Cerro Catedral

Wikipedia gives the top of the resort at 2,100 metres and the base at about 1,030 metres, with the highest summit, the Torre Principal, often cited at 2,388 metres. Sources vary in the figures they give. The mountain is said to be named for its resemblance to a cathedral; a ski history in the Skiing History journal says it was named for this resemblance, and Spanish-language sources attribute the name to a series of stone spires at the southern end of the massif. The panoramic view takes in Lake Nahuel Huapi, Campanario Hill, Lakes Moreno and El Trebol, Cerro Bellavista and the Andes.

According to the Skiing History account, in 1936 the National Parks Directorate hired the Innsbruck-born skier Hans Nobl to find a site near Bariloche for a world-class ski resort, and he chose Cerro Catedral. Spanish sources agree, saying Nobl, an Austrian ski champion, judged its slopes the most suitable, and that the first competition took place in 1938. The Club Argentino de Ski was founded in 1938, and in 1940 the first drag lifts were installed, financed by Dr. Antonio Lynch. Refugio Lynch became the first ski lodge on the mountain. A cable car, with parts that had waited in Italy until trade resumed after the Second World War, is reported to have opened in 1950.

Local ski schools followed in the 1940s, including one led by Catalina Reynal, who helped local children learn to ski. Otto Meiling, a Bavarian climber and co-founder of the Club Andino Bariloche, is also named as an early ski instructor. Later milestones given by Spanish-language sources include the Lynch chairlift in 1964 or 1965, FIS certification of the slopes for international competition in 1973, and the unification of north and south slopes under one concession in 2004.

Wikipedia describes a skiable area of about 600 hectares with roughly 31 to 48 kilometres of runs, the longest about 9 kilometres, and dozens of lifts. Snow-day and lift figures vary by source and year. The resort is within Nahuel Huapi National Park, which the park's own brochure gives as 717,261 hectares, about 7,170 square kilometres.

In the warmer months the mountain is a base for trekking and rock climbing. Refugio Lynch is a summer hikers' hut on one of the tops, while Refugio Emilio Frey, run by the Club Andino Bariloche, sits beside the Toncek lagoon near the Torre Principal and serves trekkers and climbers. Frey was named the first superintendent of Nahuel Huapi National Park in 1934, but sources do not explain why the refuge carries his name. The resort also offers year-round activities for non-skiers.

The mountain is reached by road from Bariloche, and the base area has hotels and hostels. Snow conditions, wind and weather decide what is open in any season, so plans should be flexible. A private tour with a driver can combine the mountain with nearby lake and forest scenery on the same day.