Arpa Cat Skiing
Arpa Cat Skiing in Chile is a fabulously wild and magical adventure. Powderhounds should definitely put Arpa on the "must do" list for any ski holiday to South America. Arpa provides steep and challenging runs of 900 metres of uninterrupted vertical - not something you'd usually expect from cat skiing. This cat ski operation has all the delights of great terrain and freshies that you'd expect from heli skiing in the Andes. The difference is that Arpa provides exceptional value for money. With
Chile heli skiing, the same amount of vertical would cost four to six times as much.
El Arpa (the harp) is the only formal cat skiing operation in Chile as the South Americans haven’t fully caught onto the joys of the snowcat yet, but the secret is slowly leaking out.
Benefits of Cat Skiing
Cat skiing offers an opportunity to get away from the congestion and crowds at the ski resorts. You don’t have to fight hundreds or thousands of Santiago locals to get the fresh lines. And cat skiing is better than ski touring. You can save your time and energy for doing what you love most – going down the hill! Also, with
cat skiing the guided backcountry experience significantly improves the safety aspects.
Arpa Cat Ski Accommodation and Packages
Arpa offers single day guided cat skiing, so you can decide to just have a taste of cat skiing for one day, or alternatively you can cat ski for multiple days to completely satisfy your appetite for fresh lines. A 4 run package is incredibly reasonably priced at only $US195 per person in high season (and $30 for each additional run) or $165 in low season (2009 rates). It doesn’t include any unnecessary frills. It’s a case of BYO lunch and beverages.
There is no accommodation at Arpa, but there are various lodging options in the town of Los Andes (about an hour away) or in the Aconcagua Valley. See our
Arpa accommodation page for more information. A great option to immerse yourself in the "real" Chile is at Casa San Regis, an old hacienda that has retained the charms of the old world and combined these with mod cons. The accommodation here is bed and breakfast style and the prices are a small fraction of what you'd pay for lodging at the ski resorts.
There are various tour operators that provide packages that include accommodation and transport. One example is
Santiago Adventures who provide multi-day packages for cat skiing as well as a well priced 7 day tour that includes Tres Valles,
Portillo and two days of cat skiing. Santiago Adventures also run single day tours from Santiago.
Where is Arpa Cat Skiing Located?
Arpa cat skiing operates in two valleys, “Valle el Arpa” and “Valle la Honda”, in the shadow of Cerro Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Andes. Arpa is only 108km from
Santiago de Chile (about a 2:15 hour drive), and 35km from the town of Los Andes.
The access road to Arpa is very rugged so a heavy duty 4WD is required to get there. There are a couple of companies that provide transport from Los Andes or Santiago if you don’t want to self-drive. See our
getting to Arpa page for more information.
Terrain
The cat ski terrain is spread over 4,000 plus acres (1,619 hectares) between elevations of 2,700 and 3,740 metres. The terrain is treeless with huge powder bowls, steep slopes and chutes, and is most suited to advanced and expert riders. Many of the runs are double black diamond and there are even some optional lines that could be rated as suicidal. The highlight of the terrain is that the steep pitch continues all the way down to the day lodge. There are no traverses or cruisy run-outs. Arpa terrain is guaranteed to challenge your thighs as well as your lungs.
Arpa has two snowcats and can accommodate up to 25 riders, so you don’t have to share the terrain and powder with many others.
Other Reasons to Go Snowcat Skiing With Arpa?
The guides are multi-lingual so you don’t need to worry if your Spanish or Spanglish isn’t fantastic. However the biggest drawcard to Arpa is the remote location. It provides a great opportunity to get away from it all. Amidst the awesome alpine terrain you can appreciate the magnificent vistas. That’s of course if you’re not too busy ripping up the fresh powder.
More Information & Booking RequestsClick Here to request more information or to check availability.
Arpa Tours & Packages
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Arpa Express - Portillo Extension
The great way to finish off a week at Portillo and maximise your ski time in Chile. Stay an extra night en-route to Santiago Airport and ski 10,000+ vertical feet with Arpa Cat Skiing.
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Santiago Adventures - Heli + Cat Skiing Tour
7 day / 6 nights heli & cat skiing tour combining 2 days of cat skiing + 3 days of heli skiing in some of the most exciting terrain in the Andes. Package includes acommodation, meals, transfers +++.
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