We arrive in Santiago at 10am after a three-legged, 18 hour flight from Los Angeles. Rather than sit in a car for another two hours, we decide to find a hostel for the night. One hour and eight dollars later, we leave our hostel in search of the nearest golf course. Fortunately, Chile loves Americans, and we find an exclusive private course willing to let us on. After the round, its an early dinner and off to bed.
The alarm goes off at 4am, but we were already awake. Portillo awaits. The drive is supposed to be beautiful, but we sleep through it all. We can enjoy that on the way back. Finally, at 8am, we get to Portillo. The bright yellow hotel is the ugliest beautiful hotel I have ever seen. Yet somehow it seems to fit in perfectly with the treeless mountains and the pristine lagoon.
Our accommodations are bare, but more than enough for us...especially for the price (7 days, 6 nights, 7 lift tickets, and four meals per day for $490 each). Granted, it's the smallest dorm room I have ever seen, but you can't find a deal like that anywhere in the United States.
Out on the mountain, we quickly learn that most of the runs worth taking include a traverse, some even a hike. But they are all worth it, especially climbing over the peak to the fresh powder on the back side. In addition, we don't have to wait once for a lift, sometimes not even unstrapping to sit. You see, Portillo is the only resort in Chile that doesn't allow locals, so the mountain is ours...until the Chilean military starts training alongside us. I guess they think if Argentina ever attacks over the Andes, their military should be able to ski.
Our third day, the military is gone, and the mountain is ours again. We had planned to heliboard in the morning, but our hearts are broken when we learn that the company who provides the service is out of commission for the season. Fortunately, they have a slalom course set up in preparation for a ski team, so we race for most of the day. The next day, it's back to the lifts and hikes. The mountain isn't huge, and there are only a handful of groomed runs, so by the end of the seven days, we know every inch of the mountain. But ironically, it never gets old.
The only regret I have was that it took us until the fifth night to learn about La Posada, the locals' bar. Just a two minute walk from the hotel, it is cheap beer (or pisco sours), salsa dancing, and hanging out with the locals. It doesn't get any better than that.
Overall, the trip was incredible, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The Chileans are friendly, the mountain is awesome (although a little small), the resort is beautiful, the food is good, and the weather was perfect. Not to mention the price and the ability to board in the summer. Besides, if it's good enough for the Austrian and American national ski teams, it's good enough for me. And where else do you have a hot tub with a view like this:
