Ski Officials Berate Chilean Government To Open Roads: "Must Learn to Live With the Snow"

The road to Ski Portillo, Chile, has been closed for more than 20 days.

Guests have been able to reach the remote resort by helicopter over the last week, and a recent report suggests that officials are letting guests with hotel reservations up the pass, but a winter storm that dumped more than 200 inches of snow in less than two weeks has brought the country’s high mountain passes to a standstill.

To make matters even more confusing for resorts like Ski Portillo, the Los Liberatores pass has remained closed despite crews successfully clearing the road late last week.

The copious amounts of snow should be a boon for Chile’s ski resorts and supporting businesses, but ACESKI, the organization that represents Chile’s ski resorts, is calling out the Chilean government for hampering tourism.

“The Chilean Ski Resorts Association (ACESKI) expresses its deep concern about the repeated preventive closures of access roads to mountain resorts, particularly on Route G-21 and the Los Libertadores International Pass, measures that, once again, seriously affect the development of the winter season,” writes ACESKI in a press released dated August 6, 2026.

The organization explains that while safety is important, it believes the Chilean government isn’t responding appropriately: “As a professional association, we fully understand that the safety of people must always be the highest priority. No one intends to put human lives at risk or disregard the responsibility that falls on the authorities in the face of complex weather events. However, we believe that the country must engage in deep reflection regarding the criteria used to make these decisions.”

ACESKI suggests that the Chilean government create a National Mountain Management Policy and create a group to review current protocols and assess new ones.

“Chile cannot continue to react to snow as if it were an extraordinary emergency,” writes ACESKI. “Snow is part of our geographical identity, our natural heritage, and an economic activity that generates thousands of jobs, attracts international tourism, and represents a development opportunity for numerous communities.”

Ski tourism directly affects “18,000 families” and contributes more than $280 million USD to Chile’s economy, according to ACESKI.

The organization fears that extended and unnecessary closures of its mountain passes not only hurt ski tourism in the present, but could prevent future guests from booking a trip in the first place: “The impact also extends to Chile’s international image. Every winter, thousands of tourists from Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, the United States, and other markets travel specifically to experience our snow and mountain sports. Many of them only discover upon arrival that access is closed, ruining a trip planned for months and creating a profoundly negative experience for one of the tourist destinations Chile seeks to promote internationally.”

“Chile must learn to live with the snow and not be paralyzed by it,” ACESKI says at the end of the press release.

The Los Liberatores Pass remains closed at time of publishing.

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