I don't say these words lightly - this experience will change your life. I was snowboarding around Chile, Argentina/Patagonia July to September 2019. I have snowboard across Europe, USA, Canada, Japan - and now South America. This IS the place to be each and every year, and Mallin Alto IS the best place to be on the planet. If you do one 1 trip in your season, then make it here.
It is raw, it is luxury, it is incredible, it is being part of a family, it really is. I was collect at my hotel in Bariloche from the owner Kao and his partner. As soon as you meet Kao, he has that vibe in his face, the vibe where you know how knows how to live. It is easy to connect with him. We took a 3 hour drive across their land across bumpy roads and through streams, no mobile phone access, just an emergency radio. We stopped to say hi to his Dad and have a cup of tea, so cool. We swapped to a snow buggy for the last part of the trip and up to the igloos where we were greeted by the staff, although it does not have that feel, it feels like you have just made more friends. Inside, fire on, make more friends, no TV, no music, no phones, it was talking, board games, swapping your travel story’s, and all like minded laid back easy to get on with people, this is not a ‘show off’ place for ‘show off’ people.
Great food by a lovely wonderful cook, then under your 4 duvets and in to bed as the generator goes off overnight - this is proper backcountry. Wake up, generator on, fire on, food, assess the snow, leave when everyone is ready….no stress, no clock. Ride inside your comfort zone, be safe, no waivers like the USA as there is an unspoken rule that you respect the mountain and you respect the crew. It works - this is a long established successful business.
Jump on the side of ski doo - hold on! Then as you go across the top of the first peak, you will shake with adrenaline, you can ride whereever you want!!! (once the snow pack has been assessed). Bowls, chutes, steeps, trees, trees, trees and trees!!! Large open faces! And you can ride all day. The ski doo service is quick, easy, logistically impressive. Give me a Cat, give me a Heli - no way, just get me to Mallin Alto.
I live in London, England, yet each year I will head here, it is that simple. As I said…it WILL change your life, and I love my new friends.
– Darren Read 06/12/2020
This is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I had the best time. The skiing and the views were amazing (the runs were super long and I got more vertical per day then I would riding the lifts at a resort, and all on fresh powder). Riding the snowmobiles with the crew there was maybe ever more fun than the skiing and they did an amazing job while we were going down to go scope out new locations and fresh powder stashes for us to ride, we ended up so far out there in the middle of mountains, it was a humbling experience to see how wild and vast it is out there.
The hut is in a beautiful location, it is warm and clean on the inside, I stayed in one of the private rooms and it had a comfy bed, a nice bathroom, a fireplace and amazing views. The food was delicious with hot meals 3 times a day and there is local home brew beer on tap and a wine cellar. Everyone working there was friendly and helpful. I loved it!
– Elizabeth 07/08/2019
I decided very last minute (only two days in advance) to hop over from Chile to Argentina alone to attend this trip. As a female solo traveler (who doesn't speak Spanish) in Argentina for the first time, I had no idea what I was getting into, but this ended up being one of the best ski experiences of my life. Kao and Lucio (the owners ) did everything possible to make my stay as comfortable and awesome as possible, including finding me an English speaking guide to translate for me on mountain and in the lodge.
There was another small group of 5 people at the Glamping for part of my stay that I spent time skiing and socializing with, but I also very much enjoyed skiing alone with the guide and relaxing in the quiet dome once the group had left.
Snow/Terrain -- I visited during an unusually low snow season and there had not been any recent snowfall on the region. Somehow we were still able to find some stashes of untouched or wind blown powder with the help of Kao and Lucio expert knowledge of the mountain. Given the circumstances, I can't think of a better place to have been skiing in the region, and can only imagine how amazing this place is after a fresh snowfall. This place is massive, like a ski resort to yourself, with plenty of variety of terrain. I did not grow tired of the options, I never had to ski over anyone else's tracks, and got to ski everything from long wide-open cruisers to rocky steep faces. I was able to ski a new zone of the area each of my 3 days.
Snowmobiles -- The most efficient way to ski! It was really quick loading back up the mountain to do a lot of long runs (15-20 in just a few hours) and explore new terrain options in different areas of the mountain. Much faster than a snowcat or ski lift, but a lot more exciting! I felt safe and comfortable riding on the snowmobiles with our guides.
Transportation -- Super timely and an adventure on its own. I got a call as soon as my flight arrived in Bariloche and the driver was waiting for me outside the airport. The off-road journey to Mallin Alto is definitely a part of the rugged experience that I enjoyed.
Lodging/Meals -- The Glamping itself is unexpectedly luxurious for how remote it is. Safe drinkable water, adequate warmth from the wood stoves, and comfortable beds. I slept two nights upstairs in the dome which is the warmest room in the Glamping. The third night I switched rooms to sleep in the smaller dome that had an incredible view of the stars at night and sunrise in the morning. The meals were a major highlight of the experience! Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners featured delicious local cuisine and wine carefully prepared by the chefs.
I will definitely be visiting again!
– Sadaf Ayub - EE.UU. 24/08/2018
My son (age12) and I just returned from a fantastic 2 day, 2 night stay at Mallin Alto. We highly recommend this adventure.
Getting to the Dome
Our adventure began during the insertion to Mallin Alto. Carlos picked us up at our hotel in Bariloche around 5pm. We drove for about a hour out of town until the road ended at a remote ranch owned by Kao’s great uncle (age 86!). They called this “stage1”. During “stage2” we were soon fording rivers that were up to the floor boards of the car. At points we were driving straight up the stream bed itself. “Stage3” started at the snow line where we transferred to a tracked vehicle that took us up to the domes which are perched in a remote alpine setting. It was snowing so hard that we had to wait another full day before we could see the amazing views. Living in the dome was very relaxed and quite comfortable. The food was excellent and the wood burning stove/heaters made for a great atmosphere. However, we would not recommend Mallin Alto for those who have “high maintenance” standards.
Skiing
There are seemingly endless lines with great terrain at Mallin Alto. We had great snow during our visit to Mallin Alto. High winds, snow and clouds on the first day kept us skiing mostly in the trees with a few late-afternoon runs higher on an open ridge. Second day after the wind died, we enjoyed repeated laps on wide-open lines in untracked, light powder. Amazing! In our opinion, a skier who is comfortable skiing black diamond runs at a resort in a full range of snow conditions (powder, crud, wind slab, hard pack, trees) will get the most out of a visit to Mallin Alto. We also found that wide skis were a definite advantage in Mallin Alto’s snow conditions.
Snowmobiles
Kao and his team are master snowmobile drivers which allows them to summit steep terrain and maneuver between tight trees. As other reviewers have said, riding a snowmobile is a thrilling, demanding and active process. You don’t get the same rest between runs as you do on a lift or cat skiing. Our max was 14 runs on the second day for a vertical of 12,000 feet.
Overall
Kao and his extended family/team are excellent hosts. Memories from our Mallin Alto adventure will last a lifetime.
– Deane Malott-EE.UU. 24/08/2017
