Zip-lining on Chapelco

Among the many adventure activities San Martín de los Andes offers, zip-lining is ideal to share with friends and family. Not far from the city center, it is also a great way to see spectacular landscapes. Joaquín Bracht is the host at Miramás Canopy, where visitors can fly in summer or when the mountain is dressed in white, a perfect complement to skiing in the snow park and snowshoeing. They have set up a seven-stage circuit in an aged native forest, where a specialist designed the length and level of difficulty of each stage. We drove all the way up to Miramás on a summer afternoon while a light breeze was blowing. In winter visitors are taken up the last stretch in a vehicle fitted with caterpillar tracks for the snow.

We reached the mountain shelter, had a drink and listened to our instructors as they explained how to use the harnesses, pulleys and gloves on the training platform. We had a go at the zip-line and then climbed into a Unimog and were driven to the starting point along old logging roads.

Aerial games

Once we were on the first platform and having checked the carabiners and helmets and been reminded of the proper way to brake and control speed, off we went! The silence of the forest was only broken by the metallic sound of the pulley against the steel cable. As first-timers, we were focused on doing things right so we did not pay much attention to the scenery. When we reached the second platform we began to feel more self-assured and aware of our sensations. Looking down on tree tops and whizzing by foliage was exhilarating. As we gained more confidence we managed to control the speed with our hand behind the pulley so as to look at the sky, the forest and everything around us. One by one we completed all the stages of the zip line with a light trek between two platforms. We all behaved like kids again and amid laughs and screams expressed our emotions. ‘It doesn’t require a lot of technique or fitness and is a great way to get in touch with nature,’ said Joaquín. Nearing the end, when we felt completely at ease, the whole valley, Lake Lacar and the Lanin Volcano lay before our eyes: an unsurpassable view! We thanked our instructors for giving us the time to enjoy every minute and for making us feel perfectly safe. When we re-grouped back at the shelter we shared our experience and some of us even wanted to have a second go there and then. We sipped our beers and had our delicious homemade pizza by the fire, looking through the windows at the valley below, a typical Patagonian mountain sunset.