We just got back from skiing at Las Lenas, and after having a hard time deciding where to go (Las Lenas, Portillo, Catedral, Chapelco), I figured I'd share our experience with other travelers. In a nutshell, I found Las Lenas overrated and overpriced.
To me, the only on-piste trails worth skiing are those off the Marte (I'm an expert skier, I was skiing with an intermediate the skier, who could handle all the terrain easily). The rest of the mountain is a crowded, boring beginner-intermediate resort (which I was surprised by because everything I read online makes it sound challenging). If there's good snow (which there wasn't this week) and you're an expert skier who can go off-piste (which was not most of the people there) then it might be fantastic. But if you're planning to stay on the marked trails, or you aren't guaranteed good conditions, then I thought the quality of the skiing was really disappointing.
I was also surprised how unwelcoming it is to day-trippers. Those who can afford to spend US$2200+ per person per week have access to their own hotel, so this doesn't apply to them. But there were hundreds of day-trippers each day, and Las Lenas has no sort of lodge/base area for them (aside from a crowded lockerroom as a cost of US$15/day). Definitely didn't feel worth the money (345 pesos for a one-day lift ticket).
I know there are people who are going to disagree with me, but I thought the reviews online painted an overly rosy picture of the resort, its services, and the skiing.
I wrote more here, for anyone who wants to read more about my reasoning: http://www.stephandben.com/2012/08/las-lenas-overrated-ski-resort.html
To me, the only on-piste trails worth skiing are those off the Marte (I'm an expert skier, I was skiing with an intermediate the skier, who could handle all the terrain easily). The rest of the mountain is a crowded, boring beginner-intermediate resort (which I was surprised by because everything I read online makes it sound challenging). If there's good snow (which there wasn't this week) and you're an expert skier who can go off-piste (which was not most of the people there) then it might be fantastic. But if you're planning to stay on the marked trails, or you aren't guaranteed good conditions, then I thought the quality of the skiing was really disappointing.
I was also surprised how unwelcoming it is to day-trippers. Those who can afford to spend US$2200+ per person per week have access to their own hotel, so this doesn't apply to them. But there were hundreds of day-trippers each day, and Las Lenas has no sort of lodge/base area for them (aside from a crowded lockerroom as a cost of US$15/day). Definitely didn't feel worth the money (345 pesos for a one-day lift ticket).
I know there are people who are going to disagree with me, but I thought the reviews online painted an overly rosy picture of the resort, its services, and the skiing.
I wrote more here, for anyone who wants to read more about my reasoning: http://www.stephandben.com/2012/08/las-lenas-overrated-ski-resort.html