The “impossible” dream that came true and transformed tourism in Ushuaia forever

Juan Carlos Begué was born in Tunuyán, in the Uco Valley, Mendoza, so since he was a child he had a close relationship with mountains and snowalthough he probably did not imagine the importance that both would have later in his life.

In dialogue with Clarionsays that one day, while talking with friends who had recently been in Ushuaia, he learned, along with his wife, about the situation and prospects for the capital of Land of Fireand it was enough for them to make the decision: to go on the adventure of search for a new life at the end of the world.

They arrived in Tierra del Fuego in 1971, when Ushuaia was a small town of just over 5,000 inhabitants (today it has more than 80,000), and Juan Carlos contacted people in the area linked to the mountains and outdoor activities, which was the market he was looking to target.

One of his first achievements was promote the reactivation of the Club Andino Ushuaiawhich was “asleep”, while it was dedicated to commerce, selling adventure clothing and accessories through brands that became references in the city, such as Popper, one of the pioneers in offering sports equipment such as running, skiing, snowboarding, trekking, hiking, camping, fishing and other nature and outdoor activities.

When Raúl Alfonsín assumed the presidency of the country, in 1983, Tierra del Fuego was still national territory, and the governor was appointed by the president. Alfonsín appointed Trejo Noel, a former resident of Río Grande, who died shortly after in a plane crash and was succeeded by deputy Adolfo Surano, of whom Juan Carlos was a friend.

“One day, talking about What could be done to improve the winter seasonI gave him my opinion that the situation was not really going to change until Ushuaia had a ski resort“Juan Carlos remembers today, to his 80 yearsfrom the Fuegian capital.

The dream, even without knowing it, was already underway.

At that time – the mid-80s – in the city and surrounding areas you could practice some snow activitiessuch as sleigh rides or cross-country skiing, “but they did not generate volume, they did not pull the tourism car,” says the businessman.

Then a consulting firm was hired that between 1984 and 1985 did a study of the land and located two possible places to build a ski center that they respected the initial condition, which was that they were not more than 30 km from the city, so that it could rely on its infrastructure.

One location was near the Tierra del Fuego National Park, and the other, in the current location, 26 km north of Ushuaia on route 3.

“A very in-depth technical and topographic study of the place was carried out, and it was concluded that it was technically suitable for a ski resort, in addition to being interesting due to the topography and landscape. Then it was decided that the site where Cerro Castor is today was the most suitable,” he recalls.

But then the project, like so many in Argentina, began to sleep the sleep of the just, forgotten in some drawer.

Years later, Tierra del Fuego had already been transformed into a province, a call for bids was made that stipulated that the investor had to be in charge of everything, almost without interference from the State: no one showed up. “Because in those conditions it was very difficult; The current airport did not exist, it was a much smaller terminal and it was impossible to achieve an adequate rate of return on the investment,” explains Begué.

Some time later a new call for tendersin which the government committed to doing some basic works, such as bringing natural gas and installing a chairlift and a ski lift. And the winner was obliged to carry out a series of works and have an investment and expansion plan.

“A clause said that if there was only one offer and it was reasonable, it would be awarded. I always thought that the place had to be in the hands of local investors, that we are the ones who know the city and the area well; That’s why I tried to set up a society with people related to tourism, but it didn’t work, and then My wife and I made the decision to show up alone, to put ‘all the meat on the grill’. “He had a lot of faith in the project, largely because of the name and prestige that Ushuaia has worldwide,” highlights the businessman.

After winning the tender, both began to take the first steps seeking to market the future ski center, but the doors didn’t open and there was a lot of distrust in the viability of the project. “The truth is that they didn’t even look at me,” Juan Carlos remembers today; They told him that it was crazy, that there was a lot of risk, that there was not the necessary volume for such a project. But he was convinced that it could be done.

“The first 10 years were very hard, and the truth is that the project was maintained thanks to the other companies we managed. And we put in a lot of personal work, a lot of time and dedication.”

Thus, since that opening on July 9, 1999, and at least until 2009, “everything was about helping, pushing, because we had to grow. Everything that the mountain generated, we poured into the mountain, with the hope that the turning point would arrive that would make us grow,” he remembers.

And it arrived. At least a first – but important – turning point, which was the inauguration of the new Ushuaia airport, in 1995, which allowed the arrival of larger planes, with more passengers.

“Tourism little by little began to take off, and with it, Cerro Castor. Then, step by step, it took off, and now we are in flight,” summarizes Juan Carlos.

But remember that in order to be able to maintain itself, in a country like Argentina, with its permanent crises, growth initially occurred mainly through “word of mouth”, a “slow but very firm, solid” system, he defines.

A key point is that the Cerro Castor project was never simply about opening a ski center; but heThe vision was always that this center had professional, competitive characteristicswhich was capable of playing on an equal footing with other snow resorts in the world, and which would be a good option for skiers from the Northern Hemisphere in the off-season.

Another impossible dream? No. Gastón Begué, Juan Carlos’s eldest son, traveled to France to study management of ski and mountain centers, and returned with all the energy and knowledge to apply what he learned there, in the south of the world.

And it paid off: in the early years of the 2000s, the first European competition teamsto train in what for them is the counterseason (the summer of the Northern Hemisphere).

“We became more and more established in that aspect, working in many cases according to the demands of the international teams themselves, and we can say that today We are the ski center with the highest concentration of ski teams training, all over the world.”Juan Carlos is proud.

And he adds: “Only In this 2024 season we hope to receive 650 professionals from these teamsbetween skiers, coaches, physical trainers.” Another goal accomplished.

One of the keys to the consolidation of Cerro Castor, as defined by Begué himself, is to be “always working and promoting” news and improvements.

And he details: “In recent years we installed three ski lifts and two more chairs, and we plan to open another next season. We grew in quantity and quality of restaurants, in the services and instructors of the ski school, with the idea of continually improve the product to make it more competitive. We have the disadvantage of being far away, and we seek to transform it into strength through service.”

The pandemic was another turning point in Castor’s growth, because it marked a “jump” in the number of visitors.

“In it first year post-pandemic (2021) the snow arrived very late in the central area, and that is why many people flocked to Ushuaia, where we had very good snow. And then many people met us, checked the level of service; We grew in tourism by 50% and we have not slowed it down.”

As distinctive characteristics of Cerro Castor, Begué highlights that the slopes are on the south face of the mountain, so The snow lasts longer and the longest season in the Southern Hemisphere is achieved.

“In addition, due to the latitude in which we are located – equivalent to that of Moscow in the Northern Hemisphere – you can ski at low altitude, which is an advantage because you avoid the health complications that altitude causes for many people. ; and thanks to the investments we have made, we are the ski resort in South America with more surface area of ​​technical snowwith about 50 cannons,” he adds.

When you arrived in Ushuaia far away and long ago, did you imagine that the city would become what it is today in terms of tourism? “No not at all; 50 years ago I didn’t even imagine that Ushuaia could be what it is today. And what’s more, I think we have not yet seen anything in relation to what we are going to see, the potential is enormous,” Begué announces.

And he concludes: “I thought that creating a ski resort was breaking the seasonality in Ushuaia, and today I can say ‘job accomplished’. Seasonality is broken; Before, taxi drivers didn’t work when it snowed and they didn’t like it; today they are happy; we are the engine of the winter economyand the majority of winter tourists’ spending is spent on other city services.”

“When we started this dream it was unthinkable to have to make a reservation at a restaurant; now it is essential; it is a great satisfaction to be able to say that in Ushuaia there is a before and after of Cerro Castor.”

Of a season that lasted two or three months a year -December to February-, Ushuaia spent 9 or 10 months of tourism. But the work is not finished far from it, because “It is a commitment, you have to be. We are from the middle, we are from the snow, and we continue to be a family business in which family members are always there, in winter and summer. And we take care of all the activities that make the mountain function,” concludes Juan Carlos, with the satisfaction of the task accomplished and the enthusiasm generated by the new challenges to come.