Chilean Ski Resort Closes Indefinitely Ahead of Forecasted 200-Inch Blizzard
Ski Portillo is battening down the hatches.
Only weeks after a lack of snow forced the Chilean ski resort to start the season later than planned, a massive winter storm is set to arrive in full on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
So massive, in fact, that Portillo has opted to close for several days, with no one leaving or entering the resort during the blizzard. The ski slopes also won’t be open for safety reasons.
According to Portillo’s website, its access roads are already closed. The resort said it would keep skiers and snowboarders updated via its website and social media, and through email, but didn’t provide a set reopening date.
Portillo has already contacted guests with reservations scheduled to arrive through July 22 to modify their bookings. “We look forward to when we’re enjoying all this new snow soon!” Portillo wrote.
The forecasts now emerging ahead of the storm are confounding, eye-watering, and absurd, all at once.
How does over 13 feet of snow before the end of the month sound? That’s how much Portillo said could arrive, according to “reliable forecasts.” Between now and July 24, OpenSnow—a forecasting service popular among skiers—put the storm total somewhere around 200 inches.
“This is a massive long-duration storm fueled by a powerful atmospheric river,” wrote OpenSnow’s South America forecaster Luke Stone in a recent update. “Precipitation totals are through the roof.”
OpenSnow
Portillo isn’t the only one expecting intense weather. In Chile’s Tres Valles—home to La Parva, Valle Nevado, and El Colorado—enormous snow totals are also in the forecast.
“We are continuously monitoring the evolution of the frontal system,” Valle Nevado told its followers in a social media post, adding that it will continue to provide updates.
While forecasters anticipate the storm will hit central Chile hard, precipitation should be widespread, with both heavy rain and snow.
Local officials are preparing for impacts beyond the ski slopes, like flooding and landslides.
Reuters reported this week that Chile’s government declared a state of preventative emergency in ten regions.
“In the coming days, we will face a frontal system of great intensity,” wrote Chile’s president, José Antonio Kast, on X earlier this week. “We are deployed and coordinating all the necessary resources to protect Chilean families.”
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