No matter which direction you approach Caviahue from, the road winds its way through dusty, sometimes more, sometimes less hilly steppe landscape, passing equally dusty little towns every hundred kilometers or so. The ascent into the Cordillera begins almost imperceptibly, at least if you don't miss the turn-off. After the eternally beautiful weather of the steppe, clouds and drizzle spilling down from the mountains into the lowlands are a welcome change. At some point, the drizzle turns into individual snowflakes. A few bends further on, our half-asleep road trip comes to an abrupt end: the narrow access valley leads into the high plateau of Caviahue and we are greeted by horizontal heavy snowfall. The course of the road under snow drifts can only be recognized with a little imagination. Shadowy aracarias emerge from the fog. We have arrived.
Caviahue, the village, is idyllically situated on the lakeshore. There are hotels in all price ranges and a few hostels and pubs, but not much else. The neighboring and better-known thermal spa with Hotelkompex Copahue can only be reached by skido in winter. Caviahue, the ski resort, is located just above the village, about one kilometer away. The staff at the tourist information office give us a friendly welcome:
"Are you here to ski? Freeriding? Ski touring? Fine, great! Only: it has just snowed so much and the mountain is so flat... Well, welcome to Caviahue!"
