La Hoya

La Hoya ski resort is named for the shape of the mountain, with its wide circular basin-like glacier with all its ski runs merging at the same point at the base. Its natural formation, which is perfect for skiing, was discovered by pioneer skiers in the 1930s.

Located in the northern Patagonian province of Chubut in Argentina, La Hoya is about eight miles away from the quiet lakeside town of Esquel. The resort not only offers excellent fresh powder snow, its landscape of forests, lakes and cascades provide matchless beauty. The mountain is 7,000 feet high and has a long ski season, from early June to October, due to the orientation of the slopes.

Very popular with families because of its variety of slopes, La Hoya boasts a snow garden, children’s nursery and a ski and snowboard school. The ski resort is quite small by international standards but has excellent facilities. The twenty four groomed ski runs at La Hoya are serviced by nine modern chairlifts. They cover more than 148 acres and have a total length of fourteen miles, with the longest run being three miles. Modern snow cannons ensure plenty of cover on the slopes during poor snowfalls or icy conditions.

Experts are thrilled with the extreme skiing, including steep chutes and bowls, located unusually close to some of the ski lifts. La Hoya is perfect for Nordic skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing in Los Alerces National Park. A special area for randonee skiing, a circuit for snowmobiles and spectacular off-piste areas with deep snow are yours to explore. The resort constantly updates its runs, and its Bosque run has been enlarged to present a new widened and leveled structure. A new addition is the “vuelta a la piedra” with a difficulty level still to be defined when there is enough snow.

Esquel may be a small town but it offers pretty good après ski. Tehuelche Hotel in the center of the town is the best hotel but there are plenty of other places to stay, particularly for young families.