Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Ski Portillo that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Ski Portillo stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Ski Portillo review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Ski Portillo
Total (3.2)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
Incredible only for the views. Skiing and Portillo hotel not worth the time or money
Fernando Guerrero
We were there on 2023, August to be precise. Not much snow but skiable. However, at the bottom of the mountain where the police checkpoint is and where they stop before letting you through depending on road conditions, they would line up everybody and wait for a guy presumably working for Portillo ski resort to check with you if you had a reservation at the hotel. Otherwise, no reservation at the resort not getting through! Specially if you were there for the day which was the case of the majority of the lined up cars.That day we weren’t allowed to go up. Next day we pretended we had a reservation and we managed to get through. And let me tell you, the road was cristal clear all the way up. When we get to the resort we were able to get a daily pass without any trouble. Now explain to me why if the road is clear and you’re selling daily tickets are you requesting a reservation at the hotel?. I remember in the old days that didn’t happened. Not only that, some tourists coming from Santiago were turned away.
In my experience is not worth the trouble for anyone to experience that. Providing ,that there are other ski resorts as good or better close to Santiago (la Parva) comes to mind.
It is a terrible experience for skiers coming from far away to be turn away just because they are not hotel clients.
I used to recommend Portillo before.Unfortunately,that is not the case anymore.
If planning to ski Chile I have a couple of suggestions without aggravation! La Parva, Nevados de Chillan, Valle Nevado etc.
anonymous
Came from USA, unfortunately very low snow conditions. The resort is very nice in a gorgeous setting. Food is fantastic, 4 meals per day. Staff is very friendly and helpful, many are fluent in English.
Sarah Johnson
Portillo is my hands down favorite ski area due to the incredibly friendly people, the insane amount of powder, and the advanced terrain. Even though the are fewer runs, they never get old. The powder is endless and lasted for about a week until it snowed again. Plus, the cliffs to jump off of always keep it exciting. The skinning/ boot packing is challenging but way worth it. The views are unlike anything that I've ever seen before and the fresh lines will have you woo-hooing the whole way down. The iconic hotel is home to the best people and skiers on earth. It's impossible to get bored in Portillo because after skiing all day there is always something to do whether it's hot tubbing, working out, going to the bar, playing soccer in the gym, rewinding with some incredible yoga, or just hanging out at tea time. The hotel has one of the most organized schedules I have ever seen and there is constantly something going on. Portillo is a one-of-a-kind place that has kept me coming back for years.
B
echoing a lot of other reviews about the cruise ship vibe. to avoid this you can catch a roundtrip day bus from Las Condes in Santiago but it is a long ride (~3+ hours each way).
the staff is great and the terrain is pretty much well maintained (especially for Chile) and the snow is said to be the best (although I think it's at La Parva). the views and environment are the most stunning of all the Chilean resorts, and the terrain the most severe in appearance - bring your camera. also a heads up that this is definitely kidville, although there's a lively party scene at night in contrast.
but to be honest the whole facility is really dated-feeling, not as glamorous as expected. it's also very, very expensive for chile - not a great value at all considering the state of the facilities and on-mountain nickel and diming. overall the food's pretty lame, which normally wouldn't bug me but is important to know when as you're stuck for a whole week. there are also very few Chilean skiiers (although we did ski with the Chilean ski soldiers stationed at Argentine border) - we met mostly Brazilians.
things to keep in mind:
-ski the lake run in the morning and the back run in the afternoon to maximize vs sun/melt
-wear a lot of sunscreen or cover up, the sun is brutal
-in this part of Chile - try to ski straight through 10-2. any earlier is crusty, and at 2 it becomes slush o'clock
-trails are barely marked - usually only a single metal stick with the color of the terrain difficulty
-lodge is fine but a bit dated and very vertical, several levels to climb before you get to base lift
-skiing above the treeline means goggles with good contrast are hugely important
I really wanted to like Portillo, but frankly it's mediocre in most aspects. The vertical is not great with all lifts accessing less than 1,000'. It's very difficult to expand that number because the resort is divided in half by the Inca Lake. The best skiing is the "bowls" - really just long chutes that you reach via 4/5 person poma lifts that whisk you up. There are 3 of these, and from them you can traverse or climb to some others. In most other ambitious ski resorts these would all have chairlifts and better planning of layout throughout. The care taking of the mountain is seriously lacking, with minimal grooming, little signage of any kind, and complacent staff attitudes. The "trails" number less than a handful and get boring quickly, especially after skiing/boarding them for a day or two. If snow is iffy there is hardly any snow making backup - a serious problem. Most folks stay at the Hotel Portillo (except for the budget minded - there's a bunk bed building) which is basic - very modest rooms including 4 meals daily which are surprisingly bad and sometimes near rancid. I don't know how it's partnered up with Rockresorts - other than a stunning location it has nothing in common with those five star resorts. As someone who has skied most everywhere I'm glad I visited for my own education, but I'd find it hard to recommend this place except for the most inquisitive, it simply doesn't live up to expectations. From what I understand, Valle Nevado is a better choice, and when I return to S.A. it will be my next.
Randy Rogers
Fortune has it that I was able to answer my phone while riding one of the steeper route out in the Oregon Coast Range late one August day. Could I TD a race on the 10th of September? Yep, didn't take me long to accept for 2 reasons. The ski area I was working for was putting the entire staff on unpaid leave for 20 days on...you can't believe it either? September 10th. The other reason I knew I could "take" the race was the location was one of those mystical locations that occupies the deep dreams of true skiers of any age - Portillo.
If you haven't been to Portillo, or even viewed theiir promotional photos online all I can say is WOW. It isn't the most modern place on the planet...but you can hardly surpass the pure beauty and proximity to some of the most challenging terrain to be found.
I'll fill you in more later. Have to power down my last pisco sour of the week and catch a taxi to the airport.
Today I walked for several hours today through Santiago, up into the Parque del Refugio and smelled the sweet energy of Spring. Unlike the retirement scents of a morning in Autumn you could hear new blossums straining for the sun. Tomorrow morning I will be back in Oregon. Glad that my garden survived likely the last 90 plus days of a Pacific Northwest summer, and remembering this morning. Spring and Autumn back to back. It will be interesting and memorable. Like my first trip to Portillo. I will be back.
snowmystr
CASATOURS
Portillo is nestled high up in the Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile and 25 miles from the base of Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas. Portillo began developing its ski center in the 1930’s and has since become the most famous ski resort in South America. In 1966 Portillo held the first and only Alpine World Ski Championships in the Southern hemisphere.
Situated at 9,480 feet Portillo boasts one of the most spectacular settings of any ski resort in the world. The massive, cragged peaks of the High Andes tower thousands of feet overhead and encircle the glassy, emerald waters of Laguna del Inca. Portillo has one of the most unique ski lift systems on the planet. Not only does one chairlift carry riders above the sinuous curves and creeping trucks of Highway 60, but there are 4 multiple person poma lifts, including the legendary Roca Jack, that whisk people up the mountain sides and accesses a majority of Portillo’s colossal terrain. For the truly accomplished, fit, and slightly insane, the Super C is the ultimate run of the Andes. The Super C requires a gripping 2,500-foot climb to reach its 7,000 vertical foot, 35-50 degree narrow, rock-walled descent
I went to Portillo for a week last year and am returning this year.
I've been skiing all over North America (Whistler, Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Snowbird, Alta, Killington, etc.) and some other resorts in SA (El Colorado, Valle Nevado) and if I could only go to one place a year it would be a week in Portillo. The reason I love Portillo is just the whole experience of the resort put together. The parts themselves are pretty good, but when everything comes together its a special place. You know is special when you walk around on Monday night and see that everyone has a huge smile on their face.
Terrain:
Portillo's terrain is awesome. The mountain is probably the consistently steepest that I've seen. Some areas are really beyond awesome particularly to skiiers right of the Roca Jack lift, where there is a combination of open bowls and tight chutes. It also looks like they've added an additional lift skiiers right of Roca Jack that should make some of the bowls easier to access particularly for snowboarders.
Last year you needed to get off the Roca Jack and traverse immediately on a 50 degree slope. This was very difficult for snowboarders (not exactly easy for skiiers) and I saw a massive fall down approximately vertical feet 800 feet. These extreme steeps and some rocks lead to some of the most horrendous falls I have seen and ski patrol sits at the bottom of the lift all day for good reason.
There are also some excellent trails at Portillo particularly Plateau and the long run down to the Juncillo lift.
The downside is that with only 1200 in bounds acres (cut down even more if the lake isn't fozen) you'll find yourself hitting the same runs and even lines over and over again. If you arr used to the endless diversity of Whistler, Mammoth or Snowbird then you might be disapointed, but if you just acknowledge the quality or the terrain you are skiing is as good as anywhere in the world then its much more enjoyable. Some years there is heliskiing, but there was somee sort of problem with the helicopters last year and had to cancel.
Lifts/Crowds:
Portillo doesn't have any high speed lifts, but they are hardly needed given the total lack of crowds. If you want to run laps on Plateau the Plateau lift gets you up fast enough and if you want to ski harder terrain any of the "Come and Go lifts" work fine.
I'm not going to explain these lifts to extensively, but basically they are 5 person Poma style lifts that only take 4-6 people up the mountain at a time. They are unique to Portillo and designed to resist avalanches. Portillo has 3 of them (looks like 4 now). The downside is the low hourly capacity, and chance of a disaster getting off, but they do get you up the mountan pretty qucikly. 1100 vertical feet in 2:30 for the Roca Jack.
In terms of skiing the mountain people start at skiiers right in the morning and follow the sun over to skiiers left later in the day. The two halves of the mountain flank the lake and the hotel. Given the crowds, long hours (9-5), and need for the sun to soften up the snow there is no need to run out early. There are occasionally long lines (up to 30 minutes) at peak times on some of "come and go lifts", but they are kinda sporadic and not terribly bothersome. One nice thing is that as most people tend to congregate in certain areas, its easy to run into your freinds even if you had a long night of drinking and got out late.
At the end of the day your at a mountain that has 450 skiiers a day. What that means is some of the least crowded skiing anywhere in the world. That and great terrain per acre is what makes the skiing at Portillo special.
Another nice touch is a GS course that is set up on plataeu every day. It's not exactly a full blown competition GS, but its more serious than your average Nastar cours and they have a timer running all day so you can compare your times. Its a nice touch especially because its free. Sure you don't get a medal, but its better than paying $15 for a flat Nastar course. You can also enter the town race at the end of the week if you desperatley want your Portillo medal (My gold medal does look pretty cool though).
Snow Quality:
The snow quality is exceptional and holds up very well due to the lack of skiiers. Portillo gets about 275 inches a year, but mainly in rather large storms. I went to Portillo 2-3 weeks after the last Storm and the snow quality particularly off of Roca Jack was still excellent. If you manage to get snow storm while your up there though after the ropes drop (could be awhile) it is going to be epic. You are really going to have untracked powder for days. Most days are also warm and sunny which keeps you warm and the snow soft.
Ski School:
I wouldn't normally comment on ski school since I'm way past taking lessons, but for Portillo it deserves special mention. Since Portillo is one of the few ski resorts in South America and probably the most prestigious they get the top pick of ski instructors from around the world. We went down with a freind who had skiied one day perviously in his life and he took morning group lessons. I don't remember the ski school rates (check the website), but they were definatley WAY less than comparable rates in America. His group lesson was with an english skiing group with 3 other skiiers. By the third day some of the other skiiers had stopped and rather than combine his group he just got a private lesson.
Portillo has a prety wide array of learning slopes so they can slowly get you up to the top of the mountain. By the end of the trip my freind could negotiate Plateau the hardest groomed run on the mountain with limited falling. If you are trying to teach a freind, girlfreind or Wife how to ski Portillo is the place to go.
Hotel: The Portillo hotel is one of the coolest most unique ski resorts in the world. Almost everyone that goes stays from Saturday to Saturday so its like a crusise ship with skiing. You get to know a lot of the guests and staff by name and almost everyone by sight. Many of the guests and staff return year after year and its amazing to see people meet up with old freinds on Saturday's. What seems nice is that meeting people isn't forced. They don't force you to meet with other guests, but it just seems to happen with all the events they have planned. Of course one of the awesome things is just who these guests are. The first day I was there I was going up the Roca Jack and was next to none other than Herman Maier. Literally we are talking about the best skiier of a generation and I'm there skiing with him. The whole austrian ski team along with Chris Davenport was there. When you ski in the summer you just get to hang out with a who's who of skiing. Yeah you might see Stein Erickson at some planned event at Deer valley, but its not the same as having a drink at the bar.
Two downside of the hotel. One for me, but probably a plus for other people is how kid freindly it is. Since its totally self contained and the kids know each other from Ski School they basically run free all over the hotel. I'm sure its great for parent's, but its a little frustrating in such a nice hotel.
Two, the hotel like everything in South America is a little inflexible or lazy. Although its way better than the average south american ski resort, you are still somewhat flabergasted. For instance you can't have coffee in the dining room and they couldn't find our reservations for the first hour we were there.
You need to give the hotel some credit though for the extras that come from the staff. Whether its the boot guy who remembers you after the first day or your waiter doing a magic trick its pretty cool.
The hotel has a lot of amenities and planned events. Some of them are cool and others are a little funky, but either way there is always something to do after skiing even if its just hanging out in the great room or in the bar. To me skining is actually only a third of the day. Some exaples:
Outdoor Pool and Hot tub (best anywhere though a little cold).
Water aerobics in the pool (kinda strange).
Welcome Cocktails party (who turns down free booze).
Gymnasium (If you can play basketball or soccer at 9000 feet I'm sure its cool).
Hat Fashion Show(No, I'm not joking they actually had this, it was bizzare, but they gave free wine).
Movies in the Cinema (Kinda Bizare).
Gym with machines and Yoga Classes (Skiing has me beat, but if your on the Austrian National Team or something).
Bar.
Internet Cafe (On this they do charge to use the computers, but wireless is free. And most American Blackberries work. I wish they let you on the computers for 15 minutes at a time so I didn't need to bring my laptop, but I think they want to keep the Kids off the computer so you can use them for business.
As far as lodging options you have three choices:
The Grand Hotel: This is where I stayed, but the most expensive. For Couples or Families its probably your best bet.
The Octagon Lodge: This is where I am going to stay this year. Its 4 bunk beds in a room with a private bathroo. If you don't have 4 people you get a random person, but most people are still pretty cool. The awesome part is that you still get to eat in main dining room and do it at a significant cost. Even if your on a budget go to the Octagon.
The Inca: The Inca is really a pretty gross experience that I'd suggest against. Its a hostile/Staff housing with common bedrooms and is overall pretty gross. If your hardcore skiing and just trying to hit Portillo for 1-2 days on your way to other ski resorts then its a decent option, but your really robbing yourself of the portillo experience and won't get to eat in the main dining room (there is a self service cafeteria with ok food). Even getting a good night's sleep could be a problem. Most of the people who I knew staying in the Inca were looking to upgrade to the Octagon if they could.
Gastronomy (I'd say food or restaurants, but this seems to be the translation all the websites use).
The main dining room is where you are going to have most of your meals. The room itself is magnificent. It looks like something from one of those great adirondak or michigan lodges, like something from the shining. It has an awesome mountain view.
The dining room serves Light breakfast, heavy 3 course lunch, afternoon tea with light biscuits/cookies, and 3 course late dinner (8 or 9pm). If you stay in the Octagon or the Hotel this is all included and you get the same table and wait staff. For the main meals (lunch and Dinner) its three courses usually with 2-3 choices for appetizer and main. If you don't like the main choices there are some basic choices that are always available, but they are a big step down from the main choices. The food is very good, but not exceptional. It would be very hard to complain about and its better eating then I normally do skiing, but if you eat at the finest restaurant in Aspen or something then you might be a little disapointed with the somewhat old fashioned food.
The wine list is almost all Chillean with some Argentine Wines, I wouldn't mind if they expanded out of the region a bit, but its a good selection and fairly priced.
If you are coming for the day or staying in the Inca you eat in the cafeteria on the first floor. I haven't eaten the food there, but the prices look fair. The view is great.
On the mountain there is Tio Bobs. You get one free meal there and can buy more if you want. Tio's is exceptional for its fresh grilled food and awesome views. I'd eat there every day if I could. Honestly, if money is no object you might just consider paying for meals every day at Tio's because its awesome.
You last option is ordering food from the bar or in the great room. The food here is pretty basic, but its an option that's out there particularly if you get hungry at an odd time.
Drinks/Partying:
Portillo like all ski resorts suffers from a lack of women. If you really want to party with girls you have to bring your own. That being said its still good relative to most places. Partying starts in the hotel bar usually with a band playing at 10:30. They'll bring in 3-4 bands over the course of the week and I was particularly impressed. They tend to save the best bands for Friday and Saturday nights so that's when the parties get rocking. At about 12:30-1 or when the party gets a little too out of control (people were sliding across the tables) people will start migrating down to the Disco.
The Disco is the only indoor place where you can smoke so its open all afternoon, but heats up at night. Depending on the night there could be partying till 5 or 6. It really all depends who is there how good it gets. It's a fun place with a DJ even if the decor is a little behind the times and the girl to guy ratio is a little off.
La Posada is the employee bar down the road that should not be missed under ANY circumstances. Not only are prices chear $1-2 for a beer vs. $4-6 at the hotel, but it gives you that local flavor with hard partying. Its also really cool that you get to hang out with the staff and waiters etc. If you buy people a few drinks then you'll get even better service in the restaurant. Just don't be a fool and wait till the end of your trip to finally pay the place a visit.
Getting there: Portillo is medium difficulty to get to. Fly into SCL getting in at Sat morning and take the portillo shuttle or arrange for a private transfer. Leave late the next saturday night. The transfers will cost you $50-100 round trip so its not bad at all. The only bad side is that the Portillo road can close for bad (or not so bad) weather. If you miss a day or get stuck for a day there are a list of policies describing what will happen. It's probably not the end of the world, but its a risk that doesn't exist at most North American Ski Resorts.
Overall: If your a skiier of any type go to Portillo at least once and stay in the Octagon or the Grand Hotel. You'll probably go back. The Octagon particularly is a good value since everything is included. Its hard to do Portillo on a tight budget, but if you can stretch then its worth it.
Portillo is one of the most unique skiing experiences in the world – but it’s definitely not for everyone. If you just visit for the day, you might not “get” Portillo because what happens on the slopes is just as important as what happens when you’re off them. Long, grand dinners, pumping nightlife, and lots of camaraderie exist here in a degree not seen at any other resort I can think of. Portillo is a very intimate resort and something like a cruise ship in the sky – there’s no town, just a main lodge (with simple doubles and a handful of suites), a mid-range “octagon” with shared rooms, and a backpacker’s lodge called the Inca – this last option is dirt cheap, loud, and cramped, but then at Portillo you don’t spend much time in your room anyway. If you’re on a budget, splurge for the Octagon because it is far more comfortable and you can eat in the main dining room.
The terrain at Portillo will blow you away if you’re an advanced or expert skier or snowboarder, but if you’re an intermediate and not interested in pushing yourself, you might consider another resort altogether. Also, if you don’t ski or need a lot of shops and such, this is also not your resort. The terrain can look compact at first glance, but believe me the mountain looks HUGE when you’re standing at the top of Roca Jack. Also, with short traverses there are gigantic bowls, chutes, and cliffs, and when their lake freezes in August you can ski the Lake Run and walk back across the lake to the resort. While on the lake, the magnitude of the Andes becomes shockingly real. Portillo’s location on Lake Inca and facing an amphitheater of jagged peaks is spectacularly beautiful. What’s funky about the place though is that their Juncalillo run and lift go over the international highway, which is usually full of semi trucks heading to or returning from Argentina.
At Portillo, you can sense a certain kind of peer pressure – the pressure to relax. Seriously! A few skiers work themselves from 9 to 5, but most guests here wake late, enjoy a long lunch at Tio Bob’s (does a mountain restaurant anywhere boast a more beautiful view than this restaurant?) ski the rest of the afternoon and then kick back in their antique bar for an extended après ski. There are no lift lines here, so you can get a lot of vertical in one day.
One other perk of this resort is that every pro skier and national ski team seems to head here every summer, and the atmosphere is so friendly that you can just walk up to anyone and have a chat. People make friends so easily here that many plan to return together year after year. If you haven’t been here, try to experience Portillo once in your life if you can.
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