In this guide
Switzerland and Argentina offer their main winter ski seasons in opposite halves of the year. That makes your travel dates a useful starting point. Zermatt also offers summer glacier skiing, so the decision is about the kind of ski week you want as well as the month you can travel.
When does each season actually run?
For a winter resort week, the usual planning windows are roughly December to April in Switzerland and July to September in Bariloche and Cerro Catedral. Opening dates and available terrain depend on the resort and conditions. Our guide on Where to ski in July and August covers the southern winter.
There is an important exception to a simple north-versus-south calendar: Zermatt offers summer skiing on the Theodul Glacier, with skiing concentrated in the morning and up to 21 km of pistes advertised by the lift operator. That is a different trip from a full winter week in Bariloche. Compare the terrain and daily schedule you want, then check operating conditions for your dates.
What the terrain feels like
Cerro Catedral is one mountain at a scale that surprises people. It covers 1,200 hectares of skiable terrain served by 38 lifts, from a base at 1,030 m to a summit at 2,180 m, with Lake Nahuel Huapi below every run. The houses in Arelauquen sit 35 minutes from the lifts.
In Switzerland, Zermatt and St. Moritz are the resorts we plan around. Europe is villages, long lunches and the ritual around the skiing.
Heli skiing and the busy weeks
Zermatt is the busiest heli ski location in Switzerland. In Bariloche, heli skiing and cat skiing are experiences we arrange around the week, always subject to conditions and the operator's call on the day, with an afternoon sailing on Lake Nahuel Huapi or a quieter day on the groomed runs agreed in advance as the backup plan. We explain what a heli day involves in Heli skiing, explained.
Cerro Catedral gets busy during the South American school holidays in July. Outside that window it stays genuinely quiet, and we plan around the dates either side.
Which one first?
Whichever season you can travel in. A first ski trip or a group of mixed abilities does well where beginner and expert terrain are genuinely separate, the same reasoning in Patagonia, the USA or Europe. If you already ski the northern winter and want a second one in July, Bariloche gives you scale, quiet and a house in Arelauquen with everything already in place. Tell us which of those weeks you are after, and we plan the trip around it.
If a heli day is part of either season, see what actually drives heli skiing cost before you plan around one.
Planning the Swiss side specifically: see what a Zermatt evening is like once the lifts close.
Before the evening, there is the arrival itself: see the moment the Matterhorn first appears on the way into the village.
Common questions
Should I ski Switzerland or Argentina?
Their main winter seasons fall at different times: roughly December to April in Switzerland and July to September in Bariloche, subject to the resort and conditions. Zermatt also offers summer glacier skiing, a different experience from a full winter resort week. See when each season runs below, and our guide on choosing a region for how we work through the rest of the decision.
Is there heli skiing in Bariloche?
Yes. Heli skiing and cat skiing are experiences we arrange around a Bariloche week, always subject to conditions and the operator's call on the day, as we explain in Heli skiing, explained.
How big is Cerro Catedral?
1,200 hectares of skiable terrain and 38 lifts, from a base at 1,030 m to a summit at 2,180 m, which gives 1,150 m of vertical. See our Bariloche and Cerro Catedral page for the full picture.
When is Cerro Catedral busiest?
During the South American school holidays in July, when the slopes fill. Outside that window it runs quiet, which is one reason we plan around the dates either side of the holiday. See Where to ski in July and August for how we build that plan.
- Switzerland
- Argentina
- Ski season
