The yellow walls on the bank of Laguna del Inca stand out, like a beacon shining. Hotel Portillo sits in the shadows of the jagged Chilean Andes, a pilgrimage site for North American skiers looking to trade the doldrums of a US summer for the chill and adventure of a South American ski experience. Recently, we ventured down to test new product, explore the Andes, and revel in the nostalgic ski experience that’s unique to Portillo.

After a red-eye flight south, the drive from Santiago towards Uppsala Pass is quintessentially Chilean. You navigate through the city where graffiti adorns stucco walls and tangles of power lines on phone poles in barrios is commonplace. Then you make your way through wine country reminiscent of Napa. (Lots of Chile feels a bit like Northern California, in fact.) As you climb from the Andean foothills into the alpine you pass cacti and llamas. The air thins and chills as you ascend into the mountains, shedding the cloak of smog that Salt Lake City skiers would find familiar. Before topping out at Portillo, you must experience the switchbacks. More than 40 turns in the road snake up towards the Argentinian border and semi-trucks schlepping goods through South America create quite the scene on this final push. Passing semis on the two-lane alpine road is a Portillo rite of passage.

 

Finally, you pull up to the iconic hotel. The views from the Great Room are breathtaking and live up to the hype. The Laguna del Inca’s waters unfurl beneath the hotel and rock-littered ski runs encircle the lake. In the distance, on the far side of the lake, sit Tres Hermanos—a visually arresting trio of pyramid-shaped peaks primed for postcards to be sent home to ski buddies lounging in the sweltering North American summer. Immediately upon arriving you’ll see that Portillo runs on a different timeline. Adopting the rhythm of Portillo is an important part of truly embracing the singular experience. 

Families play card games and talk, friends sip coffee and tea, pro skiers rest in the corner reading. In the dining room groups sit around white-tablecloth clad tables and talk about lines skied or plans for the day.

 

Bootpacks to secret slivers of skiable terrain, winding groomers that serve as the training grounds for the Austrian, Norwegian, and US national ski teams, leg-burning descents down to the green waters of the lake, and white-knuckled sling-shot rides up the va y vient chairlifts comprise the skiing. Exploring Portillo’s terrain rewards the adventurous skier willing to earn their turns. The work ethic is rewarded by a cold cerveza and burger at Tio Bob’s for lunch, the treasured on-mountain cobblestone hut that sits precariously high above the lake and can quickly turn into a midday après party, a la Hennu Stall in Zermatt!

 

At night, after dinner in the dining rooms, pisco sours are poured generously, cover bands rock while hotel guests rage on the dancefloor, and the southern cross shines in the breathtakingly beautiful night skies. Ski, eat, talk, dance… repeat.

We’ll see you on the slopes!!!