Details
Skiable Acres:
1,235
Runs:
35
Vertical Drop:
2,743 feet
Distance To Airport:
102 miles
Website:
skiportillo.com
How To Get There
Once you fly into Santiago (SCL), you can drive yourself the 102 miles to Portillo via a combo of scenic highways. But, to really soak in the views, reserve a shuttle to bring you to and from the world-famous ski resort.
Where To Stay
You won’t beat the views from the iconic Hotel Portillo but the Octagon Lodge offers most of the same amenities with a smaller price tag. If your budget is begging for something even less expensive, the Inca Lodge is a ski bum’s paradise.
Travel Tips From The Pros:
As always, when I travel in the mountains, I am sure to bring my own first aid kit and understand that when I enter into these mountains, whoever I am with become my rescue team. I want to be prepared with the right equipment and the knowledge in every situation.
Where To Ski
Portillo is an expert skier’s dream resort. On powder days, take a few laps on Garganta and Condor–which are left ungroomed when it dumps–before traversing back to Primavera Run for more deep turns. Put the pedal to the metal on Kilometro Lanzado and if you’re up for a challenge, make the long hike to the Super C couloir to earn 5,200 vertical feet of steep, challenging chute skiing. If the hike doesn’t make it hard to breathe, the views will. Note: If you plan on skiing off-piste, be sure to have the proper safety equipment, knowledge and a partner.
Where To Eat
If you’re staying at Hotel Portillo or the Octagon Lodge, four daily meals–breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner–are part of your package. If you’re laying your head down at the Inca Lodge, four meals a day are served in the self-service cafeteria. To switch things up, take a jaunt over to the Posada Restaurant for delicious, yet affordable, fare.
Nightlife
There’s no place for après quite like Tio Bobs. As the sun starts to set, head down to the Portillo Bar for live music, drinks and snacks and for a real party, the Posada Restaurant turns into a bar with a live DJ starting at 11:30 p.m. local time.