Interesting to look at the category reviews on Powderhounds for best resorts in South America because Las Lenas is not discussed much but it comes in #1 for Extreme skiing, Off piste skiing and Powder in South America.

We timed our trip around a snowstorm in early August and we had the necessary snow for the Marte chair to be opened. With the Marte chair and Eduardo trail open - this is the most extreme mountain I have ever skied with Kicking Horse #2 and Jackson, Squaw, Whistler and Revelstoke behind that. Eduardo is 2500 vertical feet of 40 degree pitch but you need powder to ski it (for steepness - think KT22, Alta Chutes at Jackson, the Cirque, CPR Ridge at KH but much longer). It was terrific the times we skied it and the run under the chair was also a great run with some of the best snow Ive ever skied in my life on extreme steeps.

If you are coming here - you need a beacon, shovel, probe to ski stuff like Eduardo - it's not worth it if you arent bringing that stuff - they wont let you do backcountry without. I ordered it online for the 3 of us the week before - it's pretty easy and about $300 a skier.

We stayed at the Virgo hotel which I think is the best place in town and it was fine and not unreasonable. It's relatively modern with nice open spaces in common areas but the rooms are smaller and meant for sleeping not hanging out. The dining was good and breakfast and dinner was included.

The Argentinian exchange rate is a funny thing and you need to make sure you are using it correctly (or the people charging you are using it correctly). My room looked 30% more expensive in Pesos but somehow they used the (legal) black market USD exchange market rate and reduced the price 30%.

We ran into an extreme skiing group of teenagers and guides from Squaw Valley at the Virgo and we reminisced a bit about Shane McConkey and his travels to Las Lenas which makes a lot of sense if you know what Shane was looking for. If you are looking for a South American adventure and extreme terrain and you know you will have the snow for the Marte trip - this is a fantastic trip.

If Marte isnt open - you are spending a lot of time and money to ski an easy resort with old lifts and potentially long lines. If you do not enjoy 40 degree slopes - it's a cool adventure but perhaps another area is easier to get to and just as good. My rating is for the Marte chair being open and people looking for those extreme slopes.
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Eviten Las leñas. Todo es viejo, los hoteles son pésimos, como si fuera 1980. la atención a la gente es mala (ademas estan de mal humor porque no hay nieve). Este año 2023 no hay nada. Los demás cerros de argentina explotan de nieve. Sector 1 es el único abierto, o sea, el 15% de todo el cerro y está abierto forzado por maquinas de nieve ( 5 pistas que son lamentables) en esas 5 se concentra todo el cerro asi que para subir a cada medio estima 1 hora de cola más la subida. Antes de venir pedímos para pagar una penalidad y pasar el viaje para otra semana o para el año que viene. cualquier fecha. Hasta ofrecímos pagar 30% de penalidad pero me dijeron que si no iba, perdía todo. me aseguraron que había nieve y que había previstas grandes nevadas. Ahora estoy escribiendo esto porque llueve. En las leñas y casi en agosto aquí no nieva, llueve. Lo mas lindo es que si no hay esquí no hay nada para hacer. olvidate. a jugar a las cartas. Cualquier cerro en Argentina es muy superior. Vayan a Chápelco!

From google translate: Avoid firewood. Everything is old, the hotels are terrible, as if it were 1980. The attention to the people is bad (they are also in a bad mood because there is no snow). This year 2023 there is nothing. The other hills of Argentina explode with snow. Sector 1 is the only one open, that is, 15% of the entire hill and it is open forced by snow machines (5 tracks that are unfortunate) in those 5 the entire hill is concentrated so to climb each medium it is estimated 1 hour of queue plus the climb. Before coming we ask to pay a penalty and spend the trip for another week or for next year. any date. We even offered to pay a 30% penalty but they told me that if I didn't go, I would lose everything. They assured me that there was snow and that heavy snowfall was forecast. Now I'm writing this because it rains. In the woods and almost in August here it does not snow, it rains. The most beautiful thing is that if there is no skiing there is nothing to do. forget. to play cards. Any hill in Argentina is much higher. Go to Chapelco!
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Las Leñas was pretty much all that it was cracked up to be from what we’d heard about this iconic Argentine ski resort, and this included the good, the absolutely awesome, the bad and the ugly.

We planned a trip of 5-6 days with the hope that the Marte chair would be open for at least some of that time. Things weren’t looking too good initially, with rain in the village, minimal snow coverage on the lower parts of the mountain, and groomers that were pretty appalling due to the rain damage.

Thankfully the stars eventually aligned and we scored one day (shame it wasn’t more) of a little fresh powder, sunshine, no wind, and the famous (or infamous) Marte chair was open for business. Also thankfully we hired a guide for the day from ski school. He was phenomenal in many respects and showed us some fabulous fresh lines that were primarily lift accessed (and organised a driver for a couple of road pick-ups from some wider lines). Being out there in the wilderness with barely anyone else around, riding fresh powder, and skiing amazing terrain felt like a day of really good heli skiing (and just like heli skiing it cost a lot!). It was easy to see why so many people absolutely rave about Las Leñas Argentina!

A few things we loved about Las Lenas:
- amazing terrain and good snow up top
- the dinners at Hotel Piscis and all that Malbec wine
- the vibe of the village and the après-ski scene when the sun was out

A few things we didn’t like so much about Las Lenas:
- the cost of the hotel seemed really expensive considering it was very dated
- the skiing was rather boring when the Marte chair was closed
- by golly it took a long time to drive there and to go onto our next destination, but I suppose that’s all part of the adventure!

See more on our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Las Lenas overview page and also see the South American ski resort ratings to see how it compares.
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Las Leñas has the best offpiste terrain besides the alps. No US or canadian ski resort compares or offers this quality of backcountry terrain (not even Jackson Hole). The marte chair gets you access to some of the best terrain in the world that could be compared to Chamonix, La Grave, Verbier or Alagna with almost no crowds and much much easier returns to the resort.

The biggest problem of Las lenas is the wind and the marte chair that runs up to 3200m closes often.

Im 52 and skied and boarded all my life and have been riding allover europe, US, canada, alaska, southamerica..
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Disclaimer: Visited Las Lenas in a very poor snow year. I hope it wasn't typical of the conditions there.

This is a high altitude desert resort. It is REALLY in the middle of nowhere. There is very little at the base, just a few ok hotels. You would never be able to ski there on a poor visibility or stormy day. There are just rocks and cliffs, ands you would at serious risk of getting lost or falling of a cliff. Except for about 10 spruce trees at the base, the nearest tree would be about 300km away.

I enjoyed visiting Argentina, but Las Lenas was a waste of time and money. Go somewhere else.

PS: I rated the resort as middling for child friendly, but only because I couldn't find a non applicable option. I don't know if it is child friendly.
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I was in Las Lenas from August 28 to Sept 6 2010...it have been a pretty bad winter apparently in that area... But we got lucky... we got hitted by a huge storm that brought almost 80 cm in 3 days... La marte chair was open almost everyday. We stayed at the bottom of the hill for the whole week.

we had an amazing time... the resort have many good restaurants and pubs.... the casino is a lot of fun... only problem was my lack of spanish skills... not that many people speak english... neither french :)

Even if it was a bad season (2010) according to the locals.. I would recommend Las Lenas!

We flew from santiago to Mendoza then took a 7 h bus to Las Lenas.

Cheers
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