Cerro Catedral Guide: South America's Largest Ski Resort & Refugio Frey Trek

Rising nineteen kilometres south-west of downtown Bariloche to a jagged crown of granite pinnacles at 2,388 metres (7,835 feet), Cerro Catedral earned its name from nineteenth-century explorers who thought its sharp stone towers (agujas) resembled the spires of a medieval Gothic cathedral. Established in 1936, it is today the largest and most modern lift-served ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere in winter, and Bariloche's premier rock-climbing and alpine trekking arena from November through April.

1. Winter Skiing, Snowboarding & Year-Round Sightseeing Gondolas

• 1,200 Skiable Hectares & 120 Kilometres of Runs (Late June to September): Spanning a vertical drop of over 1,000 metres from the base village of Villa Catedral (1,030m) up to the 2,180-metre top stations of Punta Nevada and Nubes, Catedral Alta Patagonia operates roughly thirty lifts (including the Telecabina Amancay gondola, the high-speed Séxtuple Express chairlift, and the Telesilla Princesa and Lynch sectors). Unlike high-treeless Andean resorts further north, Catedral's lower half winds through sheltered lenga beech forests that preserve visibility on snowy days, while its upper bowls look straight out across Lago Nahuel Huapi and Lago Gutiérrez.
• Non-Skier Sightseeing Pass (Paseo Amancay): Year-round (weather permitting; check the official Catedral Alta Patagonia daily lift report), pedestrian visitors can ride the closed cabins of the Telecabina Amancay and the connecting Telesilla Diente de Caballo to the 1,950-metre upper mountain confiterías for hot chocolate and sweeping views toward Mount Tronador and Chile's Volcano Osorno.

2. Summer Trekking to Refugio Emilio Frey (1,700m on Laguna Toncek)

When the snow melts from late November through April, Cerro Catedral becomes the starting point for Bariloche's most iconic day hike or overnight hut trek: the trail to Refugio Emilio Frey (1,700 metres), built of cut granite blocks in 1957 by the Club Andino Bariloche on the shore of glacial Laguna Toncek:

• The Classic Trail from the Cerro Catedral Base Parking Lot (10 km One Way, 4 Hours Up): Starting at the wooden trailhead arch at the southern end of the Villa Catedral car park (1,030m), the well-marked path contours gently for the first ninety minutes with views over emerald Lago Gutiérrez before turning right up the forested Arroyo Van Titter valley (crossing the wooden bridge at Piedritas) and climbing the final rocky moraine into the granite basin of Laguna Toncek, ringed by vertical golden-granite spires such as Aguja Frey and Torre Principal.

3. Mandatory Park Registration & Overnight Reservations

Complete the free online Registro de Trekking on the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi website before starting, and book Refugio Frey bunks online in advance.

4. Getting to Cerro Catedral by Mi Bus Line 55

Municipal Mi Bus Line 55 runs hourly from the bus terminal, Centro Cívico, and Km 8 of Avenida Bustillo to Villa Catedral with a SUBE card.

5. The High Ridge Traverse

Experienced hikers in dry mid-summer conditions can also traverse via the upper ridge walk (Filo del Catedral).