This National Park in Argentina Has Incredible Skiing-and You Can Stay in Cozy Huts Along the Way

"We were standing on a wind-blasted ridge at 5,800 feet. The dark silhouette of a condor circled overhead, and we watched as it carved through a patch of blue sky. Clouds were coming in, but I still had a prime view of part of the Four Huts Traverse, the 29-mile, multiday ski route in the Argentinean region of Río Negro. I was attempting to complete the circuit with my friend Tyler Wilkinson-Ray."

"The shelters were once primarily used for summer hiking trips, when porters stocked them with food, drinks, and supplies. Winter services were lacking-until now. Skiers can arrange a stay for one or more nights and link up the huts to create a circuit in this needle-spired section of the Andes that's famous for off-piste skiing. Besides the standard touring equipment (avalanche beacon, shovel, probe), visitors need to carry little more than a sleeping bag and a toothbrush, since dormitory-style bunks and hearty meals are provided."

"On the first day of our trek, Tyler and I met our guide, Juan "Juano" José Puliafito, with whom we connected through Club Andino Bariloche-the organization of guides and hutkeepers who maintain the properties-at Catedral Alta Patagonia, one of South America's largest ski resorts. From the top of a lift, the three of us descended 4,800 feet into a ravine that, over the course of two hours, funneled us to Refugio Frey."

Travelers stood on a wind-blasted ridge at 5,800 feet, watching a condor circle while viewing part of the Four Huts Traverse, a 29-mile multiday ski route in Río Negro. The traverse links four refugios—Frey, Laguna Negra, López, and San Martín-Jakob—within Nahuel Huapi National Park, modeled on Alpine huts built by European immigrants in the 1950s and 60s. The shelters shifted from summer hiking support to offering winter services, allowing skiers to stay in dormitory bunks and receive hearty meals. The route is renowned for off-piste skiing and requires standard touring and avalanche-safety equipment. Local guides and Club Andino Bariloche maintain the huts.

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