Cerro Castor

Cerro Castor is a large ski resort in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. As the world's southernmost ski resort, the mountain experiences colder temperatures and a longer ski season than other southern hemisphere resorts. Foreign visitors will appreciate the reliability of ski conditions at Cerro Castor, but at the cost of a longer trip.

Understand

Skiers at Cerro Castor

Terrain

The resort features 35km of marked, maintained trails. Over 50% are intermediate trails with 23% easy and 26% difficult. Snow making is used on 25% of the terrain. Two terrain parks are available for snowboarders (Fun Park and Halfpipe). The resort has runs both above the tree line and below the tree line.

Lifts

Quad lift at Cerro Castor

The resort has 5 chair lifts, all high-speed detachable quad chairs, 1 with a bubble canopy that you can pull down for shelter from the winds. There are 4 J-bars and 4 magic carpets on the easy slopes.

Ski school

The Ski School offers group classes and individual instruction for various age groups with their Klase Krundi class training kids as young as 3 years old.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport with commercial flights is in Ushuaia (USH ^IATA). Frequent flights are available from Buenos Aires on Aerolineas Argentinas, Flybondi, and JetSMART. Fare are often remarkably low considering that it is about a 4-hour flight. Flights are also available on Gol from Sao Paulo Brazil with a stop in Buenos Aires (AEP ^IATA).

By bus

Buses Pacheco operates one bus per day from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia. The 12-hour trip costs about US$50 (about AR$50,000) or CLP 45,000).

By car

From Ushuaia, it is 28 km to Cerro Castro via a modern highway (highway 3). The trip will likely take about 30 minutes in good weather. Tourist shuttle vans are also available from Ushuaia to Cerro Castor leaving either early morning (around 8am) or midday (around noon).

Do

• Night skiing - this is not skiing on lighted slopes, it is a unique experience for advanced skiers. The 4-hour excursion begins with a trip up to the top of the mountain in a snow-cat, then the group will ski down together in the dark (usually there is enough ambient moonlight reflecting off the snow to make this a lot less insane than it might sound). Skiers wear headlamps as well.

• Heli-skiing - for those with lots of cash spilling out of their wallets, a helicopter will take you up to off-piste runs with virgin snow

Eat

• 1 Las Cotorras, RN3 km 3025, ☏ +54 29 0160 2303. Daily 10:00 - 16:00. Popular Argentinian restaurant specializing in slow-roasted lamb. Known for their special coffees, made over an open fire and flavored with various alcoholic spirits. AR$ 20,000. 

Sleep

Cerro Castor does not maintain its own on-mountain hotels but there are quite a few bed and breakfast inns and airbnb apartments for rent about 10 miles from the ski area. These will, of course, be easiest to use if you rent a car to get around. The city of Ushuaia is further away but has larger, more traditional hotels.

Go next

• Ushuaia
• Tierra del Fuego National Park