Turismo Aventura
San Martin de los Andes (AR)
Ski touring (or Nordic skiing) isn't just for "tours". It's called that because it's not practiced within a marked ski resort with groomed snow and many amenities, but rather traverses areas of untouched snow, forests, steppes, canyons, frozen lakes, etc.
The technique for downhill skiing is the same as in Alpine or traditional skiing (using the wedge, parallel stance, and similar body positions), but we use skis that have some special additional characteristics. While there are specific boots for this type of skiing, generally the same boots used in traditional skiing are used.
To move uphill, we walk using skis with special bindings that leave the heel free. The skis have synthetic skins on the underside (called "skins" or "sealskins") with artificial hair that allows forward movement but prevents backward sliding.
On downhill slopes, we can ski normally, and if the slope is long, we lock the heel to the binding, remove the skins, and ski as usual in Alpine or regular skiing style. When walking, it's at a slow pace with various stops.
We have three types of outings:
Base of Volcán Lanin: Ski level required: Beginners. From 8 am to 8 pm.
Mallín de la Pala: Ski level required: Ski experience, mastery of parallel skiing essential. From 10 am to 4 pm.
Valle Escondido: Ski level required: Ski experience, mastery of at least wedge skiing essential. From 10 am to 4 pm.