Located deep in the heart of the Patagonian Andes, La Hoya Ski Center is a gem especially for off-piste enthusiasts. Situated above the town of Esquel in the Chabut province of Southern Argentina, La Hoya reminds me of Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin 30 years ago.

La Hoya receives some of the driest Andean powder in all of South America and its upper lifts bring skiers and snowboarders to an enormous cirque where all types of terrain can be accessed via short traverses along the bowl’s ridgeline.

Couloirs with jagged teeth piercing through the snow are some of the most dramatic aesthetics of this ski area. Large open bowls with various cornice drops to enter provide plenty of hucking potential.

The area at La Hoya offers stunning views into Los Alerces National Park and the surrounding Andes mountains stretch endlessly from the summit’s vista. At the end of the day celebrate your turns with a tasty Aracaunia, one of Patagonia’s finest micro-cervezas, at the Mate Bar. Esquel offers many delicious restaurants to choose from and one can certainly sample scrumptious Patagonian lamb grilled on an open flame here.
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La Hoya and Esquel are definitely worthy of a visit for a few days, particularly if you’re an advanced rider. La Hoya wouldn’t be an international destination resort in itself, but great if you combine it with a visit to Cerro Catedral or other Lakes District ski resorts.

Some of the advantages of La Hoya are associated with the nearby town of Esquel. Sure it’s not a pretty lakeside town with adorable buildings. It feels more like the “real” Argentina, rather than an affluent Lakes District town that has been designed for the tourists. Esquel is delightfully untouristy and laidback.

A major pro of La Hoya is the quantity and quality of the snow. The desert air tends to make the powder nice and dry, and the south facing slopes keep it in good condition. This is in contrast to the “wet snow” found a little further north and over in Chile. The off-piste areas have very few skiers and boarders, so easily accessible fresh tracks last at least a few days.

La Hoya has some steep and gnarly terrain which is super fun, but the downside is that the lines aren’t really long. The other con is that there’s lots of traversing to get to the best lines. You may get a little case of déjà vu on the traverse line, and snowboarders might not be as big a fan of La Hoya.

Other cons of La Hoya: not huge variety of terrain for beginners and intermediates; can be busy in the afternoons on the weekend in the beginners area; lift queues can develop on the weekends; and the lifts are either surface lifts or slow chairlifts (but this is very typical of South America).

On the plus side, La Hoya is super cheap. You’ll be able to save your pesos for more Argentine steak and red wine which is also really inexpensive.

For more detailed ratings of La Hoya and to see how it compares to other ski resorts around South America, see our powderhounds resort ratings.
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