Mendoza, Argentina

The grape fruit
Masters of the Universe
What do you have to do to be a Master of Food and Wine? Apparently sign up for the Park Hyatt Mendoza´s Masters of Food and Wine extravaganza. This four-day series of culinary events is the biggest gourmet blockbuster ever to hit Mendoza and is attracting global attention. Well-known wine writers, infamous foodies and notorious bon vivants are flying into this province to experience what promises to be an epicurean blow-out of gastronomical proportions. Star chefs from all over the world will be demonstrating their art in Mendoza´s best wineries and winery lodges. Simultaneously a wine fair takes place in the Park Hyatt. Events run from February the 15th to the 18th.

Expose yourself to Expo
It has often been noted that Mendoza´s Wine Harvest Festival can be a little short on wine. Vendimia is all about street theatre, parades and beauty queens. Often the only wine in hand is a Tetrapak launched from a winery float by an over-enthusuastic girl in a sash. This year however sees the opening of the first Expo Vinos en Vendimia. The four-day event promises to be the wine jamboree that we have all been waiting for. Premier tastings, an art show, live jazz and a wine auction are just some of the events planned in Palmares Open Mall from the 1st to the 4th of March.

Happy Paddys
What do winemakers drink when they are socialising? Beer apparently and lots of it. For this reason, The Grapevine, in association with Irish winery (you read correctly - Irish winery) El Commandante have decided to do their piece for the community and organise a Saint Patrick's Day Festival. Live music, beer and shiny blow-up shamrocks are planned for the weekend beginning the 16th March. The venues: Finsin, Lupolo and the Irish Bar.

Neighbours
Inmobiliaria is a word many foreigners have a problem with and it is not just because it is unpronounceable. Real estate agents here are notorious for bumping up the price when dealing with non-Argentines as a kind of punishment for our bad Spanglish. Rental agencies are also prone to charging three times what the locals pay if the potential tenant has the indecency to wear badly pressed shorts and flip-flops. Add to this the requirement that a foreigner must find a gullible Mendocino father-in-law super quick to sign a document promising he will pay your bills and the whole flat-hunting venture can be challenging indeed. A new company called Lugar intends solving this problem. It specialises in renting fully furnished apartments in Mendoza City Centre to foreign people who wish to live here. No garantias are required, nor commissions paid and the rents are the same as what the locals pay.

Group Therapy
It is a terrible affliction and affects many. You find yourself in Mendoza for a few days only and want to try as much good wine as possible. The problem is most of the restaurants sell only mediocre wine by the glass and it is not practical to buy too much good stuff as it all comes by the bottle. You find yourself in the absolutely tortuous situation of being surrounded by great wine but unable to try all of it. It just so happens that The Grapevine runs a support group for sufferers of this problem. It is called The Grapevine Wine Tasting Evening and it gathers every Monday night at 7pm. Everybody contributes 90 pesos, and with this loot we raid the higher shelves of Marcelino Winestore for wines normally reserved for millionaires and moguls.

Stormy Weather
The 2007 harvest has got off to a rocky start with wild New Year weather prompting Uco Valley department San Carlos to declare a climatic emergency. A prolonged hail storm late on January 26th affected 500 hectares and spared few of the region's growers.Hail is a grape-grower's worst nightmare and this year many in Mendoza province have been hit, with the south suffering worst. Producers in General Alvear reported 60 to 100% crop losses, and in San Rafael, where stones as big as tennis balls battered 3000 hectares, tourists reportedly fled in panic and physical damage alone was estimated at 17 million pesos.While the weather has been a disaster for unlucky individual growers, wine lovers need not cry into their copas. Mendoza's bodegas are well prepared for hail and source their fruit from a broad zone so hail losses won't put a dampner on what industry insiders are tipping as a classic vintage.

The Best from Both Sides of The Andes

Montes, one of South America´s most pioneering wineries, is now operating in Mendoza. Charles Pestridge reveals all.

In the early eighties three men. Aurelio Montes, Douglas Murray and Alfredo Vidaurre found themselves working together for San Pedro winery in Chile. Between the three they had winemaking, sales and finance skills and these were put to very good use, to the point where this once struggling winery is now one of the largest in Chile.
It soon became obvious to all three that Chile must start producing better quality wine and look towards exporting to the world, as domestic consumption had dropped to a quarter of what it once was.
Consequently the three formed the company Discover Wines, with only $65,000 between them and teamed up with the fourth founding partner Pedro Grand, who owned a small winery in Curico. The four partners were adamant from day one that they could and furthermore would only produce export quality wines. The company name was subsequently changed to Montes Wines.

"It was considered that South America generally speaking was only capable of producing table wine at best and plonk at worst"

In 1988 their first wine was bottled under their own label. The following year they introduced their first Alpha wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon, which very clearly showed the world that Chile could produce barrel-aged wine that would cellar well for up to ten years and more importantly it fitted what we now call the US$20 bracket. The year 1996 saw Aurelio produce Chile´s first ever super premium wine Montes Alpha M, which entered the all-important USA market with a US$50 price tag and was rapidly destined to enter the 92 (plus) point category. The move was met with both scepticism and derision by some of the world´s more informed wine press. It was considered that South America generally speaking was only capable of producing table wine at best and plonk at worst, which at the time was a fairly accurate assessment.
Early in the company´s history the decision had been made that the world was wide open for wine and that Montes should export to every country where wine consumption was, or could, become a cultural norm. This was contrary to conventional wisdom at the time, which said, only export to the established, known customers. By this time it was becoming very evident that Douglas had a spectacular flair for marketing wine and this dove-tailed perfectly with Aurelio´s rising star as a winemaker, par eccellence. In fact Douglas went on to introduce Chilean wine to the Japanese and consequently was accorded the grand title "The godfather of Chilean wine".

"Colleagues within the wine industry considered the move ... pure folly"

In 1993 Montes purchased a run-down fruit orchard in a small, unheard of part of Colchagua valley, 200 kms south of Santiago. With the land came a whole 1000-metre In high, forested, steep mountain face, which Aurelio had spotted way back in the ´70s. They set about clearing the forest, planting proven vinestock and installing drip irrigation. Colleagues within the wine industry considered the move to be somewhat eccentric, if not absolutely crazy; in a nutshell - pure folly, as the traditional vineyards were always planted on absolutely level ground, with flood irrigation. Why invest a small fortune being different when everybody else is making money being conventional? Subsequently, in 2002 Montes Folly was launched, a 100% Syrah, coming from a traditional "Cab" country. It entered the market as another US$50 wine and was awarded a 92 point rating by only its second vintage - unheard of before, particularly in South America.

"Superb teamwork that produces great wines"

In 2001 Montes set-up in Mendoza, concentrating on the exciting Malbec as well as the more conservative (and well known) Cabernet Sauvignon. Kaiken Malbec and Kaiken Cabernet Sauvignon entered the international market in the US$10 price-point. By the following year Ultra Kaiken wines were launched, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, both distinctly different from their Chilean counterparts and both complementing the very successful $20 Alpha range. Kaiken Wines now own 150 planted acres and a new winery is being built in Mendoza. In the meantime high quality grapes are being sourced from local growers, with both Aurelio and his bright resident winemaker in Mendoza, Cristobal Underraga, overseeing the state-of-the-art vine management.
In 2003 Montes was proclaimed New World Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine, the first South American winery to be so recognized. Today the company exports twenty times as many cases as was the original target of 30,000 cases and the wine is going to 76 countries. The excellent, highly informative South American reference book Austral Spectator rated Aurelio Montes as having six out of the top seventy wines from the continent, three from Colchagua valley in Chile and three from Mendoza.
This alone speaks volumes for the man´s flair, ability and understanding of what the informed wine drinker wants. As Aurelio readily admits, success on both sides of the Andes is the result of having a great team of people. Montes is blessed with a great top-line management group, Andres Turner (general management), Victor Baeza (operations), Carlos Serrano (exports) and Rodrigo Barria (agronomist), all of whom support the founding partners and brains behind this exciting and hugely successful South American winery group. It is, after all is said and done, superb teamwork that produces great wines and this group will continue to do so on both sides of the Andes for a long time, Bacchus willing.

Drive, chip, putt and pour

Luke McMahon sees if Viñas del Golf is up to par.

Winston Churchill famously described golf as an ineffectual attempt to direct an uncontrollable sphere into an inaccessible hole with instruments ill-adapted to the purpose.
But the man who also said his absolute sacred rite was the drinking of alcohol before, after, and if need be during all meals and the intervals between them would surely have agreed that if you are going to play golf, then a vineyard is the best possible place to do it.
Viñas del Golf in San Rafael, is home to a brand-new 150,000 litre capacity winery, 300 hectares of grapevines and fruit orchards, and a 9-hole golf course weaving its way through the finca.
Owner Ricardo Jurado came in 1995 to build a new golf course. Like so many who arrive in Mendoza province, he fell in love with the land and decided to indulge his twin passions of golf and wine.
Carrying with him the legacy of 1920s and 30s Argentine professional golfing legend José Jurado, Ricardo's course is a carefully designed and exquisitely manicured field of dreams (or nightmares, depending on your skill level) replete with water hazards, lakes, trees and dog-legs. There's also a driving range, chipping and putting green and golf instructor on hand if you need to get your eye in before teeing off.
Here the wine is right up to par too. 60-year-old vines are complemented by newer plantings, covering most of the usual varieties and some types less frequently seen in Mendoza such as Petite Verdot, Semillon, Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir. From these, Bodega Ricardo Jurado is currently producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Bonarda as varietals at 85%, and a Grand Blend which is a blend of the four varietal grapes that slightly favours Merlot on the percentages.
The best way to enjoy both golf and wine is to stay on site at the historic lodge. Built in 1921, it's been completely refurbished into three suites retaining the character of the cane-roofed and adobe-walled building. A further nine suites and a conference centre are under construction.
There is a library, pool, wireless internet and satellite TV. If that's not enough, Viñas del Golf will also arrange spa treatments and visits to the region's other premium bodegas.

Strange as it sounds, it´s actually easier to buy a property in Mendoza than rent one. The garantia requirement has many potential foreign residents pulling their hair with frustration and they soon realise to buy outright is less of a headache. Even so, a real estate purchase can also be fraught with difficulties, especially if it is a vineyard you are after. Water rights, security, access and soil conditions are all issues that dampen a buyer's initial enthusiasm (fired by cheap land prices and a dream of making their own wine). Many realise it is not just a case of putting their money down.
You have also got to get around tiresome rules such as one where foreigners are forbidden to buy land in a border area. This is apparently because the powers-that-be fear we might build a motorway through a valley and let a division of Chilean tanks trundle through. All said, acquiring land is a complicated waltz with lawyers, builders and notaries.

"Valle de Uco struck them as `Napa 1961"

Enter Southern Cross Land, a managed vineyard company who have recently opened a showroom on Chile 1247. Here you´ll find a one-stop shop that makes your real estate dreams real; a kind of dating agency for a vine romance. A visitor smitten with the idea of owning a patch of malbec will find 3D models of their vineyard homes, an architect to design it, a lawyer to negotiate the deal and experts in vineyard purchase and management to ensure they get exactly what they want. By the time they reach the top floor they will be a few thousand dollars lighter but bonafide owners of gold medal wine country with the wine to boot. The only thing Southern Cross Land cannot guarantee is that your wine gets 92 points with Wine Spectator.

The project is the brainchild of two Americans, John Ecklund and Stephen Vletas, and their Italian partners Fillippo Invernizzi and Giuseppe Omegna. Ecklund and Vletas are veteran flyfishing operators who helped put Patagonia on the trout lover's map. They came to Mendoza before the tourism boom and spotted the huge potential the area offered.
"I remember visiting Zuccardi when they didn´t do visits and wine tourism was just a vague idea," remarks Ecklund, a laidback Californian. Now Zuccardi has a visitor centre, Art gallery, gift shop and a hugely popular restaurant.
To prove there are no flies on these flyfishers, the two men immediately began snapping up land, particularly in Valle de Uco, which struck them as "Napa 1961".
Invernizzi and Omegna are also fishing aficionados, this time in Cuba where they own three major sport fishing leases and operate a fleet of angling boats for tourists. Ecklund and Vletas hooked up with the Italians over 15 years ago when they started sending them American clients who had caught the Hemingway bug. When their Italian partners found out about their Argentine land purchases, they in turn caught the malbec bug and immediately jumped on board, Agrelo being cheaper than Tuscany.
"Fillippo bought site unseen," explains Ecklund. "He eventually came and had a look. When I offered to buy back he told me to get lost. Instead he closed his Italian operation and moved here full time.
"In the meantime Ecklund and Vletas had built two hotels in Mendoza - luxury lodges in Chacras de Coria and Valle de Uco. They called the company Postales del Plata and started attracting Americans in search of comfort and wine.
"Lots of clients fell in love with Mendoza and were suddenly asking about property," continues Ecklund.
"We showed them what we had and people started buying. Before we knew it we had fifteen foreign neighbours around our Valle de Uco lodge and all were extremely happy”.
The four men decided to concentrate on buying, developing and building rural hideaways. Soon they had a portfolio of over 200 hectares and they formed the company Southern Cross Land. The main parcel of paradise they are currently offering is called Villa Dolce Vita, a 61-hectare farm of 25 lots in the leafy sub- region of Vistaflores in Valle de Uco.

"You get a sense of rural tradition and Mother Nature"

"The interesting thing," continues Ecklund, " is our properties are not the virgin territories favoured by other managed vineyard operators. Villa Dolce Vita is an old abandoned farm, criss-crossed with hedges and trails and bordered by a river, so you get a sense of rural tradition and Mother Nature."
The showroom and offices are the next step in the company´s game plan. Here they´ll display what Villa Dolce Vita has to offer, such as a clubhouse and spa and all the amenities required by globetrotting babyboomers.
"We basically get three types of investors," explains Ecklund. "Primarily the well-travelled American who wants to kick back and enjoy the lifestyle this area has to offer. Next we get the pure investor who spots the great future Mendoza has and finally, that person with a little bit of both - a desire to retire in style and still make a little money. I should know, I´m one of them!"

The Conquistadores missed many things from their homeland, amongst them wine. As soon as they could, they brought vine shoots from the old world to the new, primarily Mexico and then Peru. The first vines in Mendoza probably came across the mountains from Chile.

Wine was also an essential beverage for the clergy. Monks and missionaries needed it to perform the Mass (well that was their excuse anyway). In 1557, a Father Cidron of the Mercedarian Order brought vine stalks from Peru, presumably on the backs of mules or natives and the creeping plant took its first tentative hold on Argentine soil. It's been growing since then.

Mendoza's soil and climate proved ideal for wine production. The hills and plains soon produced an abundance of crops. So successful was the burgeoning industry, the Spanish King Phillip II tried to ban the practice in an attempt to protect the Spanish industry. This hampered progress until independence.

But you can't keep a good vine down. By the end of the 19th century, there was a steady flow of vino from Mendoza to Buenos Aires, albeit by oxcart. So prized were the wines, bandits and highwaymen plagued the trade, ambushing the precious cargo as it trundled along the potholed road.

The grapes being used weren't too sophisticated and the methods and equipment primitive. The vine, for example, was grown like a bush, without a supporting trellis. Labour was provided by Native and African slaves. The wine press was a hollowed out cow turned upside down. The fresh grape juice was drained into a bucket through an orifice where the animals tail had been. Thank God for progress.

Throughout the 19th century, the industry advanced with several key improvements. Finer varieties of grape from Europe were introduced. Irrigation ~ essential in this regions dry and sunny climate, was redesigned and extended. Better canals, dams and dykes were built.

In 1885 the railway arrived, connecting the interior to the capital. Transport was no longer a slow and cumbersome business, not just for crates of wine but people too. Immigrants from Italy, Spain and France arrived, fleeing the Depression and two World wars. Many brought valuable experience and knowledge in the art of viticulture.

Argentine Wine Today
Soon Argentina became one of the largest producers of wine in the world, yet for many years it was used primarily for domestic consumption. very little was exported. A thirsty home market consumed on average forty-five bottles per person each year (Chile averages twent-five, the UK twenty). such a huge yet undemanding local market ensured the wine remained cheap and of low quality. It was plonk for the masses.

Things could not remain so forever. The growing popularity of beer and a general downward trend in home consumption forced the wineries to look elsewhere and in turn improve their wines. They began to grub up bulk wine grapes such as Criolla and Cereza and replace them with quality ones such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Labelling became clearer and wine flavours cleaner. The industry becam more professional with improved technology and marketing. Prestigious wine makers such as Michel Rolland and the Lurton brothers from Bordeaux set up shop as well as big multinationals such as Pernod Ricard and Allied Domecq.

After several false starts, such efforts have finally begun to pay off. Foreign wine lovers have started to take notice. In 2003 the influential wine critic Robert Parker Jr. awarded 94 points to a Nicolas Catena Zapata 1999. He waxed lyrical how this Malbec "bursts from the glass with spice laden blackberries". Exports have risen exponentially, buoyed no doubt by the 2002 currency devaluation. Argentine wine, previously the black sheep of New World wines, has finally been taken into the fold.

Why Mendoza?
Many things are needed to make a good wine and Mendoza seems to have all of them. The soil and lie of the land are perfect. The altitude guarantees a healthy fruit with little need of chemicals. Constant sunlight and little wind are other important factors. When the wind does blow, like the sporadic "Zonda wind", it's actually a good thing; dehumidifying the air and lessening the chance of disease. And of course you have the melted snow from the mountains, bringing water without cloud. Mendoza's impressive irrigation network feeds 16000 thirsty vineyards. It consists of rivers, dykes, reservoirs, drainage channels and bore holes; a man made miracle that adds another facet to the uniqueness of the wine.

More info - AndesEscape.com

Snowboarding Chile - Snowboarding Argentina by pros From Future Snowboarding Magazine

Snowboarding Chile

Santiago´s incredible proximity to the world famous resorts and home to international flights aplenty makes Chile the country most immediately associated with Southern Hemisphere riding. The mountains are big, the roads are crazy, and – when you hit it right – the most incredible spot on earth for snowboarding. Read on and find out why from the real globetrotting experts.

• Capital: Santiago
• Google earth digits: - 33.433333, - 70.666667
• Pop: 16,432,674
• Mayor Resorts in Chile: Portillo, Valle Nevado, Termas de Chillán, La Parva, El Colorado, Villarrica/Pucon.
• Mountain Range: The Andes
• Local poison: Pisco, a local brandy notorious for its ability to turn normal humans into a cross between a zombie and a PCP user.
• Season goes from mid June to mid October.

Words from the wise:
Snowboarding Valle Nevado:
“When there´s good snow Valle Nevado has fun runs, windlips, and hikeable big mountain terrain. There is also a heli operation that makes a special treat – plus good nightlife if your timing is good. All this does come at a price as Valle Nevado is Chile´s most high-end resort.” – Shin Campos, PRO“When I first arrived, it hadn´t snowed in weeks and the resort was shiny, like a mirror. The it dumped and turned it into a playground. There are a lot of rocks and natural jumps scattered over this resort. There is also a bitchin´ pizza place if memory serves me right…” – Todd Richards, PRO

Snowboarding Pucon:
“This is a cool volcano ski area with great gullies and possibilities for jumps. You can also hike up to the top of the volcano and see the steam and rocks coming out of the top!” – Shin Campos, PRO

“I´ve been there once, for four days… never rode. Windy as hell – seriously, we couldn´t ride… Limited terrain with good windlips, similar to Mt. Hood.” Jeff Curtes, Burton Photographer

Snowboarding Portillo:
“This is an off the beat, high-end style resort with crazy highway access that splits Chile and Argentina. You can have good powder runs here but if the snow isn’t very god the piste runs are kind of limited. Beautiful scenery.” – Shin Campos, PRO

Termas de Chillan:
Termas is 300 miles from Santiago, offers the longest run in South America (eight miles), and boasts 3,600 feet of vertical. Plus, says pro Jon Cartwright – himself the Canadian product of Chilean parents: “The hot springs at Termas are a great way to relax after the hill and they even have some on the hill that are literally mud baths. Watching Shandy Campos strip down in the middle of the run to jump in one is something I will never forget”. – Jon Cartwright, PRO

Snowboarding Argentina

Enfant terrible of the International Monetary Fund and home to such amazing culture legends as Eva “Evita” Perón and soccer star Diego Maradona, Argentina is also a snowboarder´s paradise. As the economy is still sketchy, your U.S. dollars will make you feel like a king here. Regal mountains will make you feel like a peasant, unworthy of all this goodness. And if wine, women, song – and steak – are your thing, you might end up joining the many “expatriates” in Argentina right away – every single pro we talked to mentioned the hot ladies and great steak. Weird.

• Capital: Buenos Aires. By the way the most incredible city. Very European and beautiful. If you are snowboarding Las Lenas you have to take at least 2 or 3 days to visit the city, it´s a must.
• Google earth digits: -34.61, -58.369997
• Pop: 40,060,000
• Mayor Resorts: Las Lenas, Bariloche, Cerro Bayo, Caviahue, Chapelco, La Hoya.
• Mountain Range: The Andes
• Say what? Argentina is home to the most southern city in the world, Ushuahia. There are two resorts down there too.
• Local´s poison: Fernet Branca is an Italian herbal drink. Just one argentinian city (Córdoba) drinks more than the whole Italy… (Real Statistic)
• Don´t miss: If you have time, book a few days in Buenos Aires. “the Paris of the South” to enjoy great architecture, fashion, and food. And, before you go, check out Nine Queens, a clever Buenos Aires movie (that Hollywood insisted on remaking as ho-hum Maggie Gyllenhaal vehicle, Criminal).
• Season goes from mid June to mid October.

Words from the wise:
Las Lenas snowboarding:
Hands down, this is the most revered resort in all of South America., but Las Lenas is a heartbreaker: When it´s good, you´ll experience the most pulse-pounding freeriding in the world; when it´s bad, you could be stuck in a windstorm, sleeping underneath invisible cornices the size of freight trains in this avalanche-plagued paradise. Las Lenas is no secret either and, according to Francey, “you hear more English than Spanish there these days; it´s overrun”. Oh well, the nightlife in Las Lenas is legendary – especially if you show up during the annual Snow Fashion Show every August.
“I showed up on a bluebird day with no wind and 40 degree weather after two feet had fallen the night before. Then it snowed for six days straight with 100 mph winds… the storm produced over nine feet and then broke. We shredded everything in sight and I heli´d to some of the deepest runs of my life… and far into the Andes. Three of my first seven runs were true first descents… with up to 4500 foot vertical. – Matt Murray, Oakley
“I remember spinning laps on the sketchy Marte chair and only crossing our own tracks in the main Eduardo chute. I will always remember a heel edge turn on a bank near the top. I turned to the riders I was shooting and said, “this one is mine!” It was the perfect pitch to haul into the left wall at full speed and the snow was light enough not to bog you down but not to light that you were buried. It´s an indelible turn etched into my brain”. – Dano Pendygrasse, FSM Photo Editor

Bariloche and Cerro Bayo Snowboarding:
“Bariloche is the epicenter of nightlife in the Argentina mountains… not to mention the most beautiful landscape in the southern world. Cerro Bayo is so much fun I don´t even want to get into it! Just trust me: go there!” – Spencer Francey

Know Before you go to South America:

• South America´s snowboarding season goes from mid June to mid October.
• Argentina and Chile pretty much have all of the resorts. The exception is Bolivia, which boasts Chacaltaya, the highest resort in the world at 17,785 feet. See “Deadliest Destinations” in Future Snowboarding Magazine 2,1.
• Your best bet is to fly to Santiago if you are going to Chile or the southern resort´s in Argentina. If you are snowboarding Las Lenas fly to Buenos Aires and don´t miss this amazing city. Don´t miss Buenos Aires if you are snowboarding South America. Arrive with no less than $ 150 USD in your wallet, Visas and tax are charged for certain airlines and nationalities.
• Bring extra binding parts a.k.a. “organ donors” because name brand parts are scarce. And don´t think you can come down here and get set up with the same kind of product as in North America, Europe or Japan.
• Bring a phrase book and highlight your most important ones on the flight to South America.
• The highest mountain in South America is Aconcagua at 22,864 feet and is in Argentina.
  South America ´s winter has coastal temperatures mostly – but come prepared for all kinds of weather and snow.
• Leave your expectations about how a resort should be run at home. Thins run at a different pace. Oakley´s Matt Murray puts the general slowness this way: “If you are from the East Coast, like me… it will take a while for you to get used to it…”
• The nightlife doesn´t get rocking until about 1:30 a.m. This is a perfect formula for a) Bleary eyed first chairs or b) amazing powder mornings with nobody in sight.
• Just because the taxis in Buenos Aires or Santiago are small doesn’t mean it won´t take you and your buddies plus boards and gear anywhere you want to go.
• You can snowboard and surf Chile with a mountain-to-break distance of 180 miles.
• Carrying your own toilet paper is a good idea on a road trip.
• When someone asks you if you need help at a bus station this means that they want you to pay them.
• A “lomito” is a delicious sandwich in Argentina. Called “churrasco” in Chile. Everyone who eats meat should eat at least one – or 20!
• In South America wearing a transceiver and using backcountry smarts on big powder days in-bounds is not a bad idea.
• Patagonia, namesake to the legendary enviro-brand, is the southernmost region of Argentina and Chile. It is one of the most sparsely populated places on the planet.
• If you eat meat, Argentina is your place. You will have the best steak in your life, always being able to enjoy it even more if you add some malbec wine to your meal.

More info - AndesEscape.com

Discover a different World - Live Las Lenas, Explore Las Lenas

A place like very few in the heart of the Andean mountain range, in the district or Malargue, Province of Mendoza, Argentina. Valle de Las Leñas is regarded as the most important ski resort in Latin America. It´s base is at 2.240 meters, its 3.3430 meter high summit and special geographical location offer an exceptionally long season which runs from June to October.Las Lenas is the closest ski resort to Buenos Aires, and there are plenty of options to get there.

Las Lenas is closer
By Plane:
Just an hour and a half away from Jorge Newbery Airport in Buenos Aires is the Malargue Airport, the nearest city to Las Lenas (43 miles by land transfer).

By Car:
Nothing compares to planning a journey by car and spending time to arrive in the beautiful mountain valley. Valle de Las Lenas is some 1.200 km (750 miles) from Buenos Aires, and it takes approximately 11 hours to get there.
The suggested route to get to Las Lenas would be to follow Route 7 to Junin, once there, Rout 188 until Gral. Alvear, then Route 143 until San Rafael, after that, Route 144 to El Sosneado, and Finally Route 222 till Valle de Las Lenas, 20 km. past Los Molles. We strongly recommend that you have chains with you as often times in the last few miles you may encounter snow packed roads.

By Bus:
Travelling to Las Lenas by bus is another option. It is quite a pleasant experience, especially if you choose to sleep and relax. Travelling through the night and waking up in Las Lenas is an excellent alternative for those who do not want to lose working or vacation hours.

Las Lenas night skiing
Las Lenas is one of the few ski resorts in South America where you can keep on skiing when the sun goes down; it has more than 1400 meters of safe and illuminated tracks.

Ski to your door step
Las Lenas base is over 2200 meters high and the peak is at 3430 meters. Its location and elevation offer and exceptionally long season from June to October. Because of its location it snows earlier and more. Las Lenas has 27 slopes for different levels and with all of the off-piste covers more than 500 has. Three of the slopes combined have a non-stop skiable length of 7 km, one of the longest in the world.

Pure Adrenaline
Las Lenas freestyle park is specially designed for intermediate and advanced snowboarders and skiers looking for new options. With a length of 1500 meters and a vertical drop of 150 meters, it offers jumps, bumps, boxes and rails for both beginners and experts alike in the freestyle discipline.

Las Lenas ski and snowboard school
A leader in South America, Las Lenas ski school is staffed by 150 top level Argentine and foreign instructors, many work year round in other ski resorts in Europe and North America. There are programs offered for every ability and ages in both group classes and private lessons. There are ski and snowboard guides available for exploring the vast off-piste terrain served by chairlifts and with Extreme Expeditions providing even more terrain accessed with the use of snowcats.

Mini Lenas
Kids have their own place in Las Lenas. From baby Lenas (60 days – 1 year old) to the mini Lenas (1-3 years old) and the snow garden (3-5 years old), they will participate in several recreational and sportive activities assisted and guarded by kindergarten teachers. Combining fun with ski learning.
For kids from 6 to 13 years old the Junior Academy offers a daily classes program (Olimpos) and every Friday there´s a race where the participant children show what they have learned. With these programs parents can relax and be ensured that their children are safe and having fun in our winter time environment being taken care by a professional staff.

School for experts
A three hour daily program where experts will improve their style, train for competition or try freestyle park.

Rental
In Las Lenas the rental shop is located at the base between Acuario hotel and the entrance building. The repair workshop conts with modern machinery and specially trained personnel to assist visitors. In addition, there are rental stores both at Aries and Piscis hotel, which are exclusively for their guests. The rental stores have over 3500 ski and 600 snowboard gear divided in four categories.
Standard, consisting in polyvalent affordable skis. First with polyvalent semicarving gear. Prestige, polyvalent carving. High Gamma, top category where you can find the famous X-Scream series, Crossmax 10 Pilot and the incredible Verse 500.

Extreme Expedition
Accompanied by a ski or snowboard guide along with a ski patrolman providing a safe environment, this is a special experience of skiing off-piste. Extreme expedition is ideal for living the mountain adventrure away from the resort and discovering a different side of Las Lenas with runs available at your level. Giving you the opportunity to get to know Cerro Torrecillas and Cerro Collar of past years we have opened up the possibility of skiing and snowboarding Valle Hermoso, Laguna Escondida and Valle del Desecho.

Valle Hermoso
These expeditions last all day and take you to some of the more remote areas of Valle de Las Lenas. This extreme trip is organized for the high intermediate and advanced skier/boarder able to do varying snow conditions.

Valle del Desecho
This excursion is for high intermediates and advanced with experience in varying snow conditions lasting half a day. Exploring moderate steep terrain in a back valley with virgin snow and returning to the resort by truck.

Laguna Escondida
This trip is for intermediates and advanced lasting half day visiting the beautiful Escondida lake frozen in winter.

We keep on giving you the best
This year at Las Lenas you will be able to do several activities. Thanks to our snow machines you will enjoy the snow even in bad climate conditions. Also, we have and activity program so large that you won´t know where to start. Feel the adrenaline of participating in a race or have fun in a snowman contest, see the expert´s demonstrations, attend stretching classes or go to the closing party to see amazing torch slide down that instructors do every weeks to farewell visitors. And let´s not forget about Leny, children´s best friend. It´s the valley´s mascot and lives in the heart of every snow lover, in the smiles of all the children who visit us and in the breathtaking landscape that Las Lenas has. Leny is waiting at the base, anxious to share a photograph with everyone of them. Because he wants to be part of their vacation´s memory.

Las Lenas skiing:

• 13 Elevation lifts
• One of the longest tracks in the world (Apolo+Neptuno+Venus)
• 27 tracks for ski and snowboard classified for beginners, intermediate, advanced and experts.
• Las Lenas skiing at night: More than 1400 meters of safe and illuminated tracks every Monday, Thursday and Friday up to 8 pm.
• Accomodation: 5, 4 and 3 stars hotels, aparts, apartments and dormy houses for rent.
• Gastronomy: Three restaurants with international gourmet cusine.
• Security: Patrolmen equipped with the world´s best technology for mountain rescue. One track doctor and 2 rescue dogs.
• Las Lenas Natural Science and Institutional Museum: it has six areas related to botanic, archeology, geology, paleontology and local history.

More info - AndesEscape.com