Anyone Need to Cool Off?

July has been a very hot month for us in the Mid-West and I thought it would be a perfect time to introduce you all the famous and oldest Chilean ski lodge called Portillo, meaning "little pass".


Come to Portillo once and you run a serious danger of returning.

Why? Well...

-It is famous for it's one-on-one service ratio. The resort can only hold 450 guest at a time and it has a 450 staff. Now that is good service!

-There is no neighboring town, meaning Portillo is totally self-contained, much like a cruise ship nestled in the magnificent Andean peaks.

-Altitude of Hotel: 9,350 feet
-Altitude at highest ski point : 10,859 feet
-Vertical drop: 2,664 feet

-Longest run: 2 miles

-Average annual snowfall :24,7 feet

-Chance for beautiful weather : 80% sunny days

-Distance from Santiago: 102 miles (2 hours)

-Portillo operates on a weeklong, Saturday to Saturday basis. You cannot come for one or two days of skiing. Your rate covers seven nights lodging, four meals a day, lift tickets, and access to all fitness and entertainment facilities.



-Portillo is one of the preferred ski resorts for summer training by the United States and many European national ski teams (Austrian, Italian teams). The ski runs, snow, and service bring coaches and racers back to Portillo year after year. National ski teams typically stay for the entire month of August.

Desire to learn more?
Click HERE to read about Portillo in the press.
Click HERE to read of the history of Portillo.
Click HERE for rates.
Click HERE to watch the 3:15 minute promo video. (Dial-up users beware of the wait for download).

While our family will probably never go to Portillo to ski, there are many other great and less expensive places to ski in Chile. For those of you that are from MN or WI, skiing anywhere in the Andes Mts. would be better than Mount Kato, Buck Hill, or Rib Mountain.

Family Activity: Can find Portillo on Google Earth? (GPS 32, 50, 01.18 S & 70, 07, 59.61 W)