The largest and best known ski resort in South America, above Bariloche in the Argentine Andes, with the runs looking out over Nahuel Huapi, a lake so big it takes a day to drive around. The terrain is extensive and varied with genuine steeps, open bowls above the treeline and lenga forest below. Strong skiers rate the off piste highly and the vertical is substantial. The season runs from June to early October, which is why northern hemisphere teams train here.

Bariloche is a real city of some size with chocolate shops, Patagonian food and a strong central European influence in its architecture. It is twenty minutes from the base. Snow conditions vary more year to year than in the Alps, so check recent reports.