Las Leñas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Las Leñas |
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View of the valley
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| Location | Mendoza, Cuyo, Argentina |
| Coordinates | 35°08′49″S 70°04′52″W / 35.146888°S 70.081139°W |
| Vertical | 1,190 m (3,900 ft) |
| Top elevation | 3,430 m (11,250 ft) |
| Base elevation | 2,240 m (7,350 ft) |
| Skiable area | 17,500 hectares (43,000 acres) |
| Runs | 40 Green - 15% Blue - 45% Red - 35% Black - 5% |
| Longest run | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
| Lift system | 14 |
| Lift capacity | 9,500/hour |
| Snowmaking | 30 cannons |
| Website | Las Leñas |
Las Leñas is a super cool ski resort located high up in the mountains of Argentina. It's in the western part of Mendoza Province. This place is famous for its amazing powder snow and perfect weather for all kinds of skiing, even extreme and off-piste adventures!
Building this awesome ski center started in January 1983. Amazingly, it opened just a few months later in July 1983, with a hotel that had 300 beds. Las Leñas has a great variety of ski slopes. There are easy ones for beginners and super challenging ones for expert skiers. It also has huge areas outside the marked trails for extreme skiing.
The lowest part of the ski area is 2,240 meters (about 7,350 feet) above sea level. The highest point you can ski from is 3,430 meters (about 11,250 feet) high! This means you can drop a total of 1,190 meters (about 3,900 feet) from top to bottom. The total area where you can ski is about 2.3 square kilometers (0.9 square miles). It has 27 marked runs, and you can ski non-stop for up to 7 kilometers (about 4.3 miles). The entire ski area you can reach by land is the biggest in South America. Las Leñas is also home to the Piscis Hotel, which has the highest casino in the world!
The ski season usually runs from mid-June to mid-October. However, sometimes it ends a bit earlier, like in mid-September. When it's not winter, during the southern hemisphere summer, Las Leñas is still open for fun mountain activities. You can go mountain biking, horse riding, climbing, and do many other exciting things.
The ski center has a special school where you can learn to ski or snowboard. It's for all ages! There are also places to take care of younger kids. The school even offers special classes to help you explore the huge off-piste areas, which are perfect for advanced skiers.
When it comes to places to stay, Las Leñas has different options. There are fancy hotels, apartment hotels (like apartments with hotel services), and sleep houses. The resort also has a small shopping center. Here you can find a bank, shops for ski gear, delicious chocolate shops, souvenir shops, and a supermarket. There are also Coffee houses, restaurants, and night clubs to complete the fun atmosphere.
Because Las Leñas is far from big cities, it's usually not too crowded, except on weekends. This means the lines for the ski lifts are often shorter than at other ski resorts in Argentina.
Las Leñas has hosted some important international ski events. It held men's downhill races for the Alpine Skiing World Cup in 1986 and 1987. It also hosted women's downhill and super-G events in 1990. Plus, it was the location for the only Winter Pan American Games ever held, which took place in 1990.
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Getting to Las Leñas
Las Leñas is about 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) from Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. You can get there by car, bus, or even airplane. If you fly, you'll land at the Comodoro D. Ricardo Salomón Airport near Malargüe, which is about 95 kilometers (59 miles) from Las Leñas. Another option is the Suboficial Aytes Germano Airport near San Rafael, which has regular flights. From these airports, buses can take you the rest of the way to Las Leñas.
The road leading to Las Leñas is paved, so it's usually easy to drive on. It's not often blocked by snow. However, if the weather is really bad or the road conditions are poor, the Gendarmería (border guards) might close it temporarily for safety. If you're driving, your car needs to have snow chains unless it has special tires for snow and ice.
Mountain Weather
Las Leñas has a unique mountain climate. It's known for having warm summers and very snowy winters. Even though it's in the Southern Hemisphere, its climate is similar to some places in colder parts of the world. This means it gets plenty of snow for skiing!
Big Sports Events
Las Leñas has been the stage for some exciting international sports competitions.
Winter Pan American Games
In 1987, sports leaders decided that the first-ever Winter Pan American Games would happen in Las Leñas, Argentina. They planned for it to be in 1989, but there wasn't enough snow that year. So, the Games were moved to 1990.
The first and only Winter Pan American Games took place from September 16 to 22, 1990. There were 97 athletes from eight different countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States. The athletes competed in six events for just one sport: Alpine skiing. This included three types of races: Slalom, giant slalom, and super-G.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States (USA) |
4 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| 2 |  Canada (CAN) |
2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 |  Argentina (ARG) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Bolivia (BOL) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 Brazil (BRA) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 Chile (CHI) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 Colombia (COL) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
 Mexico (MEX) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals (8 entries) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | |
Alpine Skiing World Cup
Las Leñas made history on August 16 and 18, 1985, by hosting an event for the International Ski Federation's Alpine Skiing World Cup. It was the first time an Argentine ski resort hosted such a big event! The first two men's downhill races of the 1985-86 season were held here. Karl Alpiger from Switzerland won both races.
The next year, on August 15 and 16, 1986, Las Leñas again hosted the first two men's downhill races for the 1986-87 season. This time, Peter Müller from Switzerland took first place.
The Alpine Skiing World Cup returned to Las Leñas for the 1989-90 season. On August 8, 1989, a women's downhill race was held, followed by a women's super-G race on August 9. These races also kicked off the season. Michaela Gerg from West Germany won the downhill, and Anita Wachter from Austria won the super-G.
See also
In Spanish: Las Leñas para niños
- Cerro Catedral
- Cerro Castor
- Chapelco
- List of ski areas and resorts in South America
