Best winter sports destinations in South America
Best winter sports destinations in South America
Andean ski slopes and high-elevation winter sports centers in South America
Argentina and Chile's Andean resorts anchor South America's winter sports scene, drawing skiers for a Southern Hemisphere season that runs opposite to North America and Europe's. Both have built genuine resort infrastructure into otherwise remote mountain terrain.
The destinations on this list range from established Andean resort towns with decades of ski tourism history to more remote mountain regions requiring considerably more effort to reach. Snow reliability depends heavily on elevation and proximity to the Pacific.
Travelling during the Southern Hemisphere winter matters here, since the season falls entirely opposite to equivalent destinations in the north. Local ski schools at the larger resorts cater well to visitors of all levels, with English-speaking instruction increasingly available. Booking lift passes in advance can also help avoid queues during the busiest weeks of the season.
Lists by region
Ski Resort in Chile
Valle Nevado
Snow‑kissed peaks and alpine serenity
A French resort company developed Valle Nevado starting in 1988, seeking terrain similar to the Alps. Builders carved roads into the mountainside above 3,000 metres to reach the site. The resort now links by lift to two older, smaller ski areas nearby. Valle Nevado's elevation helps extend its season later into the Southern Hemisphere spring.
City in Argentina
San Carlos de Bariloche
Argentina’s Alpine Wonderland
Swiss and German immigrants settled Bariloche beginning in the late 1800s, shaping its alpine-style architecture. Skiing developed on nearby Cerro Catedral after a ski club formed there in 1936. Chocolate-making traditions brought by those immigrant families remain part of the town's identity. Bariloche later grew into a major winter sports base in Argentine Patagonia.
Ski Resort in Chile
Portillo
Alpine elegance meets Chilean winter wonderland
Portillo opened in 1949 along a rail route once used to cross the Andes into Argentina. Its lakeside lodge became a training base for ski teams by the 1960s. Portillo hosted the 1966 Alpine World Ski Championships, a rare honour for South America. The resort's single lodge and guest list have changed little since then.
City in Argentina
Mendoza
Wine, Andes and Adventure Bliss
General San Martin's army crossed the Andes near Mendoza in 1817 during a campaign for independence. That same mountain corridor later became a route for winter sports development. Las Lenas, developed in the 1980s, brought international ski tourism to the wider Mendoza region. Wine estates founded generations earlier still surround the city below the mountains.
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