Australian skier here. Usually I ski in my own country in the Southern Hemisphere winter but after working at the Rio 2016 Olympics (which were in August because Rio is warm in its winter), I stopped off for five days at Portillo on the way home. Snow wasn't great but my mate and I had a fantastic time. There were three clear highlights and the rest of the mountain is basically meh. 1. The slopes off Roca Jack, one of the slingshot lifts. Turn left at the top of the lift, traverse for only 30 seconds or so and holy cow. You are now in a world of chutes and couloirs the likes of which you would have to hike to at almost any other resort in the world. Terrain there was just incredible. We got about 5 cm of fresh snow one night (2 inches for you Americans) which was juuuuust enough dust to cover the crust in most places and geez, what a rush. 2 The second good bit is the continuation of the gnarly terrain off Roca Jack, as you follow the Juncalillo run all the way to the bottom of that chair that crosses the highway (there are skier bridges over the road on the runs). This is great carving territory and it's longish in length. The U.S. ski team was training when we were there, but we just missed Lindsey Vonn by a week which was a shame as she had posted Insta pics of herself in that pool with the lake view. 3. On the other side of the resort is a thing called Lake Run, which yeah, no surprises, runs straight down to the lake. That's the one with the crazy hike-out with a fence-lined drop down to the lake which you can see in the video. Lake Run is a wide open bowl with lots of natural terrain features to make things fun. All in all, Portillo is a strange kind of mountain. It's either super challenging or super boring with not a whole lot in between. Once was enough for me although if you could guarantee me a powder week, I'd definitely take it! On a proper powder day, and especially because of those low crowd numbers, this might be the best ski resort in the world
Portillo is not the only Sky place in Chile... Literally the Andes Mountains extend throughout Chile from North to South... further South you have Sky Centers in the middle of the Volcano
I'm American but I got to ski Portillo about nine years ago. Those slingshot lifts were probably the gnarliest in-bounds thing I've ever done. You are 100% right in that the ride up is actually pretty difficult. Luckily, no one in our group fell getting off at the top any of the times we rode them but it definitely wasn't easy the first time. The resort also had some really intense/narrow chutes that were pretty unique and felt like if you fell, you would slide all the way to the lake. Definitely an amazing place!
I skied here 30 years and it's an amazing place. When you stay at the hotel, it's like being on a cruise ship. You see the same people at breakfast, lunch, dinner and on the slopes. There is nothing else there, except a military base to guard the border. Oddly, it's owned by an American family, the Purcells. The Roca Jack lift - one of the "slingshot" lifts - is quite terrifying. It's much more difficult to go up than come down. On almost every ride, someone fell. The skiing itself is good, but it's a small area, not to be compared to a major US or European resort. The views, as you can see, are stunning. I remember looking out my window in the morning and being in awe. I get an odd pleasure skiing in the reverse season: I have skied in June on the Zermatt glacier, In July in Portillo, and in August indoors at Ski Dubai.
Portillo is a fascinating Ski Resort in my eyes , not as overengineered as some contemporary Ski Resorts in Europe. Sometimes simple equipment is shown here , but it does its job 🙂. My own Skiing memories from 40 years ago suddenly come back into my head. I never heard of Portillo ... until now . Great video!
I agree; Portillo was builded in 40 years in the last century. Try with Valle Nevado (Snow Valley) in Santiago its moderns and made it in de 90 years. There are many vds, about that, Its a little resort compare with europeans or american, but works indeed
Overengineered? The resort has 20 km of slopes, and the lift system is bad. While in europe, there are often over 100 or even over 300 km of slopes, and everything is connected so that you can ski without having any problems. How is that overengineered.
A small correction. The peak pointed out at 1:41 is Alto Los Leones in the Juncal Valley, which is like a Chilean Matterhorn, and is 5380 m, or 17,650 ft high. Aconcagua is 7,000 meters approx.
@@JukkaliMx I'll do it for a short ride. Or put the bar in my armpit. Popular with kids so they can just let go and don't get plowed by the bar. I'm pretty skinny too, so not a lot of padding.
Fantastic report! I'm Chilean from northern Patagonia and have never seen such a detailed report about this ski area. I gladly invite you to our southern ski resorts-fresh snow guaranteed! cheers
"Aconcagua is much more north"? Nop. www.google.com/maps/place/Portillo,+Los+Andes,+Valpara%C3%ADso/@-32.7557574,-70.2326411,42287m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x9687f43021f08351:0x79c93cea3950dcf3!8m2!3d-32.8369145!4d-70.1287972!16s%2Fg%2F11b6tl7nt3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkyNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
One correction there is great nightlife but it is at the workers bar across the highway. Cheap drinks and much more fun than the Portillo bar. For budget minded the Inca lodge is basically a hostel where three night miniweek gives you fourish days of skiing just arrive around lunch time on the first day. Also you can ski in and out of Argentina if brave enough from what I've been told. Andemar bus from Santiago to Mendoza Argentina is also a way to get to Portillo if on a extreme budget. Recommend day trip to valle nevado/parva from Santiago with totalski bus with a day or weekend trip to the sea in valpariso. I left my skis in hostel storage to make it easier. Also you can Uber or taxi with ski luggage just roll down back window with skis jutting out. Oh and the US and other national teams train there end of August, crazy to share the hot tub with Mikaela Shiffrin among others.
Excellent video as always. I’d seen videos of this slingshot lift before but this was the most information I’ve seen about. Love that you documented it on this channel. But yikes, that slide down looked rough, and I’m glad he wasn’t hurt! This whole place just sounds like if YOLO was a ski resort.
@@benshappell6339 Sadly, my proposal for using a trebuchet to launch the skiers and riders to the top of the slopes was rejected last year. I'm working on a new plan using jet propulsion, though 😆
No mention of the Super C Couloir, regarded as one of the best such runs in the world. Was always discussed in the various ski magazines as a primary reason to go all the way to Portillo. It’s quite a hike up, tho, so probably only for a small percentage of skiers.
21:25 What I want to know is how on Earth does El Colorado get a 9 in the "Challenge" rating. That place has some of the flattest red runs that I've ever encountered (great for carving practice, though). Yes, the wall below the Cornisa lift base will mess you up, but that's just one area of the entire resort. I assume it has something to do with the fact that all the lifts on the back side of the mountain are surface lifts, but I dunno if I'd call that mountain more challenging than La Parva.
Could you guys rank nevados de chillan next. I havent been able to find any good rankings of that resort online and I would really like to know what that resort is all about
Hi, nice review, but you made a mistake, the mountain that you had pointed as Aconcagua is the Alto Los Leones, with one of the highest vertical wall in the world, almost 2000 mts.
Thanks for this video. I think the slingshot lift looks like a fun time. I was raised on surface lift but that thing is wild. The lake looks amazing and so do the chutes. Thanks
Went there 3 or 4 times between 1998 and 2000. Sadly not to ski but to sight see as I was living around Santiago. The windy road to the resort was fun too, overall pretty place for sure and happened to bump into US Ski team members on one of the trips into the hotel
Love your content man, super thorough and consistent. If I didn't know better, I would think you worked at MBB! I would be curious what you think is the best resort for intermediate / advanced skiers in the world, regardless on apres and accommodations. My favorite is either Revelstoke or Whistler (if there are no lines!)
Are the unmarked/ungroomed advanced runs avalanche controlled? I.e. is the management of the ski area more American style (with an in-bounds region) or European style?
Depends on the crowd you run with. In my experience, Valle Nevado is more famous with a younger crowd that is active on social media, and those who know it because it's included in their Ikon Pass. Portillo has been around since the 40s, I believe, and they're famous with the veteran crowd, those who like old-school ski areas over the mega-resorts, and those who look for bigger challenges. Plus, I think the lake aspect makes it the South American equivalent to skiing at Lake Louise.
I believe it’s due to its rich history. This ski resort is the first established in South America, dating back to 1940, and it’s also the site of the first-ever ski descent in the region, which took place in 1887. The Purcell family has done an excellent job maintaining the resort as a 'boutique' destination, focusing on the details. They limit the number of skiers per day, and they groom the ski tracks even during the day to minimize bumpy conditions in the afternoon.
lol this was the first resort i ever visited as a kid. my uncle lived in los andes city so it was quite close to enjoy the day there. i don't remmember it as scary or unhinged, but watching this video actually taught me soemthing
My dad taught skiing and worked ski patrol in Portillo back in the 1960’s. It really hasn’t changed much since then! He made the pilgrimage down there on multiple occasions until a massive avalanche took out the housing where he slept, killing “several” of his friends. The evening before the storm hit, he inexplicably took the train down to Santiago. He said that he was compelled to take the last train off the Mtn, that he knew he couldn’t stay there, and had tried to convince several of his friends to go with him. He returned to the base area after the railroad reopened to help with the rescue, then flew back north with the bodies of his friends. He returned one more time to support the 1966 World Cup race. He was the ski patroller who evacuated Billy Kidd after he broke his leg during the race. My brothers and I followed in his footsteps back in the 1990’s, but as alpine ski racing coaches in New Zealand at Mount Hutt. …Roy Schaefer, my dad, started working at a local rope tow when he was only 7, cleaning up after guests, went on to manage multiple resorts, owner of Berkshire East which he bought from the bank for a dollar in 1976. At 84, dad’s spent his entire life working at or running ski areas…pretty cool. Skiing is amazing!
What is the visibility during storms? I visited Valle Nevado two weeks ago and with any cloud cover visibility became really tough, and during even light snow flurries, forget it.
People relax. It is not a slingshot per se, is just a system that pulls you up the hill but your feet are touching the ground the whole time and it isn’t fast. It basically drags you lol
Portillo has the best snow in The Andes, period. Its location, orientation and the high mountains surrounding the ski area, ensures that the snow holds the best quality in the whole ski areas in South America. Portillo is located just few kilometers north of La Parva, El Colorado and Valle Nevado, but deeper in the Andes range, closer to the border with Argentina. For this reason normally receives more snow than those areas above Santiago. The high peaks around, better protects it from the wind and the sun exposure. Night life in Portillo is fun and happens every night in the hotel bar where a live band plays a variety of classic rock, Latin rock and some funk, pretty much every night everybody ends dancing in the cozy bar. And the band playing at the bar is changed every week. Additionally across the highway there is La Posada bar / restaurant, where normally many of the workers of the hotel go partying. Only bad skiers will not have a blast in Portillo. Its expert terrain is epic. Portillo is an iconic place visited every year by world class skiers. Yes if you are still a bad skier, go to slide somewhere else, if you reached the advanced or expert level, don't waste your time going anywhere else! For good skiers Portillo ranks at the top of all Southern Hemisphere ski areas and in a high position around the world.
@@Know-it-all55 I have skied almost all ski areas in Chile and a couple ones in Argentina. I like Nevados de Chillan, perhaps my second favorite in Chile, it has fun playful terrain. Southern Andes, where Chillan, Corralco, Pucon, Antillanca in Chile or Bariloche in Aregentina, are lower in elevation compared with the central Andes where Portillo, V. Nevado, etc. are located. These southern ski areas are around 1000 mts lower in elevation, for that reason the snow quality is way more variable. Sometimes is snowing and in few hours could change into slush or even rain. Normally the spring cicle conditions will arrive earlier than in Portillo, but yes Chillan will be my second option to go in Chile.
I considered it a few years back but decided against it due to the travel to get there. I have been to Zermatt, Val Thorens, Val Desiere and St anton since and no regrets.
For Portillo, we paid $76 for the 1-day lift ticket and lunch add on, as well as a few hundred bucks for the rental car, gas, and Santiago Airbnb. But we also visited four other ski resorts in Chile across a two-week road trip, so tough to extrapolate to a typical experience.
1:27 I always get confused when people say Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the southern and western hemisphere. Since when do we divide the earth in east and west hemispheres, you just dont hear it much. I guess the equator for the East and West hemispheres is going down the west side of africa. So saying outside of asia or the tallest mountain in north and south america is better in my opinion. Great review and I'll have to add this to the bucket list!
Not so confusing if you think about it. The Americas are basically the Western Hemisphere, and of course below the equator is the Southern Hemisphere. Any great circle can be thought of as dividing the Earth in 2 hemispheres. In this case the equator, and the Primer Meridian/International Date Line.
It looks like it could be a really good resort, if it was just like 4 times as big (in slope length). Because the views are great, the conditions are fine too, same for the elevation. But it's just too bloody tiny. Even a resort with 50 or 60 km is too small for most european and probably also american skiers. Also, some kind of station (railway, underground, whatever) onto one of the higher mountains could also attract a lot more people.
if you like this, you have to see TERMAS DE CHILLAN; VALLE NEVADO; ANTILLANCA. SO BEAUTIFULL AWESOME AND GREAT SERVICES. CHILE IS THE MOST GREAT SKING HOLIDAY DESTINATION. VALLE NEVADO AND TERMAS DE CHILLAN ARE SO CLOSE TO MAIN CITIES SANTIAGO Y CHILLAN.
You are mistaken about how to get off the sligshot lift. If you start from the middle, you will all fall. You get off one at a time, from the opposite side from the rope. Please don't mislead people, you can get really hurt on this lift if you release the way you suggusted.
Why not showing the ski map? No runs looked to be groomed? Number of Pistenbyllies? Vertical drop information? Date of recording?where was the runs of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966 held?
Chile mentioned: somoh el mejor pa`ís de Chile 'ermano Guess where my dumb a*ss self learnt to ride a snowboard? Right here in Portillo, in the Juncalillo trail to be precise. One broken rib, but fun as hell!
8:30 Roca Jack is unforgiving, you have to be prepared to get off, it has the slope of a climb not that of a track, first learn to get off at Cóndor and then go there.
Only reason it is there at all is the fact the year of its creation (1947) …that made it the only resort in the southern hemisphere…thus all the ski teams wanted to go there from the northern hemisphere…what do you need to train for ski racing…not much…and that is what is there…not much…crummy lifts and mediocre runs…care to go Heli then it is game on…the rooms are miniature unless you want to spend mucho…dining room is preposterous…get a table and stay there during your stay…wild bar scene with young and old woman dancing on the tables…lots of cougars lurking about poaching young ski team boys…
Other than the views, this seems like a pain in the ass. Snow sucks. Lots of traversing. Restrooms that cost money. Cafeteria food. Hard to get to. Count me out.
Been fascinated by Portillo for years and this is by far the most informative video and/or article I’ve ever seen on it. Thanks Sam!
Peak Rankings is the best there is.
Yeah there really isn’t much on many of the South American resorts especially for advanced skiers
Australian skier here. Usually I ski in my own country in the Southern Hemisphere winter but after working at the Rio 2016 Olympics (which were in August because Rio is warm in its winter), I stopped off for five days at Portillo on the way home. Snow wasn't great but my mate and I had a fantastic time. There were three clear highlights and the rest of the mountain is basically meh. 1. The slopes off Roca Jack, one of the slingshot lifts. Turn left at the top of the lift, traverse for only 30 seconds or so and holy cow. You are now in a world of chutes and couloirs the likes of which you would have to hike to at almost any other resort in the world. Terrain there was just incredible. We got about 5 cm of fresh snow one night (2 inches for you Americans) which was juuuuust enough dust to cover the crust in most places and geez, what a rush. 2 The second good bit is the continuation of the gnarly terrain off Roca Jack, as you follow the Juncalillo run all the way to the bottom of that chair that crosses the highway (there are skier bridges over the road on the runs). This is great carving territory and it's longish in length. The U.S. ski team was training when we were there, but we just missed Lindsey Vonn by a week which was a shame as she had posted Insta pics of herself in that pool with the lake view. 3. On the other side of the resort is a thing called Lake Run, which yeah, no surprises, runs straight down to the lake. That's the one with the crazy hike-out with a fence-lined drop down to the lake which you can see in the video. Lake Run is a wide open bowl with lots of natural terrain features to make things fun. All in all, Portillo is a strange kind of mountain. It's either super challenging or super boring with not a whole lot in between. Once was enough for me although if you could guarantee me a powder week, I'd definitely take it! On a proper powder day, and especially because of those low crowd numbers, this might be the best ski resort in the world
You'd like Kicking Horse in BC. But only if they had snow. Without snow it is hard to find navigable lines.
This year the snow was crazy good in Chile
Portillo is not the only Sky place in Chile... Literally the Andes Mountains extend throughout Chile from North to South... further South you have Sky Centers in the middle of the Volcano
8:26, legends says that he is still sliding downwards... 🙂
why did the camera stop filming!!!!
He ended up in Santiago.
@@goodson77784 I know, we demand to see the full ride!
@@jlasf in stgo JAJAJAJAA
I'm American but I got to ski Portillo about nine years ago. Those slingshot lifts were probably the gnarliest in-bounds thing I've ever done. You are 100% right in that the ride up is actually pretty difficult. Luckily, no one in our group fell getting off at the top any of the times we rode them but it definitely wasn't easy the first time. The resort also had some really intense/narrow chutes that were pretty unique and felt like if you fell, you would slide all the way to the lake. Definitely an amazing place!
Well, this video just added Portillo to my bucket list. Place looks awesome, great video as always!
I skied here 30 years and it's an amazing place. When you stay at the hotel, it's like being on a cruise ship. You see the same people at breakfast, lunch, dinner and on the slopes. There is nothing else there, except a military base to guard the border. Oddly, it's owned by an American family, the Purcells. The Roca Jack lift - one of the "slingshot" lifts - is quite terrifying. It's much more difficult to go up than come down. On almost every ride, someone fell. The skiing itself is good, but it's a small area, not to be compared to a major US or European resort. The views, as you can see, are stunning. I remember looking out my window in the morning and being in awe. I get an odd pleasure skiing in the reverse season: I have skied in June on the Zermatt glacier, In July in Portillo, and in August indoors at Ski Dubai.
Sick flex bro
@@125conman 😂😂
@@jlasf Love your bucket list.
Portillo is a fascinating Ski Resort in my eyes , not as overengineered as some contemporary Ski Resorts in Europe. Sometimes simple equipment is shown here , but it does its job 🙂. My own Skiing memories from 40 years ago suddenly come back into my head.
I never heard of Portillo ... until now . Great video!
I agree; Portillo was builded in 40 years in the last century. Try with Valle Nevado (Snow Valley) in Santiago its moderns and made it in de 90 years. There are many vds, about that, Its a little resort compare with europeans or american, but works indeed
Overengineered? The resort has 20 km of slopes, and the lift system is bad. While in europe, there are often over 100 or even over 300 km of slopes, and everything is connected so that you can ski without having any problems. How is that overengineered.
Small correction: Valle Nevado also has two magic carpets in their learning areas.
A small correction. The peak pointed out at 1:41 is Alto Los Leones in the Juncal Valley, which is like a Chilean Matterhorn, and is 5380 m, or 17,650 ft high. Aconcagua is 7,000 meters approx.
That slingshot lift looks absolutely terrifying, maybe THE scariest thing I have seen on this channel and that's saying something 😂
Yes. When I was there, it was much harder to go up than come down.
I’ve been a snowboarder for many years now and consider myself expert. I probably wouldn’t even attempt that slingshot lift as a snowboarder.
@@texan_2ocho965 It's just a multi Poma. You can always waterski it too like a T-bar...
@@anisenkrill6179 Who tf waterskis a t-bar? That sounds like the most tiring way possible of using that lift.
@@JukkaliMx I'll do it for a short ride. Or put the bar in my armpit. Popular with kids so they can just let go and don't get plowed by the bar. I'm pretty skinny too, so not a lot of padding.
Fantastic report! I'm Chilean from northern Patagonia and have never seen such a detailed report about this ski area. I gladly invite you to our southern ski resorts-fresh snow guaranteed! cheers
1:40 that is not aconcagua, that is mt alto de los leones, aconcagua is much more north than that
Are you sure?
@@sigalemiri 100000% sure im a local
@@smasam638 just needed to check 😅
"Aconcagua is much more north"? Nop. www.google.com/maps/place/Portillo,+Los+Andes,+Valpara%C3%ADso/@-32.7557574,-70.2326411,42287m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x9687f43021f08351:0x79c93cea3950dcf3!8m2!3d-32.8369145!4d-70.1287972!16s%2Fg%2F11b6tl7nt3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkyNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
@@Jacqueline-kw2md Sip😉 www.google.com/maps/@-32.9656251,-70.2122385,19833a,35y,22.05h,51.62t/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwMi4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
South America? Hell yeah!
14:53 yo what is that truck doing???
Just a little shortcut 🤣
idk 😭😭😭
Must be a New Yorker running late. WTF
Cautious truck traffic 😂 That man was off-roading
I was like WTF is that madman doing
@@bruschi8148 it's another road, it looks like it's offroading, but he's unloading to another road..
@@GerDarioOtero Yes, but look how he cut in front of the oncoming lane!
usual mini truck driving 😭
Holy crap - Slingshot lifts! I thought growing up on lifts in New England in the 80’s was a feat but this is a level up!
One correction there is great nightlife but it is at the workers bar across the highway. Cheap drinks and much more fun than the Portillo bar. For budget minded the Inca lodge is basically a hostel where three night miniweek gives you fourish days of skiing just arrive around lunch time on the first day. Also you can ski in and out of Argentina if brave enough from what I've been told. Andemar bus from Santiago to Mendoza Argentina is also a way to get to Portillo if on a extreme budget. Recommend day trip to valle nevado/parva from Santiago with totalski bus with a day or weekend trip to the sea in valpariso. I left my skis in hostel storage to make it easier. Also you can Uber or taxi with ski luggage just roll down back window with skis jutting out. Oh and the US and other national teams train there end of August, crazy to share the hot tub with Mikaela Shiffrin among others.
Excellent video as always. I’d seen videos of this slingshot lift before but this was the most information I’ve seen about. Love that you documented it on this channel. But yikes, that slide down looked rough, and I’m glad he wasn’t hurt! This whole place just sounds like if YOLO was a ski resort.
That slingshot lift looks absolutely insane lol, there has to be a better way
Vail owned resort would never make something like that lol. Lawsuit waiting to happen
@@benshappell6339 Sadly, my proposal for using a trebuchet to launch the skiers and riders to the top of the slopes was rejected last year. I'm working on a new plan using jet propulsion, though 😆
@@JukkaliMx I wish you the best of luck!
Doesn't look that bad to me
@@125conman Lawsuits in Chile doesn´t work a good as in the northern hemisphere
Great review.
I really enjoyed the Plateau lift & run. It is a “red” trail and I repeated it 6 times. I timed myself each time.
This is the first time I've heard of this resort, and I think I need to take a trip to Portillo next year! Everything about this resort is so cool
Yeah you like most of your sort , think it snow only in Europe and North America , Antarctica is just a white stain in a map
No mention of the Super C Couloir, regarded as one of the best such runs in the world. Was always discussed in the various ski magazines as a primary reason to go all the way to Portillo. It’s quite a hike up, tho, so probably only for a small percentage of skiers.
21:25 What I want to know is how on Earth does El Colorado get a 9 in the "Challenge" rating. That place has some of the flattest red runs that I've ever encountered (great for carving practice, though). Yes, the wall below the Cornisa lift base will mess you up, but that's just one area of the entire resort. I assume it has something to do with the fact that all the lifts on the back side of the mountain are surface lifts, but I dunno if I'd call that mountain more challenging than La Parva.
Are you guys chasing the winter around the world!!??
😉
@@PeakRankings 🙌
Of course they are. What do you expect?
My first sky lesson as a kid, just beautiful.
1:37 That is actually Alto Los Leones. Aconcagua is further to the left, not appearing on sight.
Could you guys rank nevados de chillan next. I havent been able to find any good rankings of that resort online and I would really like to know what that resort is all about
Hi, nice review, but you made a mistake, the mountain that you had pointed as Aconcagua is the Alto Los Leones, with one of the highest vertical wall in the world, almost 2000 mts.
We had loads of snow this year
Stayed at the Hotel once. the food is AMAZING!
Bruh is that slingshot lift even possible for snowboard
Yes, yes it is. :) been there done that 😅
How in the world do yall afford to go to all of these amazing ski resorts! And how do I become an employee? Haha. Portillo looks amazing.
Join us on a PeakHouse trip! We also occasionally have some filming opportunities throughout the winter 😊
10 for challenge. wow. cool video. beautiful place
Thanks for this video. I think the slingshot lift looks like a fun time. I was raised on surface lift but that thing is wild. The lake looks amazing and so do the chutes. Thanks
Beautiful, love that lake at the base area.
Went there 3 or 4 times between 1998 and 2000. Sadly not to ski but to sight see as I was living around Santiago. The windy road to the resort was fun too, overall pretty place for sure and happened to bump into US Ski team members on one of the trips into the hotel
I don't even snowboard but this video is so thoroughly explained that it's amazing lol
Love your content man, super thorough and consistent. If I didn't know better, I would think you worked at MBB!
I would be curious what you think is the best resort for intermediate / advanced skiers in the world, regardless on apres and accommodations. My favorite is either Revelstoke or Whistler (if there are no lines!)
they are finally having a decent snow year
Are the unmarked/ungroomed advanced runs avalanche controlled? I.e. is the management of the ski area more American style (with an in-bounds region) or European style?
Ungroomed marked runs, yes. Un*marked* runs, no.
A classic!
dirt cheap food in Santiago ? im from Santiago and I felt really poor hearing that.
hahahah great review btw
Para los gringos todo es barato...saco de pelotas
Why does portillo seem so much more famous that Valle navado inspite of being a 6th its size?
Depends on the crowd you run with. In my experience, Valle Nevado is more famous with a younger crowd that is active on social media, and those who know it because it's included in their Ikon Pass. Portillo has been around since the 40s, I believe, and they're famous with the veteran crowd, those who like old-school ski areas over the mega-resorts, and those who look for bigger challenges. Plus, I think the lake aspect makes it the South American equivalent to skiing at Lake Louise.
@@JukkaliMx And also Portillo was the venue for a world ski championship in 1966. The only one held to date in the southern hemisphere.
I believe it’s due to its rich history. This ski resort is the first established in South America, dating back to 1940, and it’s also the site of the first-ever ski descent in the region, which took place in 1887. The Purcell family has done an excellent job maintaining the resort as a 'boutique' destination, focusing on the details. They limit the number of skiers per day, and they groom the ski tracks even during the day to minimize bumpy conditions in the afternoon.
Man all those edge-destroying rocks... scares me just looking at that slope.
LOL, black diamond lift runs. You know the hill is good when the up is risky.
lol this was the first resort i ever visited as a kid.
my uncle lived in los andes city so it was quite close to enjoy the day there. i don't remmember it as scary or unhinged, but watching this video actually taught me soemthing
That lake looks like the ultimate pond scim.
My dad taught skiing and worked ski patrol in Portillo back in the 1960’s. It really hasn’t changed much since then! He made the pilgrimage down there on multiple occasions until a massive avalanche took out the housing where he slept, killing “several” of his friends. The evening before the storm hit, he inexplicably took the train down to Santiago. He said that he was compelled to take the last train off the Mtn, that he knew he couldn’t stay there, and had tried to convince several of his friends to go with him. He returned to the base area after the railroad reopened to help with the rescue, then flew back north with the bodies of his friends. He returned one more time to support the 1966 World Cup race. He was the ski patroller who evacuated Billy Kidd after he broke his leg during the race. My brothers and I followed in his footsteps back in the 1990’s, but as alpine ski racing coaches in New Zealand at Mount Hutt. …Roy Schaefer, my dad, started working at a local rope tow when he was only 7, cleaning up after guests, went on to manage multiple resorts, owner of Berkshire East which he bought from the bank for a dollar in 1976. At 84, dad’s spent his entire life working at or running ski areas…pretty cool. Skiing is amazing!
What is the visibility during storms? I visited Valle Nevado two weeks ago and with any cloud cover visibility became really tough, and during even light snow flurries, forget it.
Not great at Portillo either.
Great video! Planning on going to Cerro Catedral any time soon?
6:45
....yepp okay will there be a peak trip here someday? Mentally i am already in without a single detail man 😅
People relax. It is not a slingshot per se, is just a system that pulls you up the hill but your feet are touching the ground the whole time and it isn’t fast. It basically drags you lol
Did our honeymoon in Portillo. What an awesome place!
Portillo has the best snow in The Andes, period. Its location, orientation and the high mountains surrounding the ski area, ensures that the snow holds the best quality in the whole ski areas in South America. Portillo is located just few kilometers north of La Parva, El Colorado and Valle Nevado, but deeper in the Andes range, closer to the border with Argentina. For this reason normally receives more snow than those areas above Santiago. The high peaks around, better protects it from the wind and the sun exposure.
Night life in Portillo is fun and happens every night in the hotel bar where a live band plays a variety of classic rock, Latin rock and some funk, pretty much every night everybody ends dancing in the cozy bar. And the band playing at the bar is changed every week. Additionally across the highway
there is La Posada bar / restaurant, where normally many of the workers of the hotel go partying.
Only bad skiers will not have a blast in Portillo. Its expert terrain is epic. Portillo is an iconic place visited every year by world class skiers. Yes if you are still a bad skier, go to slide somewhere else, if you reached the advanced or expert level, don't waste your time going anywhere else!
For good skiers Portillo ranks at the top of all Southern Hemisphere ski areas and in a high position around the world.
Have you skiiied other parts of Chile or Argentina? Curious if they are worth it especially nevados de chillan
@@Know-it-all55 I have skied almost all ski areas in Chile and a couple ones in Argentina. I like Nevados de Chillan, perhaps my second favorite in Chile, it has fun playful terrain. Southern Andes, where Chillan, Corralco, Pucon, Antillanca in Chile or Bariloche in Aregentina, are lower in elevation compared with the central Andes where Portillo, V. Nevado, etc. are located. These southern ski areas are around 1000 mts lower in elevation, for that reason the snow quality is way more variable. Sometimes is snowing and in few hours could change into slush or even rain. Normally the spring cicle conditions will arrive earlier than in Portillo, but yes Chillan will be my second option to go in Chile.
very good video! this place is fascinating
To Peak Rankings it is always winter somewhere.
Rode Portillo in 2004, thought the slingshot surface lifts were terrifying and awesome at the same time!
Nice Engrish Title!
Im wondering how do you "do" a place?
I considered it a few years back but decided against it due to the travel to get there. I have been to Zermatt, Val Thorens, Val Desiere and St anton since and no regrets.
8:32 I think you should add the metal gear scream sound effect
Do the resort sell any good Italian Beefs?
Super detailed! Thanks
I'm going for the slingshots alone.
I think it would useful if you would state how much you paid for your trip, not that I'm doubting you paid for it yourself.
For Portillo, we paid $76 for the 1-day lift ticket and lunch add on, as well as a few hundred bucks for the rental car, gas, and Santiago Airbnb.
But we also visited four other ski resorts in Chile across a two-week road trip, so tough to extrapolate to a typical experience.
1:27 I always get confused when people say Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the southern and western hemisphere. Since when do we divide the earth in east and west hemispheres, you just dont hear it much. I guess the equator for the East and West hemispheres is going down the west side of africa. So saying outside of asia or the tallest mountain in north and south america is better in my opinion. Great review and I'll have to add this to the bucket list!
It goes by the international dateline. Halfway is about even with Spain
Not so confusing if you think about it. The Americas are basically the Western Hemisphere, and of course below the equator is the Southern Hemisphere. Any great circle can be thought of as dividing the Earth in 2 hemispheres. In this case the equator, and the Primer Meridian/International Date Line.
It's the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas.
sweet looks open like europe. Sadly, it's only a 800m vert with 20km of runs.
…AND…the slingshot lifts are hilarious…particularly on a snowboard…place is completely inadequate…
It looks like it could be a really good resort, if it was just like 4 times as big (in slope length). Because the views are great, the conditions are fine too, same for the elevation. But it's just too bloody tiny. Even a resort with 50 or 60 km is too small for most european and probably also american skiers. Also, some kind of station (railway, underground, whatever) onto one of the higher mountains could also attract a lot more people.
For next season you should review nevados de chillan it’s my go to ski resort😊
What about "Valle Nevado " ?? .. it's a Big brother of Portillo.. 🧐
where's the rest of 8:26
The lack of trees makes this feel like your snowboarding on an extraterrestrial planet
I love ur vids and I subed
if you like this, you have to see TERMAS DE CHILLAN; VALLE NEVADO; ANTILLANCA.
SO BEAUTIFULL AWESOME AND GREAT SERVICES.
CHILE IS THE MOST GREAT SKING HOLIDAY DESTINATION.
VALLE NEVADO AND TERMAS DE CHILLAN ARE SO CLOSE TO MAIN CITIES SANTIAGO Y CHILLAN.
18:14 wy cant it
I'm guessing flight path regulations
900 skiable acres? That is a very small resort indeed. Less than one and a half square miles.
U would hate the sling shot lift lol
if you like riding bycicle i totally recomend going to portillo on bike and then take a swim on the lake! such a experience !!
You are mistaken about how to get off the sligshot lift. If you start from the middle, you will all fall. You get off one at a time, from the opposite side from the rope. Please don't mislead people, you can get really hurt on this lift if you release the way you suggusted.
ah, yes, the calmest spot in chile.
Which pass can you use there the epic pass or the Ikon Pass❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I wish none of them...
He said in the video. Neither. It's independent
No paso
They only allow departures on certain days? So what happens if you need to leave, they just keep you hostage? That seems sketchy AF.
I bet you can leave, but when buying the options are only in certain intervals so you're wasting money if you leave early
^this
4:49 wtf is a button lift 💀
A Poma lift
I assume they mean a Poma
Instead of a bar, it's a round disc
@@src248 Yeah. Poma is a brand, though, so the generic term is "button lift". It's like Kleenex and facial tissue xD
Why not showing the ski map? No runs looked to be groomed? Number of Pistenbyllies? Vertical drop information? Date of recording?where was the runs of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966 held?
Hate to be that guy but am i first??
Chile mentioned: somoh el mejor pa`ís de Chile 'ermano
Guess where my dumb a*ss self learnt to ride a snowboard?
Right here in Portillo, in the Juncalillo trail to be precise. One broken rib, but fun as hell!
Good to see snowboarders parking in the middle of a trail isn't unique to the northern hemisphere.
Feeling a sudden desire to ride a sling-shot lift!
150 in of snow....that's all I need to know....next
…SO…listen and view this well done video before making any plans…unless you are a 50+ Cougar…the place is hacked…
The tree skiing looks mediocre! 😂
Non existant*
Can't wait for you guys to hit argentina!.
Completely different than chile!
No way
@@GerDarioOtero How?
8:40 😂
8:30 Roca Jack is unforgiving, you have to be prepared to get off, it has the slope of a climb not that of a track, first learn to get off at Cóndor and then go there.
cool
Only reason it is there at all is the fact the year of its creation (1947) …that made it the only resort in the southern hemisphere…thus all the ski teams wanted to go there from the northern hemisphere…what do you need to train for ski racing…not much…and that is what is there…not much…crummy lifts and mediocre runs…care to go Heli then it is game on…the rooms are miniature unless you want to spend mucho…dining room is preposterous…get a table and stay there during your stay…wild bar scene with young and old woman dancing on the tables…lots of cougars lurking about poaching young ski team boys…
Two Tens .....
Other than the views, this seems like a pain in the ass. Snow sucks. Lots of traversing. Restrooms that cost money. Cafeteria food. Hard to get to. Count me out.
Place rips
"Skiers and riders" lol I don't think you would waste your time on a board here?
A small ski resort, variable snow conditions to say the least, not a top ranked ski area. Barrieloche is bigger.
Valle Nevado or El Colorado is bigger than Catedral