Ski Ushuaia Argentina

Otherwise known as “Fin Del Mundo” (the end of the world), Ushuaia in Argentina is the southern most city in the world. Ushuaia has a population of about 60,000 people and it surges with tourists. In winter, the Ushuaia skiing at the nearby Cerro Castor attracts many porteños, whilst in summer Ushuaia is a very trendy tourist port at which many cruise ships stop.

Located on the Beagle Channel that separates the tail ends of Argentina and Chile, the views from Ushuaia overlooking the water are rather special, which are complemented by the often snowcapped mountains behind the town. Some of the beautiful colourful historic buildings are mixed in with modern structures, along with several eyesores.

Pros and Cons of Ushuaia Ski Trip

Pros

• The views from town across the Beagle Channel can be rather nice, especially during winter when the nearby mountains are covered in snow.
• Ushuaia is very geared towards tourists so the town has well established amenities and lots of hotels, restaurants, bars and shops.
• In a country (and continent) not renowned for high service levels, many establishments in Ushuaia provide decent service. There are also many restaurants and hotels with staff that speak English, in case your Spanglish isn’t very good.

Cons

• There is very little on-mountain accommodation at Cerro Castor, so many people choose to stay in downtown Ushuaia which requires a daily commute to get to the ski resort.
• The whole region is tax free, but a “tourist peso” seems to be applied to many items so an Ushuaia ski trip seems reasonably expensive compared to other parts of Argentina.

Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• It’s much easier to get to than Las Lenas Ski Resort in Argentina, but an Ushuaia ski trip still takes some decent travel commitment. However, being at the end of the world in a remote location is part of the appeal. And once you’re that far south you feel compelled to keep travelling south and head to Antarctica, perhaps to go skiing in Antarctica (although you'll have to wait until mid October!)
• There aren’t a lot of daylight hours during winter in which to play.

Ushuaia Ski Options

Cerro Castor is up there as one of the most modern well established Argentine ski resorts along with Las Lenas and Cerro Catedral. Cerro Castor is located 26km (16 miles) northeast of the city of Ushuaia. There is a small selection of lodging at the base area, but most people stay in a hotel in Ushuaia and drive to the ski resort each day (along a fully paved highway). There is also a daily shuttle bus between many of the downtown hotels and Cerro Castor Ski Resort, but by the time it does pick-ups at various hotels, the trip can be tiresomely long.

High up above town is Glaciar Martial and just below the treeline is an old ski area with one chair lift that used to service a couple of ski trails. Now the Martial Glacier is just known for backcountry ski touring and snowshoeing, and whilst it provides a decent amount of vertical and various steep lines, don’t conjure up thoughts of an enormous deep glacier like Perito Moreno!

There are other Ushuaia ski touring options on nearby mountains, and various local guides that can show you around.

Or if you don’t want to earn your own turns, heli skiing in Ushuaia is sometimes an option.

Where is Ushuaia Argentina?

The city of Ushuaia is located on Tierra del Fuego island (which means “land of fire”) way down south in Argentina, with the southern tip of Chile just a stone’s throw away. To travel to Ushuaia, it’s a 3.5 hour flight from Buenos Aires.

Ski Ushuaia: Accommodation

Ushuaia offers a large range of accommodation for all budgets. Ushuaia accommodation includes basic hostels, hosterias, and 4 star and 5 star hotels. There is also one option for lodging on-mountain at Cerro Castor.

Ushuaia Hotel Listings

Facilities & Activities

The main street, San Martin, is the epicentre of tourist amenities in Ushuaia, with some of the surrounding streets also servicing the tourist trade.

Ushuaia restaurants are reasonably prolific and of course there are various parillas, which are pretty obvious from the aromas they emit. Seafood is also common fare in the upscale and moderately priced restaurants in Ushuaia, and at the other end of the scale are some cheap and nasty eateries where the food is far from good. Downtown Ushuaia also has various bars and a couple of casinos.

With the exception of supermarkets, most of the shopping is centred on San Martin, where you’ll find outdoor shops, a handful of ski shops, and various stores selling end of the world T-shirts, penguin plush toys, and a raft of other souvenirs. There are also a few Patagonian chocolate shops, but not as many as you’d find in tourist towns further north such as Bariloche and Villa la Angostura.

Ushuaia activities include boat cruises, museums, hikes around the Tierra del Fuego National Park, and cross country skiing and dog sledding during winter.