Cerro Catedral is the largest ski area in South America with some 67km (42 miles) of trails accessed by 27 major lifts with a capacity of nearly 20,000 skiers/hour.
The reason Catedral is so popular is not the quality of the snow. In fact, it is possible to ski to the base only about 30% of the season as the hill faces east and the elevations are very low. A strong effort is made to keep at least a portion of the mountain open so that skiing is available somewhere on the mountain from June through October. Skiers are attracted to Catedral because over half of the runs are rated intermediate, and the days become warm well before most skiers approach the upper slopes.
Bariloche offers ski-able terrain for all levels of ability. An expansion program is currently taking place to substantially increase the 20,000 person, per hour uphill capacity by replacing many of the drag lifts with modern chairlifts.
Catedral is divided into three ski areas. The southernmost is the Piedra del Condor located at the top of Lado Bueno's three Condor chairlifts at 1,785m (5,855ft). In the center is the Punta Nevada whose 2,090m (6,855ft) summit is not quite reached with a lift. On the north side of the ski area, Punta Princesa is at the end of the Robles chain of chairlifts.
This area receives the most snow and is well protected for good intermediate skiing all season long. The lifts are color coded, and from the base the red Robles line is on the left, the yellow Lado Bueno lifts are on the right, and the Cable Carríl and the green Lynch chair are in the center.
Beginner skiers have several lifts at the base of Robles set aside for their use. If these are crowded, try the Plaza poma at the top of the Plaza chairlift. Intermediates have a great variety of runs to choose from and can freely ride any lift on the mountain without concern. One of the best intermediate runs is alongside the Condor III chairlift at the top of Lado Bueno.Advanced skiers will thrill to the high-speed cruising offered by Catedral's upper slopes. For increased steepness, try the runs around the Lado Bueno's Condor II chair and Largo T-Bar. Expert skiers will want to hike or traverse into the beautiful chutes and bowls of Punta Nevada. Most people ascend on a traverse from the Nubes poma, but an easy 15-minute hike from either this lift or the La Hoya poma accesses the area.
