Ski Portillo, Chile- A Resort Steeped (pun intended) in Skiing Tradition and History!

I had heard a lot about Ski Portillo Resort, but the descriptions were confusing because it was hard to picture an isolated group of buildings surrounded by steeps and off piste terrain galore, a beautiful alpine lake (Laguna de Inca), with a traditional, verging on formal, culture all located high up in the Andes above tree line. It sounded funky, and funky it was!


The Hotel Portillo is really the only full service hotel. All of the amenities, which is a formidable amount, are located in the Hotel Portillo. The other two lodges, The Octagon Lodge, where we stayed, and the Inca Lodge, are extremely moderate to hostel style and deal mainly in bunk beds. The Hotel Portillo with approximately 120 rooms represents the majority of the lodging capacity. The Octagon has about 15 rooms and the Inca Lodge is pretty small as well! All the lodges are within 50 yards of each other and you may as well consider everything ski-in/ski-out. A Portillo ski package comes with lift tickets and 4 meals a day in the semi formal dining area Inca Lodge guests use a more casual dining are, but meals are still included).

The service, especially in the main dining room, is really exceptional. While we were on site we learned that full capacity at Portillo, approximately 400 guests, are outnumbered by about 500 employees. In other words there is more than one employee for every guest. You basically stick to the same for every meal throughout your stay which is typically a mandatory Saturday through Saturday. This stimulates conversation with both your wait staff, who are quite entertaining, and fellow guests seated next to your table throughout the course of your stay and definitely fosters a sense of camaraderie.

Portillo is a unique experience that every avid skier should try at least once. From the Saint Bernards greeting you outside the hotel to the steep off piste terrain combined with family friendly groomers, to the sit down family dining experience, to the US and multiple international ski teams training in August, Portillo is definitely steeped in skiing tradition and history. One can also heliski as a part of their Portillo ski package. For information on setting up heliskiing at Portillo contact Ripley's Mountain Adventures (877) 752-6754!

Please contact Ripley's Mountain Adventures for the best deals on Portillo ski packages! We can get your Portillo ski vacation booked at the best available pricing!