Winter's first major snowfall: the ski season has begun in Patagonia
With up to 36 centimeters of fresh snow on the peaks and Cerro Catedral just opened, the 2026 winter season kicks off strong. Bayo, Chapelco, Caviahue and Batea Mahuida complete a white map that has the whole region excited.
Patagonia woke up white and the thermometer dropped the way it's supposed to. The snowfall that hit the region's ski resorts in the past few hours isn't just good news for skiers — it's confirmation that winter 2026 arrived with a vengeance.
Cerro Catedral, the largest ski center in South America, recorded up to 36 centimeters of accumulated snow above 1,500 meters. The official opening took place on June 29 and the season is already underway. The daily pass starts at $160,000, with interest-free installments through the end of the month. The new feature this year is the Playpark, a dedicated area designed for first-time snow visitors.
The map of open resorts stretches across all of Patagonia. In Villa La Angostura, Cerro Bayo inaugurated its season backed by natural precipitation and accumulated artificial snow. On the Neuquén side, Caviahue Ski Resort opened on June 27, and Batea Mahuida — the Mapuche snow park in Villa Pehuenia — begins its first day of the season on July 1. In San Martín de los Andes, Chapelco is racing against the clock: it's preparing to open and will unveil a new gondola that will triple transport capacity to the summit.
Expectations are high. Temperatures remain low, the snow that fell is high quality — dry, powder — and forecasts anticipate more precipitation in the coming days. For tourism operators in Bariloche, San Martín and the Neuquén corridor, an early opening with good conditions is the best possible scenario to attract visitors in July, the peak month of the season.
Patagonia in winter is more than skiing. The 2026 season arrives with an offer that includes snowshoeing, mushing, mountain gastronomy, hotels with mountain views and a cultural calendar that grows year after year. For regional tourism, every centimeter the mountain accumulates is another reason to visit. Today, the mountain spoke loud.
