It’s around a two hour drive from both Mendoza and Santiago. I had just graduated from University and was with two other friends on a gap year type trip. One of my friends had never skied or snowboarded before, but he was keen to give it a go. We were also on quite a tight budget because of all the other places we going to be visiting in Chile and Argentina.
Pre Ski Mendoza
We arrived in Mendoza a couple of days before we were due to head up to the ski resort of Portillo, which was just over the border in Chile, around 90 km away. Mendoza is a great place to spend a few days relaxing before heading for the slopes, with lots of open plazas to relax in during the day, and an abundance of quality and affordable restaurants, bars and clubs for the evening. Most famous for being the centre of Argentina’s wine production, I would thoroughly recommend a tour of some of Mendoza’s wineries, most famous for their fantastic Mablec wines. There is also many other things to do in and around Mendoza, with some wonderful countryside in the area, but we had to get on and head for the mountains.
Pre Ski Mendoza
We arrived in Mendoza a couple of days before we were due to head up to the ski resort of Portillo, which was just over the border in Chile, around 90 km away. Mendoza is a great place to spend a few days relaxing before heading for the slopes, with lots of open plazas to relax in during the day, and an abundance of quality and affordable restaurants, bars and clubs for the evening. Most famous for being the centre of Argentina’s wine production, I would thoroughly recommend a tour of some of Mendoza’s wineries, most famous for their fantastic Mablec wines. There is also many other things to do in and around Mendoza, with some wonderful countryside in the area, but we had to get on and head for the mountains.
Skiing in Chile | Ski Portillo
The slopes themselves were great for beginners and the more advanced skier alike, with plenty of choice and variety. Another thing that I really noticed was that the sloped weren’t anything like as busy as they can get in Europe. We were there in early July, which isn’t quite the peak season, but close enough, and there were rarely more than a five-minute wait for the chair lift. This aspect, combined with the fact that the slopes are practically right outside the hotel door meant that I definitely went down more runs than I ever have done in a day before.
The Cost and what you get
There are levels of accommodation to suit all budget, but at the lower level you’ll be staying in the Inca Lodge. Now the rooms there are small, with bunk, beds that can sleep four. They charge per person, but don’t charge for not using one of the beds, but they do warn you that any spare beds in your room might be allocated to others. There were only three of us, so we had one spare bed, but it remained spare all week. I would have thought if there are two of you it is much more likely that you will be sharing with others. The current costs for the upcoming season (2007) are shown as around $500 USD per person for seven nights (check their website for exact, up-to-date prices). That includes the lodge accommodation, unlimited ski pass, equipment hire, four meals per day and use of the mini-cinema, games room, gym and outdoor Jacuzzi. Now skiing has never been the cheapest activity but you could easily get by in Portillo without spending anything extra. So for $500 all in, it is good value. With the exchange rate as it is, it is particularly good for people from the UK and Europe who would easily pay two or three times that for a week in the Alps.
The only negative point I would raise is that it lacks the bustling nightlife you get with many of the European ski areas. In Portillo, life outside the hotel is very limited, although there are a couple of bars in the hotel, the après-ski is not the best. If you are looking for a more livelier there are other ski resorts in the area that offer this. However we had been travelling for a month and been out plenty of times, and after Portillo we were heading straight to Santiago. So a few nights without anything too heavy, coupled with the fresh mountain air, did us good. I would certainly recommend Portillo as a good ski resort, especially for those at the budget end of the market. (The company website is www.skiportillo.com and has more details, including a full price list and photos of the accommodation)
James Roberts - 3rd November 2006
The Cost and what you get
There are levels of accommodation to suit all budget, but at the lower level you’ll be staying in the Inca Lodge. Now the rooms there are small, with bunk, beds that can sleep four. They charge per person, but don’t charge for not using one of the beds, but they do warn you that any spare beds in your room might be allocated to others. There were only three of us, so we had one spare bed, but it remained spare all week. I would have thought if there are two of you it is much more likely that you will be sharing with others. The current costs for the upcoming season (2007) are shown as around $500 USD per person for seven nights (check their website for exact, up-to-date prices). That includes the lodge accommodation, unlimited ski pass, equipment hire, four meals per day and use of the mini-cinema, games room, gym and outdoor Jacuzzi. Now skiing has never been the cheapest activity but you could easily get by in Portillo without spending anything extra. So for $500 all in, it is good value. With the exchange rate as it is, it is particularly good for people from the UK and Europe who would easily pay two or three times that for a week in the Alps.
The only negative point I would raise is that it lacks the bustling nightlife you get with many of the European ski areas. In Portillo, life outside the hotel is very limited, although there are a couple of bars in the hotel, the après-ski is not the best. If you are looking for a more livelier there are other ski resorts in the area that offer this. However we had been travelling for a month and been out plenty of times, and after Portillo we were heading straight to Santiago. So a few nights without anything too heavy, coupled with the fresh mountain air, did us good. I would certainly recommend Portillo as a good ski resort, especially for those at the budget end of the market. (The company website is www.skiportillo.com and has more details, including a full price list and photos of the accommodation)
James Roberts - 3rd November 2006
Portillo
The Portillo ski resort is just over the border in Chile and about two hours in a mini bus from Mendoza. The actually resort is basically a hotel, a lodge for backpackers and some small chalets for families. It had a very different feel to some of the European ski resorts that are often part of a small town with a lot more activity.
We stayed in what they call the Inca Lodge. There were three of us in our own room, which could have slept one more person. You can see a picture of the rooms on the website, and they are certainly small, but at the end of a long day skiing and some drinks in the bar, all you’ll want is a bed for the night, and that’s exactly what it is.
The Portillo ski resort is just over the border in Chile and about two hours in a mini bus from Mendoza. The actually resort is basically a hotel, a lodge for backpackers and some small chalets for families. It had a very different feel to some of the European ski resorts that are often part of a small town with a lot more activity.
We stayed in what they call the Inca Lodge. There were three of us in our own room, which could have slept one more person. You can see a picture of the rooms on the website, and they are certainly small, but at the end of a long day skiing and some drinks in the bar, all you’ll want is a bed for the night, and that’s exactly what it is.
The ski season in Chile and Argentina runs from around the middle of June through to the end of September. So, in the Northern Hemisphere everyone is buying sun block and heading to the beaches, while those south of the Equator are dusting off their ski boots and heading up into the Andes Mountains. I had mostly been snowboarding and skiing in Europe and, although the slopes and snow quality is generally very good, it can get very busy and it can also be very expensive. So, for my first ever July ski trip I was interested to see how different it would be.
The nearest major airport is in Santiago, but there is also a smaller one in Mendoza, on the other side of the Andes Mountain range that flanks the entire eastern side of Chile. Flying from anywhere in Europe or the US you're talking about at least a ten hour flight, and you're likely to have to change planes en route, so it's rare that people travel there just for a short ski break.
The nearest major airport is in Santiago, but there is also a smaller one in Mendoza, on the other side of the Andes Mountain range that flanks the entire eastern side of Chile. Flying from anywhere in Europe or the US you're talking about at least a ten hour flight, and you're likely to have to change planes en route, so it's rare that people travel there just for a short ski break.
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