Mountain Review: Portillo
MOUNTAIN SCORE
#2 in Chile
64
#3 in South America
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria6
Snow:
4
Resiliency:
5
Size:
6
Terrain Diversity:
10
Challenge:
3
Lifts:
8
Crowd Flow:
6
Facilities:
6
Navigation:
10
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: $64 USD
Pass Affiliation: None
On-site Lodging: Yes
Après-Ski: Moderate
Nearest Cities: Santiago (3 hrs)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Some of the most demanding inbounds terrain in the world
Staggeringly beautiful views of the nearby mountains and lake
Incredibly unique on-mountain lodging option
Surprisingly little lift lines
– Cons
Hard-to-use slingshot lifts are needed to access much of the advanced terrain
Lacking in beginner and intermediate terrain
On-mountain lodging has somewhat stringent stay requirements
Snowfall isn’t on par to other Chile destinations
MOUNTAIN STATS
Skiable Footprint: 900 acres
Total Footprint: 1,235 acres
Lift-Serviced Terrain: 71.7%
Top Elevation: 10,860 ft
Vertical Drop: 2,500 ft
Lifts: 13
Trails: 35
Beginner: 15%
Intermediate: 30%
Advanced/Expert: 55%
VIDEO REVIEW
Mountain Review
Located in the central Andes of Chile near the Argentinian border, Portillo is one of the most “in your face” ski resorts in the world. Distinguished by a brash slopeside hotel, pristine deep-blue lake, and some of the tallest mountains in the southern hemisphere, the resort makes a statement before you even get on the slopes. But even besides its looks, Portillo has quite a lot to offer that makes the resort worth a visit for a South American winter ski trip—provided you can handle it.
So what’s so special about Portillo? Let’s take a look.
Portillo stands out with some of the best views we’ve ever seen at a ski resort.
Mountain Aesthetic
The first thing that stands out about Portillo is just how much is going on there. This is not your typical, run-of-the-mill ski hill; Portillo is located in a canyon boxed in by massive peaks on every side. There isn’t a single place at the resort that doesn’t have an imposing, rock-riddled mountain facade within immediate view, with the peaks that comprise the resort rising well above where the lifts end. In fact, the highest Portillo mountain, Ojos de Agua, summits nearly 3,000 feet above where the highest lift will take you.
But even besides the mountains that directly make up the resort, there are some plainly iconic peaks visible from Portillo on clear days. Several mountains that top out above 15,000 feet sit directly north of the resort, including La Parva (not to be confused with the ski resort further south) and Los Tres Hermanos. In addition, Aconcagua, which is the tallest mountain in both the Southern and Western Hemispheres with a top elevation of 22,841 feet, is a short distance northeast of Portillo. While hidden from view within the resort itself, the peak is visible from parts of the access road. Very few ski resorts in North America or Europe can offer views of peaks this high.
But perhaps even more impressive than Portillo’s surrounding peaks is the Laguna del Inca lake on the north side of the resort. When unfrozen, the deep-blue hue of this lake offers a stunning contrast to the jagged, snow-capped peaks that surround it. Portillo guests can ski or ride right down to the edge of the lake on either side of the resort, although those who trek this way should be warned that some of the lines do involve a fairly protracted traverse out. During the coldest months of certain winter seasons, either part or all of the lake will freeze, and guests can sign up for guided snowshoe tours.
And finally, the natural beauty is complemented by what might be the most distinctive on-mountain architecture in the Andes. The resort is centered around Hotel Portillo, a brightly-colored structure that sits directly adjacent to the lake and provides for a one-of-a-kind backdrop. In fact, just about everything at the resort is centered around the hotel, with the overwhelming majority of guests staying directly on site. The hotel is home to the lift ticket office, ski rentals, a cafeteria, and guest services, among other things. Resort staff often open the resort to hotel guests before opening the ticket window (if you’re not staying on site, you have to buy a ticket at the window), so those staying on site get priority slope access. The line to pick up lift tickets can become very congested, and depending on the day, the resort may stop selling them.
Other Visitors
Despite limited activities aside from skiing and riding, Portillo attracts many tourists and sightseers from Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Most of these visitors come for the lake views, activities such as sledding and snowman building, and just the chance to view the snow. These tourists are prohibited from coming on the ski slopes, and they typically form a crowd pen along the viewing deck for the lake.
It’s also worth noting that Portillo is used as a training ground for armies, including that of Chile itself and occasional allied militaries. While skiing or riding Portillo, it’s not uncommon to encounter large army groups skiing the slopes and participating in training exercises, including learning to ski itself. But why skiing? Well, Chile’s eastern border is basically entirely defined by the Andes Mountain range, and skiing skills are essential for the military to effectively patrol and defend this area.
Terrain Layout
Portillo’s unique topography makes for a range of terrain exposures. The resort can essentially be broken into two terrain sides—an east side and a west side—with a traverse below the hotel forming the only skiable link between the two. The west side of the resort sees sun early in the morning, while the east side stays shaded until the early afternoon. As a result, guests usually spend their mornings on the west side and switch to the east side in the afternoon, thereby following the pattern of the sunshine. At just over 1,200 acres, Portillo isn’t the largest resort in the world, but its two sides are roughly equal in size, leading to a natural transition between them in the middle of the day.
Portillo lacks in extensive beginner and intermediate terrain, although to some, the incredible views may make up for the limited lower-ability offerings.
Beginner Terrain
While its beauty is easy to appreciate no matter one’s ability, Portillo is not the best resort for lower ability skiers and riders. Only two green trails exist on the main mountain, and they both sit on the morning-shaded east side, meaning conditions tend to be quite hard at the start of the day. In addition, one of these two green trails takes a surface lift to reach without some traversing, which some less-experienced guests, especially those from North America, may not be used to riding. At least these green trails do have some character to them, converging into one run and filtering through a tunnel that used to host a transcontinental train service. In addition, one of Portillo’s bunny hills is served by a magic carpet rather than a surface lift, distinguishing it from the other Santiago-area resorts that exclusively use t-bars and button lifts for their learning areas.
TRAIL MAP
Intermediate Terrain
Portillo becomes a somewhat better resort for intermediates, but it’s not the best for skiers and riders of this ability level either. The vast majority of Portillo’s lower mountain trails on the west side and about half on the east side are rated as intermediate-level blue squares, but these runs are a lot steeper than blues at many competing mountains, and many could easily be rated as advanced trails at other resorts. At least Portillo’s blues are consistently groomed, allowing guests to get into a good cruising rhythm on the slopes and soak in the incredible surrounding views. The west side’s Juncalillo run extends far below the hotel, offering rolling hills—and, at approximately 1,391 feet (424 meters), the longest vertical descent of any singular trail at the resort.
Advanced Terrain
Like other South American ski resorts, Portillo uses a red rating to designate its trails in between blue and black. However, only two trails of this ability level exist—one on the east side of the resort and one on the west—and the latter is so short it barely even counts as a trail. These runs are about equivalent in difficulty to a black-rated groomer at a typical American ski resort, and they are well-suited to advanced skiers and riders. The red-rated Plateau trail off the lift of the same name is the easiest run down from that resort area, so guests who load this east-side quad chairlift will want to be of at least advanced proficiency.
Portillo’s expert terrain is seriously demanding, with rock-lined chutes accessible right off the lifts.
Expert and Freeride Terrain
What you really want to be at Portillo is an expert skier or rider. Portillo’s hardest slopes are marked with a black color; some of these runs are designated with single-black trail markings on the slopes, while others are designated with double-black trail markings, but it’s unclear from the trail map which is which. Either way, Portillo’s black runs are relentlessly steep and ungroomed, making for demanding mogul runs and a high risk for an uncontrollable fall in the event of a slip up. A handful of Portillo’s gnarliest lines aren’t even marked on the trail map; these rock-lined chutes involve extremely narrow downhill routes with no room for error, and depending on snow conditions, some can involve mandatory air in sections.
A couple of Portillo’s steeps are unique in just how close they get to the lake. Both the east and west sides of the resort serve terrain that leads directly into the lake—and will literally dump you into it if you continue straight down the hill. On clear days, these runs make for some of the most stunning in-bounds skiing in the world. There are no barriers between the slopes and the lake, and while it may seem obvious that one would avoid skiing or riding into water, the lake can freeze in part or entirely, making the edge between the slopes and the water less clear than one might expect. These trails are absolutely beautiful, but they also involve significant traversing to get out of. There’s a formal traverse out from the Lake Run trail on the east side of the resort, which involves some side-stepping and ducking under some particularly low-clearance gates and rock faces. On the other hand, if you find yourself in the Primavera area on the west side, it takes a brief hike to get back to the lifts, no matter where you cut back. The mountain lacks signage warning of these hikeouts, but if you’re aware of your surroundings, it should be intuitive enough to avoid ending up in the wrong place.
Portillo’s slingshot lifts are one of a kind, and they can be quite tricky to unload.
Slingshot Lifts
Whether they lead down to the lake or not, Portillo’s hardest trails are made even more formidable by the way it takes to reach most of them. The overwhelming majority of expert runs are served by va y vient “slingshot” lifts—one-of-a-kind contraptions that pull guests up the mountain alongside one another. Due to the extreme steepness of their lines, these surface lifts have no towers and are anchored to the top of their respective trails. The gradient at the top of each of these lifts does not mellow out, making unloading a technical process that involves briefly skiing or riding backwards and quickly catching an edge to avoid an uncontrollable fall down the slope. Since these slingshot lifts can hold three to five riders at a time, it’s important for guests to unload in a particular order to avoid collisions while releasing, with the resort recommending ejecting from the middle out to keep the weight distribution even. It’s also worth noting that while there are multiple warning signs that read in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, the resort does not read warning messages out loud before riders load the lift, as many North American resorts would. So if you’re even slightly unsure of what to do before riding one of Portillo’s slingshots, be sure to ask the lift operator for advice, as he or she will tell you what to do.
Portillo is the only ski resort in the world with these unique lifts, and it boasts not just one of them, but four—two on the east side of the resort, and two on the west. Although most guests tend to hit the west side of the resort in the morning and the east side in the afternoon, we suggest that those unfamiliar with the slingshot lifts start with the ones on the east side. These slingshots have slightly shorter rises and more forgiving gradients than those on the west side, making them more straightforward for first-timers.
Other Lifts
When it comes to the rest of its lifts, Portillo is fairly par for the course for Chile—which is to say that the resort is held down by slow, fixed-grip doubles, triples, and quads. At least the chairs are comfortable and kept in good condition—and, with the exception of a small sliver of terrain on the resort’s east side, all lower-mountain runs are accessible by chairs rather than surface lifts. It’s worth noting that a few of these chairs go over some particularly hair-raising spans, including a very high section above the ground for the Plateau lift, and a few sections above switchbacks for the very busy access highway—which also happens to be a busy commercial road linking Chile and Argentina—on the Juncalillo lift. There’s no net if you drop something, so you’ll want to be extra careful not to dent someone’s car or truck with your pole!
All of Portillo’s chairlifts are slow… and one of them crosses over a busy highway several times.
Snow Quality and Resiliency
Portillo is the northernmost lift-served ski resort in South America, sitting about the same distance from the equator as the U.S. border with Mexico. Despite a top lift-served elevation of 10,860 feet, the resort can see quite variable snow conditions throughout the winter. The resort can sometimes go weeks without significant new snow during the core season, which consequently results in icy or slushy conditions depending on the time of day. Portillo’s snow quality does tend to be quite light and enjoyable from fresh storms, although the resort doesn’t usually receive the same quantity of accumulation as the more southern resorts closer to or further south of Santiago.
But while snow isn’t always the most consistent, Portillo’s unique topography makes for some of the wildest weather conditions of any ski resort in the Americas. The resort is subject to wild and unpredictable weather patterns, including extreme temperature swings, intense wind, and sudden storms. Lifts are often subject to closure due to these circumstances.
Finally, Portillo’s steep and prolonged mountain faces create considerable avalanche risk, especially on powder days or warm afternoons. The terrain served by the slingshot lifts regularly sees slides, and especially on the west side of the resort, the resort will close its slingshots early due to the avalanche danger.
Navigation
At least figuring out Portillo’s lift and terrain statuses—and just getting around in general—is fairly straightforward for a South American ski resort. The resort has a status board inside the hotel with detailed weather, lift, and trail information, and each chairlift has a status board for the major runs and connector lifts off of it (although markings for some permanently closed surface lifts have yet to be removed). While the entirety of Portillo sits above treeline, most trails themselves are bounded by sticks that are colored to indicate the difficulty level of the run. Some of these sticks have numbers on them to convey one’s distance from the bottom of the trail; while none of Portillo’s runs are particularly long, this system can still be a useful indicator. The one major issue with getting around Portillo is that its west and east resort sides are not very well integrated with one another; the sole bidirectional traverse connecting the two sides is flat, requiring some pushing or uphill side-stepping, especially when going from east to west. Luckily, due to the exposure circumstances we discussed earlier, most guests will be content with sticking to one resort side for several runs at a time.
Portillo boasts a respectable on-mountain facilities setup, with incredible mountain views from the top of the Plateau lift.
On-Mountain Facilities
Although Portillo revolves chiefly around its namesake hotel, guests will find a range of on-mountain facilities around the resort. In addition to a public cafeteria in the hotel itself, the resort has a small restaurant just above the east side’s bunny hill and another mid-mountain restaurant, which overlooks some stunning lake views, at the top of the east-side Plateau chair (although guests will will to be of at least advanced proficiency to ski or ride down from this lift). Guests can purchase Portillo lift tickets with a lunch add-on, in which case the ticket comes with a 15,000 peso (roughly $15 USD) credit to use at the main cafeteria in the hotel. This credit covers food, but you’ll still have to pay if you want an additional drink. While not as dirt cheap as food in Santiago, the meal is pretty high-quality for what you get. The line can be a bit long for the hotel cafeteria, so if waits aren’t your thing, it may be worth it to forego the lunch add-on and check out one of the other restaurants on the mountain. It’s also worth noting that the public restroom before ticket control costs 500 CLP to use, or around 50 U.S. cents, so if you don’t want to deal with that, it’s best to either see if they’ll let you into the hotel—which isn’t always a guarantee—or wait until after you’ve bought your ticket.
Crowd Flow
Speaking of waits, due in part to Portillo’s remote location, difficult access road, and both limited lodging and lift tickets, on-mountain crowds while skiing or riding are fairly rare. Guests should not expect serious lift lines even during peak times, and that’s even with basically everyone sticking to one half of the mountain in the morning and the other half of the mountain in the afternoon. Portillo’s slingshot lifts can only transport one group of riders at a time (they are jigback lifts just like aerial trams), but given the daunting nature of these lifts, they rarely see that much demand anyway.
RECOMMENDED SKIS FOR PORTILLO
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.
Recommended intermediate ski
Recommended advanced ski
Recommended glade ski
Recommended powder ski
On-Mountain Facilities
When it comes to stopping in for a break at Valle Nevado, the resort offers a couple of options. Like with much of the resort’s infrastructure, the most comprehensive services are found on the front side, where finding a rest stop is relatively straightforward. In addition to the base village—which features a mix of upscale restaurants and casual food trucks—there’s a mid-mountain restaurant at the top of the gondola, a range of services at the gondola base, and a food truck at the top of the Mirador lift (though the latter does not have a corresponding bathroom).
The back side, by contrast, is far more isolated. The only real service available is an outhouse bathroom located at the base of the Ballicas platter lift. Unfortunately, this facility is inconveniently placed for skiers accessing other backside lifts—especially the Tres Puntas platter, where the loading area is frustratingly close, but stopping in at the bathroom means dealing with an annoying sidestep climb to return to the lift. There is a ski patrol shack at the top of the Tres Puntas lift, but it doesn’t include public bathrooms and isn’t designed to function as a guest rest stop.
Portillo’s access road is one of the sketchiest we’ve seen, rising over 7,000 ft and going through a plethora of switchbacks, while also hosting quite a bit of truck traffic.
Getting There
Another important facet about Portillo is just how remote it is. The resort is about three-and-a-half hours from Santiago with no traffic, but the narrow and windy access road regularly sees significant slowdowns, especially from cautious transcontinental truck traffic using the pass to get to Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. The route from Santiago achieves an elevation gain of over 7,000 feet (2,133 meters), with dozens of tight switchbacks along the last leg of the drive. The road gets quite sketchy during inclement weather, and unless conditions are totally clear, chains are required to drive up there. Chilean rental cars do not come with chains, so you’ll need to figure out a way to obtain them before crossing the police checkpoint. During especially inclement conditions, the access road can close, so those looking to drive up to the resort should double check to make sure the highway is actually open. Portillo visitors hoping to avoid this traffic can also charter a helicopter flight from the Santiago or Tobalaba airports, but this costs several thousand dollars per flight.
RECOMMENDED SNOWBOARDS FOR PORTILLO
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.
Recommended intermediate board
Recommended advanced board
Recommended expert board
Recommended powder board
Lodging
Once you actually get to Portillo, on-site lodging is limited to only a few places. The most obvious of these accommodations is the Hotel Portillo, which has room for approximately 400 guests at a time and offers everything one might need right in the hotel. In addition to guest-exclusive restaurants, the hotel offers an exercise room, spa, and some of the most stunning outdoor pools and hot tubs in the world directly overlooking the lake. Immediately adjacent to the hotel sits a handful of boutique chalets; guests who stay in these condos get ski-in/ski-out convenience, especially from the west side of the resort, fantastic lake views, and all the amenities of hotel guests. Portillo also offers cheaper accommodations, some of which can be booked shared-room hostel-style, in the nearby Octagon Lodge, which offers all hotel amenities, and the Inca Lodge, which only offers limited amenities.
It’s worth noting that no matter where you stay on site at Portillo, there are significant restrictions on when you can arrive and depart. The resort’s accommodations only allow arrivals and departures on Wednesday and Saturday, meaning guests can only stay in 3, 4, or 7-night intervals. In addition, all of these accommodations come with lift ticket and meal plans as standard, so you won’t need to head to the ticket window or pick up groceries.
For those who want to only ski or ride Portillo for less than half a week, the resort is a doable—albeit tiring—day trip from Santiago, provided one gets up very early and road conditions are clear. Parking is free and first-come, first-serve.
Après-Ski
Portillo isn’t the biggest party mountain out there, but those staying at the hotel can enjoy a communal après-ski scene with other guests. The bar in the hotel is the place to wind down and grab a few drinks after a day on the slopes. However, true nightlife, such as dance clubs and live music, is not a thing here.
Heli-Skiing
But for thrills outside the boundaries of the ski area, what is decidedly a thing here is an extensive heli-skiing operation. Heli drops go for $480 for the first run and $240 for each following run, making for a much more feasible entry-level price than at many competing operations. Heli-skiing requests can be made at the hotel or over email, but requesting to sign up does not guarantee a space, as weather conditions and high demand can get in the way of serving everyone who wants to go. The heli-skiing presence at Portillo is clear, with tons of low-flying helicopters visible around the resort throughout the day, even directly above some of the lifts. This is something that would never fly (no pun intended) in North America.
If the terrain on mountain isn’t enough to satisfy you, Heli-Skiing is another option at Portillo!
Verdict
Portillo isn’t perfect, but it has so many unique features that it still ends up in the top-tier of must-hit destinations for those hoping to visit South America. The resort’s lift infrastructure, skiable footprint size, and family-oriented terrain do fall somewhat short of certain competitors, but if iconic views and an extreme skiing experience are in your purview, it’s hard to find a better in-bounds experience in the Southern Hemisphere.
Pricing
While lodging can be quite pricey with minimum stay requirements, lift tickets are fairly reasonable for what you get, with 1-day adult rates going for $62 USD during peak times at the ticket window without the lunch add-on, and $76 USD with the lunch add-on. During low-season times, adult tickets drop as low as $47 USD. Like most South American ski resorts, Portillo isn’t on any multi-resort pass products, but if you’re traveling all the way out here, you’re probably going to Portillo, and Portillo alone.
