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A question and answer guide to what you might need to know
about
Las Lenas, Argentina
What is so special about Las Lenas? This is a resort for the dedicated skier! If you like to be up with the lark booted and spurred (as it were) and first in the lift queue waiting for it to open this is the place for you. Purpose built in 1983 by its founder Ernesto Lowenstein it is on the same latitude as Crete, and it can be fairly warm at base level. The landscape around is barren completely devoid of any vegetation, an unusual experience for those of us used to European skiing, but the ski area is impressive. The resort itself boasts a fine collection of the usual boutiques and restaurants as well as a variety of hotels. For extreme skiers the Martre lift offers access to a very wide range of gullies, dozens of ridges, bowls and chutes with the option of going as vertical as you dare! For the real daredevils amongst you, there is a semi-vertical 786 metre drop with a pitch of 55% if you are feeling really brave. Fortunately there is a huge range of gentler skiing for anyone who doesn't feel the need to be challenged at every turn!
Where is Las Lenas? The resort is located 445km south of Mendoza. To get there from Buenos Aires you have to take a charter flight to Malargue Airport and from there a bus transfers you to Las Lenas. It is roughly a 2 hour bus ride.
How high is the base level? Las Lenas is 7349 feet above sea level.
What is the height at the top? The resort runs are up to 11253 feet, but you can climb higher if extreme skiing.
What is the drop? 4035 ft.
What is the snow like? Las Lenas gets 250 inches of snow per year and this good quality dry snow due to the altitude.
How long is the season? Due to its altitude, of the four major Argentinean resorts, Las Lenas has the longest season, stretching from mid-June until mid-November.
When is the best time to go? If a busy bustling resort with a hectic nightlife is not your scene avoid July due to the students that pile in to enjoy their winter holidays during this month. Parts of August can be a bit tricky depending on what international snow events are taking place, and this has to be checked up prior to booking. September is always excellent giving you empty slopes and excellent skiing conditions. October is also good for Las Lenas particularly as after Sept 25th you are into the Low season for your lift pass which only costs 410 pesos (around £74.00 for a week!)
What are the lift queues like? Never as bad as some European resorts. This resort is very well equipped to deal with large numbers. The number crunchers say that its 13 lifts have the capacity to transport 9000 skiers per hour. This sounds like a stampede, but fortunately the resort hotels can only accommodate 3,300 skiers. A very useful limiting factor that ensures the slopes, even at peak season (July 10th-July 30th) are relatively uncrowded. Even with the resort filled to capacity the skiable area is vast (3800ha) with 40 miles of runs for people to spread out over.
When do the lifts open and close? They open at 9.00am and close at 5.00pm
What accommodation is available? Accommodation is booked as a week long package. This is due to the flight to get to Las Lenas, (Marlargue airport) having to be chartered. There is a whole spectrum of accommodation available depending on your budget. The weeklong package includes your lift pass, ski hire and full board.
What transport is available in the resort? Service vans circulate to take skiers from one point to another.
What is available for snow boarders? Skiers and snow boarders alike have an exclusive 1,400metre park, the Terrain Park THOR -02, with jumps, rails and banks designed for beginners and experts who want to surf the powder snow.
Is there childcare available? Baby sitters, kindergarten and ski schools for beginners starting at 3 years are all available.
What is the cost of a lift pass? This is included in the over all cost of your full board accommodation and ski hire. This over all price is reduced due to special price concessions given in relation to the dates you are skiing. Based on last seasons dates A 7 day adult pass during the low season (June 11th to July2nd, and Sept 25th until the end of the season was 410 pesos for an adult (around £75.00). The mid season price for an adult was 552 pesos (around £100) for 7 days and this was from July 3rd until July 9th and from July 31st until August 27th. High season was from July 10th until July 30th and a pass was 635 pesos (around £115.00).
What is the ski school like and is it expensive? This in relation to Europe is good value. For children of 3 up to 6, it costs for a week (6 days instruction), 146 pesos (around £26.00), 195 pesos (around £35.00) and 224 pesos (£40.00) for low season, mid season and high season respectively.
For an adult for a weeks ski instruction in a group (four hours a day for 6 days) it is 246 pesos (£45.00, 359 pesos, 412 pesos for low season, mid season and high season respectively.
How much is ski rental? On the whole ski rental is included within the cost of the hotel week's package to stay in Las Lenas.
What else is there to do in the resort besides skiing? A popular activity here is snowtubbing, done on rubber beds (like inner tubes of tyres) which slide over the snow.
There is a 1 km long circuit for 4 x 4 vehicles, the first of its type in Argentina. There are also hotels with good facilities, shopping and plenty of night time entertainment.
What level of skier is this best resort best suited to? Advanced and expert skiers will get the most out of this. The resort statistics indicate that only 8% of its slopes are suitable for beginners, 23% for intermediates, yet 31% and 38% for advanced and expert respectively.
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