Telemark in Portillo

31 August, 2009: Drew Holbrook

During my first two seasons working at the reception desk in the Hotel I discovered the huge potential for telemark skiing in Portillo. Portillo’s 480-inch average annual snowfall allows one to count on weekly dumps. Then, with such a large amount of easily accessible off piste terrain and so few skiers, fresh lines are available the day after the dump, then the next day, then the next, and so on. Fresh tracks just demand traversing out a bit further each day from the Roca Jack lift. Traversing on teles is a breeze; you pass alpine skiers that struggle with the locked heel and blow by snowboarders that are forced to walk. Then, you arrive on top of an untracked 2000 vertical foot line and drop in. Then you ride up the lift and do it again.

I ski alpine and telemark and love them both, but there is just something about skiing powder on teles that can’t be matched. Don’t get me wrong, skiing tele in bad conditions is difficult and sometimes just sucks. But in perfect powder, with the heel free, there is no better sensation on snow. It’s like my friend Nick Devore once pointed out, when you do a tele turn in pow, it’s like doing a toe side snowboard turn. It’s a sweet turn, every turn. The glide, the balancing point, is centered over the ball of your uphill foot. And let me tell you that when inertia of your entire body is stacked up over one point on your foot the size of a tennis ball, the sensation is unreal.



Nick Devore, who some call the best telemark skier in the world, has the same feeling about telemark in Portillo. This year he hosted his second annual Portillo Big Mountain Telemark Camp where he invites telemark skiers down to test their stuff and reach new levels of telemark enlightenment in Portillo’s ideal conditions.

This year, telemark skiing became available to the public in South America exclusively, in Portillo, Chile. Portillo purchased a rental fleet of Black Diamond telemark gear in their ski shop and I offer telemark lessons through the ski school. Last week I had a client, Alberto, from Buenos Aires, Argentina who had gone all the way to the United States to buy telemark equipment and was ecstatic to find telemark instruction in Portillo. He told me that Portillo is the only place in South America that offers telemark.



If you have never freed the heel before, I invite you to do so, and to do it in one of the most world-class settings for telemark, Portillo, Chile.

Power Powder

Guest Blogger: Melanja Sober, Portillo's Slovenian Ski Instructor

We just finished especially beautiful week in Portillo. Along with the privilege of hosting great people and athletes we also enjoyed amazing ski conditions.

Austrian Ski Team, Leaders of the Superstars Camp – Wendy Fisher, Chris Davenport, Mike Douglas and Chris Anthony, photographers as well like Grant Gunderson, Christian Pondella, and different film crews are just a few to point out.

Photo: Frank Shine

The week started differently. Portillo guests had to wait down in the valley, for the road to open. After the first storm finished and everybody finally arrived to Portillo, fresh powder and beautiful skies created unforgettable welcome.


Photo by Mark Epstien, Skier Brad Holmes

Not long after everybody was in the hotel, another storm hit us. – If you haven’t experience a storm in Portillo, I can tell you that when the snowstorm hits, the atmosphere in the resort really changes.

Heavy snowfall, strong wind and continuous avalanches make it to dangerous to be out there. Sometimes there are even no lifts open. – but don’t worry; it is still fun to be there!

We spent time hanging out in the living room and sharing experience with each other. And on a day off there is nothing better to enjoy a hot tub, sauna and a yoga class in the afternoon. When the band starts playing in the bar, we all shift gears into party mode and get ready for late night of partying in the Hotel Portillo disco.



And when I hear avalanche bombs early in the morning it is clear to me that I will have nothing less than a great day! Bottomless powder, sun and great company were spiced with the opening of one of my favorite runs in Portillo – a narrow shoot called Gargantita.


Photo: Mark Epstien

Therefore, it is easy to summarize an experience in Portillo with 3 words – Sun, Snow, and Party!

Brad Holmes at Portillo

Brad Holmes at Portillo
Originally uploaded by Ski Portillo Chile

Photo of the Week:

Santa Rosa

14 agosto 2009: Drew Holbrook

I witnessed The Santa Rosa in Portillo last year. She buried my building. Maintenance had to come and dig a corridor down to the front door in order to let us out.

This year we have seen little snow, no Santa Rosa, and it has been quite disappointing for us resident ski bums. We are not even close to approaching Portillo’s 480 inch seasonal average and we have been disappointed by multiple weaker-than-expected-storms. Then, about a week ago, people started talking about massive systems gathering strength far out in the Pacific Ocean. They said that the real storms were coming; the mythical Santa Rosa and her friends, pacific storms that pound the Andes in August.

But after so many disappointments this season, I was skeptical. I have only seen one condor in the past few days. Condors, who have lived in Portillo far longer than our weather forecaster, can sense storms coming. They bajan (they come down) to hunt and feed before they take shelter from the storm. The result is a spectacle of condors soaring overhead with their 9 foot wingspans in plain view. I guess the condors are going to go hungry this time because it seems that they forgot to come down to hunt and the storm is definitely here.


Earlier today, accompanied by my buddy Nick and ski greats Chris Davenport, and Ingrid Backstrom, I was stuck on the chair lift for a good 5 minutes due to extreme winds from the approaching storm. Then, when I got back to my room, I discovered that my window had been shattered from being slammed by the wind. Actually, the storm is getting so fierce at the moment that I am going to have to stop writing and brave the 200 yard trek from my building to the hotel before it gets too intense to cross. The whiteouts can be so thick that it is dangerous even to walk a couple hundred feet.

I have to make the crossing to the hotel now or like the condors, I’ll have to go hungry tonight. If the storm is too fierce to walk back to our living quarters, we may be lucky enough to stay in the hotel or catch a ride back across with a snowcat. I will give an update when these storms are over. Forecasts for Friday and Saturday’s storm predict 3 to 4 feet and a bigger storm is in the pacific lineup, scheduled to hit Monday, Tuesday, and roll out on Wednesday.

“Epic” Snow and Epic Tour 2009

17 agosto 2009: Maria Bingemann



So after having a few days of R&R – after all, sleep is necessary to maintain this lifestyle – we welcomed Vail to Portillo.




Portillo recently joined with Vail and Rock Resorts as a Sister Hotel and we had a great time hosting the Colorado group.
Right now Vail is promoting their Epic Pass, which gave us the perfect excuse to have cocktail parties, vacation give-a-ways, and have some fun in the snow.


Their visit perfectly coincided with the best storm we’ve had this season. In the past few days, the skies dumped about 110cm of fresh snow. Yesterday was the most amazing day we’ve had all season and while I’m still learning how to manage deep powder, I had an absolute blast. Life doesn’t get much better than a sunny powder day in the Andes.

Well, for some, maybe there is. Portillo’s own staff went with Rex and the Vail team to film turns on Garganta, Vizcachas, Caracara and the Traverse. The footage is still being edited, but will be uploaded to our websites shortly.
In the meantime, we’re prepping for another big storm. The Austrian Ski Team is here this week, along with Jaime Bianchini of Peace Pedalers . I’m sure these guys will keep things interesting this week- never a dull moment!

* Thanks to Rex, Jenny, and Jamie for the pictures!

Locos y Asados

8 de agosto 2009: Maria Bingemann



You run into all kinds of characters in Portillo, ranging from the fur-and-diamond clad to those trying to 'bring back' the onesies. The other week, we had a group that arrived with an old Easter Bunny costume, the wearer claiming that it kept him just warm enough to attack the Traverse. You can imagine that this group of guys hailed from the States in an attempt to cut loose for a week in Chile. With a bottle of whiskey and wide smiles, they showed me videos they took via helmet-cam of the infamous Va-et-Vient. They captured the essence of the experience and they generously let us add it to our facebook page.




While the bunny-costume indicates an international presence in Portillo, there are some traditions that are distinctly local. On Fridays, ski staff and selected guests form a 'bajada en torcha' or torch-lit run down the mountain as guests watch from the hotel deck. It's a beautiful site, and a great way to kick off the evening.



Probably my favorite tradition- and that is perhaps a new tradition for the ski school- are the asados. An 'asado' is like a barbecue, with the meat cooked over the fireplace. So far we've had three in La Posada, the staff bar, and they are starting to become popular with the guests. Maybe it's because of the meat, or maybe it's because of the copious bottles of red wine, but it looks like we're due for one tomorrow. Vamos a ver.

Champions' Week

21 de julio: Maria Bingemann

I spent my 21st birthday in Las Vegas with some great girlfriends of mine. This year, the big 2-2, instead of being in the desert surrounded by palm trees, I happened to be surrounded by snowy mountains. I didn’t think that Vegas could be topped, but I was very pleasantly surprised and ecstatic to celebrate in Portillo.



Only being here a couple weeks, and in a foreign country nonetheless, the fact that I had a week’s worth of festivities was unexpected. The ski and entertainment staff went to great lengths to make sure that I had an awesome birthday, including a wine and fondue night at the Bar, relaxing poolside in the sun, taking advantage of the Brazilian gym classes, staying out at the disco until all hours, and of course: skiing. We called the week “Champions’ Week” because nobody slept, and while I may be feeling the effects now, it was well worth it.




On my actual birthday, Staff and Guests filled the Bar as the band sang “Happy Birthday.” Friends brought out a special Chilean cake, ‘Merengue y Lucuma’ and by the end of the night, everyone was dancing on chairs and tables thus signaling the push towards the disco.



As Champions’ Week came to an end, a new snowfall re-ignited the excitement. Today’s official report indicates that we’ve had 60cm in the past day, but judging from amount of snow that pushed through my door last night, I’d venture to say that we’ve had much more. Ahora empieza la semana de los ‘Masters.’

Ven Acquì Ràpido

Posted July 14th, 2009 by Maria Bingemann
If you have skied or boarded in Europe, you’ll be familiar with Poma and T-Bar lifts. I can remember my first poma lift, taken in the Spanish Pyrenees. The fast-moving vertical suspension did not resonate with me at the time, but later I came to understand that these lifts are designed to bring you to incredible powder that would otherwise be inaccessible.


This is the case for the Va et Vient lifts, which to my knowledge are only available in Portillo. In steeper shoots where regular chair lifts would be impossible, the Va et Vient allows the more adventurous snow-seekers to reach terrain even after big snow shifts. My experiences on European pistes and US bowls made me more confident taking single and double suspension lifts, but the Va et Vient in Portillo is a whole new ball game. It’s a four-person Poma that pulls the ‘passengers’ at a speed comparable to a roller coaster. The first time I took the lift, I was with a Brazilian child who needed more reassurance than I could offer. But the two of us made it up safely and brought us to our run quicker than any four person chair lift.

(See YouTube video, Right)

The same day I discovered the access and the speed of the Va et Vient, I also discovered a little known fact about the ski staff at Portillo. It must be an understood prerequisite for the staff to have dance skills that surpass any team outside of South America. While this ‘gringa’ is in process of learning her Latin dance moves, the lyrics of a Portillo disco favorite aptly describe the Va et Vient- “ven aquí rápido,” or ‘come here quickly.’

Sol y Nieve

7 de julio 2009: Maria Bingemann

2009 marks my first ski season at Portillo - located in the Chilean Andes at the base of Mt. Aconcagua.

Having recently graduated from university, my season at Portillo coincides with arguably the most exciting time in my life. On another note, it also marks my first ‘summer’ with snow. All things considered, I arrived at Portillo with high expectations and have found them all to have been met, just 2 weeks into the season.

For someone from the Northern Hemisphere, a June arrival in Chile wearing a coat and scarf requires a bit of a mental switch. Interestingly enough, the transition is much easier than I’d anticipated. The drive from Santiago to Portillo, winding through the vineyards and Andean snow, has the tendency to make adrenaline surge. Fourteen days later, my altered adrenaline level has sustained, partly due to Portillo’s snow and partly due to its nightlife.




I hear that the snow in the early season comes in waves, yet I’m glad to say that half of days so far I have been able to make tracks in shin-deep powder. At night, Portillo’s bar is the place to be, with the bands playing a tune just as lively as their famous Pisco Sours. To say that I am happy to be here is an understatement, and I believe that the other ski staff are just as excited as I am. All lifts will be open tomorrow, including the infamous Roca Jack, and ‘lots of sun’ is predicted. Vamos, nieve y sol.