How Good Was Ski Portillo, Chile This Year? I Traveled 6,000 Miles To Find Out

A Chilean cover band, known as Metrópoli, is playing a selection of 80s synth-pop hits in the humble but well-partied Hotel Bar at Ski Portillo, Chile.

The enigmatic singer, who is easily one of the most entertaining live performers I’ve ever seen, is wooing the crowd with slick dance moves, a vocal range that would make Ariana Grande jealous, and enough charisma to broker peace in the Middle East. Just as the guitar player breaks out into a mind-melting solo, I turn my head and smile.

The familiar faces smile back and continue to dance. Mike Douglas is having a riveting conversation with a hotel guest. Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstad are dancing with their son, Indy. Chris Davenport is the life of the party. And last, but certainly not least, Ingrid Backstrom is celebrating another birthday within the yellow-painted walls of Portillo’s iconic hotel.

This loaded roster of skiers is here for a reason: Chris Davenport’s Superstars Ski Camp, but their facial expressions and body language reveal more. This isn’t just another job or stop along the way for this cadre of well-traveled professional skiers.

Ski Portillo is a special, perhaps even holy place. The hotel looks largely the same as it did in 1966. There are no TVs, guests are rarely on their phones, and people actually talk to each other, believe it or not. Oh, and the skiing is pretty great, too.

Ski Portillo is a home away from home. Here’s why people keep coming back, and why my 6,000-mile journey to get there was well-worth it.

Groundhog Day

Bill Murray tries to escape living the same day over and over again in the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, but I reveled in the phenomenon at Ski Portillo.

Was I blessed with the “best snow Ski Portillo has seen in 60 years”? Apparently, but I’ve been skunked on plenty of trips before, so don’t expect me to apologize that it snowed more than four feet in the first four days of my trip.

Here’s how my typical day went at Portillo:

• 7-8 a.m.: Wake up, stare at the jaw-dropping views of the Andes, brush my teeth, and get my ski clothes ready.
• 8-8:30 a.m.: Eat breakfast. I ordered “huevos revueltos con tocino” (scrambled eggs with bacon) and a Red Bull (much to the dismay of my coffee-loving waiter) every morning. I usually ate a little cinnamon roll, too.
• 8:30-9:00 a.m.: Head back up to my room to get my ski clothes on. Then head down to the bottom floor to pick up my ski boots from the boot check, talk to the boot check guys for a bit, and finally jam my feet into them.
• 9:00 a.m.: Pick up my skis from the ski check and head out to the mountain.
• 9:00-11 a.m.: Ski the terrain off Juncallilo, Carcara, and Roca Jack until the sun gets too warm.
• 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Ski the Plateau side of the mountain just as the sun starts to warm up the snow. Take at least two laps through the Gargantita chutes directly under the chair. Bonus points if you get a “yew” hollered from the chair above.
• 12:30-2:00 p.m.: Eat a delicious, savory lunch in the sunshine at Tio Bob’s, the mid-mountain restaurant. Order the steak-and-cheese sandwich and an Austral Lager. Reapply sunscreen vigorously.
• 2:00-4:00 p.m.: Ski groomer laps, wind buff, and spring corn on the Plateau side until my legs feel like they’re going to fall off.
• 4:00-5:30 p.m.: Watch the sunset and drink another delicious Austral Lager in Ski Portillo’s iconic hot tub. Chat with other guests about the day.
• 5:30-7:00 p.m.: Take a shower, put on some decent clothes, and head back down to the bar. Order at least two more Austral Lagers before dinner.
• 7:00-9:00 p.m.: Eat and enjoy an amazing dinner with friends, new and old, in the Ski Portillo dining room.
• 9:00 p.m.-???: Head back to the Hotel Bar, order an Austral Lager (I’m losing track at this point), and dance to live music until I can’t keep my eyes open. Go to bed. Prepare to do it all again the next day.

Some skiers have called Ski Portillo a “cruise ship” due to the tight-knit cast of hotel employees and hotel guests, but it felt more like a spaceship to me, at least.

Not a NASA spaceship per se, but perhaps more akin to the Enterprise.

Skiing was the fuel, but the destination—be it knee-deep powder laps with five of my pro skiing heroes, or listening to stories of Fidel Castro’s bodyguards nearly killing a Ski Portillo waiter over a misunderstanding back in the 70s—was unpredictable, wonderful, and at times, otherworldly.

So, you like terrain?

“I flew all the way here, and there are only three groomed runs? What the hell. And it costs how much per night!? What a ripoff.” 

The grumpy man, who was venting loudly to a stranger next to him in Ski Portillo’s lobby, immediately gave me the ick. I had just finished my seventh day of skiing Portillo in a row, and you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I mean, how could you not enjoy skiing four days of powder, followed by three days of sunshine, with no lift lines and new terrain openings?

A long list of insulting, probably inappropriate questions began popping into my head. I kept them to myself, but I was happy when a fellow guest asked the question that was on everybody’s mind: “Well, uh, did you do any research before you came here?”

I expected the man to lie, but he answered truthfully. “No, I just heard something that said Ski Portillo has the best groomers in the world, and I booked the trip. I guess that’s my fault.” I chuckled at the irony of the statement (Ski Portillo does have some of the best groomers in the world), and then cringed at its implication. I, too, hope to be wealthy enough one day to book a week-long vacation that I end up hating because I couldn’t be bothered to do a simple Google search.

He was right that Ski Portillo doesn’t have oodles and noodles of groomed terrain—hell, the resort doesn’t have many named runs to begin with, but there’s way more than meets the eye. Similar to a large western ski resort that offers in-bounds, hike-to terrain, the best snow, pitch, and trails at Ski Portillo can be found with a little effort.

And even if you are solely a groomer skier, the majority of skiers will be more than pleased with rotating between Plateau, Las Lomas, Juncalillo, and David’s Run. If you need “more” trails, I don’t know what to tell you. Sounds like a personal problem.

With all of this said, I did notice that Ski Portillo’s trail map and subsequent breakdowns of its terrain are lacking. I had tons of questions about what I would encounter in terms of terrain, pitch, and snow quality prior to arriving, and while I enjoy experiencing these things in real time, I can understand the desire to know more about the place before booking.

So, here’s my unofficial breakdown of Ski Portillo’s terrain, lifts, and groomed runs.

Ski Portillo Best Ofs

Best Groomed Run: Juncalillo

• Juncalillo is one of the best groomed ski runs I’ve ever experienced. It’s wide. It’s long. The corduroy is perfect. The views are incredible. I skied it multiple times every day of the week and never got bored.
• Tip: Ski Juncalillo first thing in the morning. It was quite an exciting way to wake up my legs and prepare for the day ahead.

Best Ungroomed Run: Roca Jack/Caracara (tie)

• The best ungroomed terrain can be found with a short side step or hike off the Roca Jack and Caracara lifts. Roca Jack didn’t open during my stay, but I found some of the best in-bounds runs of my life off Caracara in the ‘Kilómetro Lanzado’ and ‘El Estadio’ zones. Click here to learn how to ride these unique “slingshot” lifts.
• Tip: Pay attention to the sun and temperatures. Roca Jack and Caracara can start to get quite warm after a few hours of sunshine. When that happens, go ski the Plateau side of the resort.

Best Chute/Steep: Gargantita Uno

• Descending from Tío Bob’s directly under the Plateau chair, Gargantita Uno feels like Portillo’s “Hollywood” run. I could have skied it all day long thanks to its chalky snow, committing lines, and just steep-enough pitch to get my juices flowing. Bonus points if you ski the whole chute without stopping.
• Tip: Strong winds are common at Ski Portillo, and Gargantita Uno typically gets buffed out days after the last storm. Look at the ridgeline. If snow is dumping into Gargantita Uno, go ski it.

Best Lift: Plateau

• While Roca Jack and Caracara deliver in terms of terrain, the inconsistency of the slingshot lifts can sometimes be a bother. Plateau is a standard four-person lift, and there’s never a line. If you’re looking to maximize vert and ski a variety of groomers, chutes, and moguls, head straight for Plateau.
• Tip: Ask the front desk about the weekly dinner at Tio Bob’s. Guests ride up and down Plateau to reach Tio Bob’s under the night sky. The views are to die for.

Best Unique Experience: Bajada del Tren/Train Run

• Ski Portillo has more unique features than any resort I’ve been to. Turn your head, and you’re bound to see something you can’t find anywhere else (like a high-alpine llama called a guanaco charging headfirst down a powder-filled ski run towards Inca Lake). With that said, ‘Bajada del Tren’, a mellow Green Circle trail descending from the Los Canarios surface lift, is one of the coolest things I’ve done on skis. The gentle run takes skiers through an old train tunnel that’s been abandoned for decades, but this same tunnel used to be the only way for skiers to reach the alpine paradise before the road was constructed.
• Tip: If you’re an advanced skier, ask a local to tell you about the “Train Run” down towards the Juncalillo lift. It was closed for most of my stay due to avalanche danger, but it requires skiers to hike through another abandoned section of the tunnel before popping out onto a steep pitch that leads back to the lift. Bring a headlamp!

Hasta Luego

A wave of sadness washed over me as our shuttle pulled out of the Ski Portillo parking lot. I had just spent seven incredible days living, skiing, and breathing the magic, and I wanted more. There were runs I didn’t get to ski, food I didn’t get to try, and a rough-and-tumble employee watering hole that I never drank Austral Lagers in.

Then, a comment from a fellow hotel guest who became a friend popped up on an Instagram Reel I had posted earlier in the week: “Ski ya again next year?”

Yes. Ski me again next year, and the years after that, Ski Portillo. I will be back.

Stay tuned for more content here at POWDER from my unforgettable trip to Ski Portillo.

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