Our story
Eighty years at the foot of the Cordón del Plata. A refuge born of a passion for snow, that almost vanished, and that a love story saved.
Based on the article “El romance que salvó un refugio” — Los Andes, 25 July (Sebastián Manitta · photos Walter Moreno).
Around 1943, a group of ski-loving Mendocinos decided to carve out a run to indulge their passion, on a slope at the foot of Cerro San Bernardo, in Vallecitos. Those pioneers also thought of a refuge, to rest after hiking up the slope they skied down during the day. The odyssey had its day of glory on 25 July 1943.
Refugio San Bernardo was the first of its kind at the foot of the Cordón del Plata.
It weathered many storms, and passed through many hands. For decades it was a meeting point for mountaineers and a base to prepare for the summits of the Cordón del Plata. But time and neglect slowly wore it down, until the refuge seemed about to collapse. And then, a love story rescued it.
Michel Lanniaux is a globetrotter: he has had adventures in the great mountain places all over the world. In 1991, his passion brought him to our lands, and one of the first peaks of the range to seduce him was Cerro El Plata. That year, the winter was harsh and snowy.
Michel and local guides Daniel and Gustavo Pizarro were trying to reach the summit of El Plata, at nearly 6,000 metres, when a storm forced them to turn back and find a safe place to spend the night.
“We saw a refuge, I knocked on the door, and the first thing I saw was Sandra.”
— Michel Lanniaux
Sandra is Sandra Muñoz, at the time a physical-education student from San Carlos and a lover of the mountains. The refuge where they met was none other than the San Bernardo, then better known as “el Andes Talleres”, after the club that owned the building. Michel and Sandra’s story began to be written right there. And, without meaning to, so did the refuge’s.
By then, the couple already ran a business offering refuge in cabins in Chamonix, France. In 2001, Michel and Sandra began the process of buying the San Bernardo.
“It wasn’t easy. The club had financial problems and the transaction was very difficult, but in the end we were able to buy the refuge.”
— Sandra Muñoz
The refuge became part of the French chain Andes Alpes, while keeping the spirit of the pioneers of ’43: to give shelter to mountaineers.
The building was completely renovated, with comforts it had never had before: a capacity of 29 people, new bathrooms, showers, a dining room with a warming wood fire, and above all that mountain-refuge soul you breathe through the stone and the wood.
“We don’t want to get rich from this. We hope the refuge sustains itself and creates work for the other service providers in the valley.”
— Sandra Muñoz
We want to take care of visitors so they stay and enjoy the mountain.
The Lanniaux Muñoz family — Julián included — split their days for years between France and Mendoza, with the plan of settling for good in Vallecitos.
Eighty years after that 25 July 1943, the San Bernardo is still standing: renovated, warm, and open to whoever seeks the mountain. A refuge born of a passion for snow, that almost vanished, and that a romance saved. That is our story.
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Refugio San Bernardo · Vallecitos, Cordón del Plata