivia or Peru from the end of April to June would be best. On the other hand, you’ll get optimum conditions in November on a trip to Colombia.
Skiing In Colombia
Colombia is home to the Los Nevados mountain range, where you can ski on massive volcanoes. The skiing is limited here, but exciting. It feels remote, but the road on the southwest of Nevado del Ruiz takes you up to 4900m, providing a convenient way of getting up high, ready for adventure big descents.
An alternative adventure for skiing in Colombia is Ritacuba Blanco. Located in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, this is the highest peak of Cordillera Oriental. There are no ski lifts, but the hike to the top is considered relatively easy. However, it gets its fair share of bad weather, and you must cross a glacier, making it only suitable for skiers and snowboarders with mountaineering experience.
Skiing In Bolivia
Bolivia used to have the world’s highest ski resort at 5100 meters on Chacaltaya mountain. Unfortunately, the glacier has melted due to climate change, making it impossible to ski there now.
However, Bolivia has many opportunities for Southern Hemisphere skiing on its peaks that reach up to 6000 meters. Parinacota and Pomerape are excellent examples, accessible from the village of Sajama at an altitude of 4200 meters. You must travel about twenty kilometers to the refuge at a lofty 5100 meters, which makes an excellent base for exploring.
Skiing In Peru
Southern Hemisphere Ski Resorts
Portillo, Chile
Portillo is a unique ski resort with history, as it’s Chile’s oldest. Due to its high altitude of 2880 meters, Portillo provides excellent snow coverage and a mix of marked slopes and freeride terrain. Although high and remote, Portillo has slopes suitable for all levels. It’s worth noting that Portillo is best suited to advanced skiers due to the several flat sections and unique “slingshot” drag lifts that make snowboarding tricky.
One of the best things about skiing in Portillo is that there’s no such thing as a lift line. The resort’s hotels only accepts 450 people per week, so you can get on with experiencing epic snow in a fantastic location. In fact, we rate Portillo as the number one spot for skiing in the Andes when it comes to crowds.
Valle Nevado, Chile
Valle Nevado, Chile offers some of the finest skiing in the Southern Hemisphere. The ski area is vast and averages 7 meters of snow every year. Its highest point sits at 3670 meters, but the surrounding Andean peaks extend to over 6000 meters, creating a truly dramatic landscape.
The Valle Nevado ski area covers 900 hectares and has a vertical drop of 810 meters. It only has 14 lifts spread across the area, but this means that there’s incredible potential for off-piste and backcountry exploring.
Nevados de Chillan, Chile
Nevados de Chillan ski area provides a unique Southern Hemisphere skiing experience as it’s close to three volcanoes, one of which is quite active. While providing terrain for all levels of skiers and riders, the backcountry skiing is particularly exciting due to the terrain carved out by ancient lava flows.
There’s lots of space to score fresh lines away from the groomed slopes before heading to the natural hot springs to soothe your aching legs.
Las Leñas, Argentina
Las Leñas provides some of the most dramatic backdrops of all the ski resorts in the Southern Hemisphere. Its imposing mountains impress everyone who goes there, but experienced skiers and snowboarders love them best. The terrain attracts some of the world’s best riders, taking on the gnarliest descents. Las Leñas is one of THE go-to extreme mountain destinations in the Southern Hemisphere.
The only major issue with Las Leñas is the unpredictable weather. To have the best chance of a good weather window, go for longer than a week. If you’re lucky, you can ski some of the most incredible terrain in the world.
You don’t have to be an extreme skier to enjoy Las Leñas. There are a few runs suitable for beginners, intermediates, and advanced skiers and snowboarders who don’t want to drop cliffs all day.
The Las Leñas ski school is outstanding with English speaking ski and snowboard instructors from around the world.
Bariloche, Argentina
Bariloche is a bustling city on the banks of Lake Nahuel Huapi in Patagonia. Its architecture is heavily influenced by buildings in the Swiss Alps. There are even chocolate shops and St Bernard Dogs adding to the Swiss Alpine atmosphere.
Its local mountains offer some of the best skiing in the Southern Hemisphere. Most notably, Cerro Catedral is Argentina’s most famous and largest ski resort. With 1200 hectares, you can ski while overlooking the stunning views of Lake Nahuel Huapi and surrounding mountains. Cerro Catedral is a large modern ski resort with a good mix of runs for all ability levels.
Cat Skiing in Patagonia
With over 25,000 acres and home to the best cat skiing in Argentina, Baguales Mountain Reserve is the real deal and probably the closest you’ll find to a Canadian, B.C. snow cat tours operation in South America.
Located just over an hour from the bustling ski city and ski resort of Bariloche, Argentina, Baguales snowcats meet you at 5,250 feet above sea level and offers one to multi-day cat ski adventures. Backcountry ski touring can also be combined with your stay.
Over night guests stay in cozy refugios under the Patagonian stars after a full day of skiing and snowboarding.
IFMGA ski guides get you to 15,0000-16,000 vertical daily and end the day with tea, local red wines and Patagonian organic snacks by the open fire pit in the comfortable Mesada Lodge overlooking the private tenure.
Cardrona, New Zealand: Cat Skiing and Resort
Cardrona, New Zealand is close to Queenstown and is one of the most popular ski resorts on the South Island. It is a popular ski resort for beginners, partly thanks to its outstanding grooming. But Cardrona is especially good for intermediate skiers and snowboarders, as it has some good blue slopes with perfect gradients.
Like many other ski resorts in New Zealand, Cardrona is a small ski area. However, its 465 hectares are serviced by a lift network that is continuously being improved.
When the snow coverage is good, Cardrona is flocked by advanced skiers and snowboarders. The red and black runs offer a fun challenge, as does the nearby backcountry terrain. Some lift passes give you access to nearby Treble Cone if you feel like exploring.
However, Cardrona offers the fantastic experience of cat-skiing.
You can head to the Soho Basin for bespoke cat-skiing trips. These trips allow you to enjoy fresh powder exclusively in a vast area away from the crowds. Soho Basin provides a luxury experience with instruction and even provide food and drink throughout the day to keep you fueled up for 12 to 14 runs.
Perisher, Australia
When thinking of skiing and snowboarding in the Southern Hemisphere, you will likely think of Australia. Perisher, NSW, is one of the leading ski resorts in Australia thanks to its significantly large ski area and having the most lifts in the country; in fact, it offers some of the most extensive skiing in the Southern Hemisphere.
Perisher grew in size by amalgamating and interconnecting several other villages. It is now on the Epic Pass, providing several benefits to skiers and snowboarders lucky enough to visit the other Vail resorts worldwide.