October's Post

     October may just be the only time when skiers from both hemispheres are thinking about snow. It is a month of frosts and the occasional storm for gringos, our prelude to colder weather, thicker frosts, and the coming season. Yet for skiing’s southern brethren, who are tired and tanned from the past four months, October brings closure, el finiquito de trabajo. It is a time when the last whites become browns, when winter’s nomads must fill the valleys, and when the only resort that matters (according to this blog) shuts its doors. So even as I travel northward, where snow fills my horizon, this October mind is reflective. It must naturally look backward and take the good season’s inventory.

     My first criterion of a great winter is always high snowfall, preferably on the dry side. By that standard, Portillo did just fine. With over five meters total, we cruised through September like it was August – just blue skies and plenty of snow, the finest spring conditions that I can remember. But let’s go back to August, oh boy, and July too, when there were only storms. Search through past entries to glimpse the glory. It’s all there: powder more powder hikes everything’s covered las pistas groomed soft. From mid-July through August, all I remember is the road being closed, snow every weekend. But the people were happy because the good times in Portillo begin and end on the slopes.

     While snow is the priority, let us not forget that whom you spend the winter with can almost be as important as the conditions. Portillo, as always, spent the 2011 season enjoying the company of ex-Presidents, Chilean celebrities, and skiing royalty. Our most recent VIPs were the Olympic teamers, who join us every spring to train on Roca Jack. The crowd favorite, however, was Chris Davenport and his humble gang (Mike Douglas, Ingrid Backstrom, Chris Anthony, Wendy Fisher), who provide big-mountain clinics each August. Finally, lured by Portillo’s steep and rocky terrain, there were the film and photo crews, which included Sweetgrass productions, Patagonia, and Mountain Hardware. Those groups aside, I also checked in families, couples, friends, and lone wanderers from all over the world. In reality, Portillo spent the winter with friends: the new, the old, and the very old. It was another year of memories and connections; another year of lunches at Tío Bob’s, aprés ski at the pool, and nights everywhere. At the big yellow hotel with its big blue lake, it was just another perfect year of bluebird powder days in the cordillera.

     Thanks to everyone who read the blog this season. To those readers who I met personally, it was a pleasure. This is obviously the last entry until… next season? Portillo has twice been my summer home, so who knows. ¡Ojalá nos veamos luego!

Mountain Surgery Olympics

     Each and every September Roca Jack gets a face lift. Because when the Olympic teams arrive, she's got to look nice. So the machines spruce her up. Up and down they go, plowing away the wrinkles and the ruggedness. Oh they leave plenty of the old parts behind, you know, for those of us who don't wear flashy spandex. But the rest is groomed to ice, poked with gates, and skied sooooo fast. From Roca the course veers skier's right, where it intersects with El Decenso, briefly crossing Juncalillo. For most of the season, El Decenso is a rolling powder field. Not until it too is completely resurfaced does Portillo's renowned training run materialize.

     Up and down they go, faster than the machines and more entertaining, the best ski racers in the world. Everyone recognizes the big names (Mancuso, Vonn, Lund Svindal), but they're all breakneck. You gotta see it. And you can - no one is here. We aren't hosting a World Cup race, there are no crowds. Just a few appreciative fans and their heroes. In line yesterday, I watched three gringos meet "one of their favorites," Aksel the man. Pictures were taken, casually, and the five of us grabbed the next t-bar. More chatter. The Norwegian gold-medalist bombed down the course minutes later, the four of us watching and shaking our heads. This is why Roca Jack gets the special treatment, I thought. For them and for us. They train, we watch. They ski, we ski. Aksel wins the super-combined next season and those three gentleman can say they watched him get there. Welcome to Portillo.

Roca Jack to Decenso... to victory?!

Vacation Sickness Valpo

     The title sort of says it all. I recently went on vacation, beginning in gorgeous Valparaiso, where I fell sick from a large platter of clams. Or at least I think so. Hence the extended break from the blog. However, when I got back a few hours ago and saw Lindsey Vonn in the lobby, I decided it was time for an entry.. Yes, the U.S. Ski Team is here (women's speed events), along with a slew of Norweigan and Candanians alpiners. Maybe the Swiss. Like I said, I've been away (a little sick) and taking in Chile. But I'm back and refreshed, excited that so many giants (Axel Svindal) are cruising around the hotel. I'm not working full-time until Saturday, so I'll be out watching and reporting on the teams tomorrow.

Wine Festival

Wine and Dine Wine.

    Portillo boasts a spirited drinking culture. If you put the pieces together, it totally makes sense: Chile is the world’s fifth largest exporter of wine, and Mendoza, home of the Malbec, is right next-door. Add a mountain man’s fondness for aprés-ski to these geographical (and cultural) considerations, and you get a hotel that honors the beverage and those who drink it. But don’t get me wrong, Portillo is not a frat party and canned beer is a rarity – a “specialty” I’ve only enjoyed in my Siberia. The drinks of choice here are premium Pisco sours and fine wines. Considering our location, how couldn’t they be?

    This week, however, Portillo is all about WINE. Good wines from all over Chile. Remember Wine Week from July? Well now it’s late August, we’re entering the season’s final stretch, and we’ve renamed it WINE FESTIVAL. Is this week any different from our last vino extravaganza? Of course not! With nightly wine tastings and giveaways from such vineyards as Casas del Bosque (Sunday), Concha y Toro (Monday), and Anakena (Tuesday), what is there to improve? Only the most naïve and intrepid drinkers, and I’m mostly talking about gringos my age, would want more free alcohol. Let us not forget that skiing is still the (adult) priority. But speaking of skiing, free booze, and good times, and I hope I’m not out of line here, allow me to outline Sunday.

9am to 5pm - Ski Portillo (maybe a beer at lunch?)
5pm to 6 pm – “Once,” meaning Tea and Coffee
6:30pm to 7:30pm – Wine Tasting of Casa del Bosque
8pm to 9pm – Welcome Cocktail (pisco, more wine, pisco, wine)
10pm- 2am – Bar/Disco/Posada migration

My point is that here, in a little place called Portillo, the beer flows like wine. Moreover, this week the beer is wine! To be honest I’ve yet to attend a tasting this season. I enjoyed my share last year, and, if things are going my way, I’m working by then anyways. From the desk, all I observe is the crowd of well-dressed people trolling the lobby, waiting for the doors to open. Then, an hour later, I get to salute the purple-lipped passersby, who are already asking to sign up for tomorrow. Que bueno.

Laguna del Inca

    Below I've posted my most recent submission for Ski Club Great Britain, which I wrote for last Friday. A little over a week later and much has changed. The lake is still frozen (though by no means skiable!) and white, but the superstars have left. They'll be missed. Chins up, though! It's Wine Fest, meaning classy tastings all week, and there's nothing wrong with that. More on Wine Fest to come. The following entry is about the lake, kind of...

 
    For weeks I’ve waited for Hotel Portillo’s picturesque backdrop, the Laguna del Inca, to freeze over. On sun-drenched days the lake’s deep blue waters anchor a jaw-dropping view, which rivals that of any resort in either hemisphere. But the lake unfrozen too late in the season also means insufficient snowfall. Its mandatory disappearance is a season-marker, denoting more access to deep skiing. And by August that’s definitely the priority, vista or no vista. Following a couple of cold fronts the date seemed set; certain patches of ice, though riddled with streams, looked promising. Yet the weather, as fickle as ever, refused to cooperate long enough for complete coverage. That is until yesterday, when the Laguna became a providential crater of white. Not surprisingly, this morning was also the best skiing I’ve had all year.

     Even with the recent dump, traversing across the ice is some weeks out. My suggestion that a fully covered lake denotes “more access” stems from basic Portillo logic: when there’s enough snow to hide the lake, there’s enough snow to ski everywhere. Following that logic, which I admit isn’t spectacular, everything opened today. Have I ever mentioned Vizcachas before? What about Gargantita? The latter consists of two beautiful chutes that run parallel with Garganta, directly beneath the Plateau lift, making their frequent closures that more torturous. The former is accessed via Portillo’s signature, five-person va et vient lift and failed to even open last year. But the fated time has arrived – the lake is frozen! – and Gargantita and Vizcachas are open and skiable.

     What’s more is the timing couldn’t be better. Portillo is currently the host of Chris Davenport’s eighth consecutive Ski with the Superstars camp, and between the clinic’s handful of pros and the ambitious skiers tailing them, the more advanced terrain that’s open the better. This morning Chris Anthony, for example, boosted a cliff at the choke of Gargantita that I’d previously doubted was possible. Later in the day I saw Wendy Fisher enjoy fresh snow in a treacherous little couloir off Cara Cara, something questionable just three days ago. Although I failed to spot Mike Douglas or Ingrid Backstrom, the remaining two coaches working with Davenport, I’m certain they too were lapping Vizcachas like superstars.

     As a long-time skier, I'm stoked that so many big names have converged at Portillo, especially now with the conditions optimal. So I ask, is it mere coincidence that the lake froze yesterday? Or that everything opened this morning? Or that some of skiing’s greatest legends arrived for two weeks on Saturday? All sarcasm aside, the Laguna del Inca is truly a magnificent and stupefying body of water… and I’m glad, in superstitious way, that it’s gone.

Standing at the top of Vizcachas

Super-C

Lots to ski here

     Portillo is well known for having advanced terrain. The t-bars and the traverses thereafter give access to lots of steep skiing. Hidden chutes, couloirs, and cliffs riddle what may at first seem like a relatively small resort. Yet size is relative to ability, and those capable of discovery are rarely disappointed by what’s around. The Super-C, a legendary run in Portillo, epitomizes such opportunity. El Super-C begins where Roca Jack ends. As the name implies, it’s a badass curve that wraps above Roca, reaches the top of the ridge, and drops down into Estadio, which is also reachable from the Roca traverse. The whole thing takes between two and four hours, depending on the boot back and personal stamina. When I hiked the Super-C for the first time on Tuesday it took me a little over two hours. My secret, however, was by no means good fitness. At least fifteen people had made the trek earlier that morning, and the path was well established. See, the Super-C is a must do, and guests will jump at the opportunity when the strong and brave have broken the trail. From the hotel, where all of Roca is visible, you can often follow the line of skiers slowly taking on the climb.

     Like I said, it was my turn on Tuesday. Despite it being a less-than-average day, the views were unbeatable. Upon breaking just forty minutes in, I naturally turned around: Aconcagua had sprouted over the opposing ridge. Dark and far away, it looked like Mount Doom towering over our quaint Portillo compound. But from there on out, the scenery didn’t change – everything just kept getting smaller. With about a third of the way to go, I took another (extended) break with group of gringos. I had gotten about an hour’s head start on my two friends, and didn’t start work until four, so there was no rush. Exhausted and sweaty, I threw off my helmet… only to see Ingrid Backstrom lounging next to me. We know each other from this season and last, but I’ll admit that I was still star-struck. Hiking the Super-C behind Ingrid and crew?! Then the sun came out.

Aconcagua big

Lookin down

    After half an hour of soaking in the Andes, the gringos started packing it up. I waited behind to snap some photos and simply be there. I’ve down my share of hiking above the traverses, but there’s no route equal to the Super-C. The sheer accessibility of what I was able to witness, merely hours from the hotel, is incredible. When I finished the climb it was one o’clock and I was starving. There was no telling how far back, my friends were, so I chose not lounge for too long. Still it was absolutely necessary to look out across the adjacent valley. A short trot sans skis and I was staring into untamed cordillera. No hotels, no tracks. It was wild. Still my over sized North American stomach beckoned and I strapped on my skis. The first half of the descent sits in complete shadows, so the snow was great. A bit chewed (or possibly fluffed) up but soft. By the time the Super-C opened up into Estadio, I was dead. A grateful dead. I’d never worked that hard for a run in my life, and I wished I’d relaxed my body a bit longer at the top. But again, the pre-shift meal is a priority, especially after such a hike, so I skied quickly. Lunch at Tío Bob’s has never been better.

The next valley over

The Road to Portillo

     There's no comparing Portillo to Park City, where I grew up. Here, the staff is mostly Chilean, cigarettes and speedos are socially acceptable, and tree-skiing doesn't exist. Most of you are probably familiar with Park City (Olympics, Sundance, O'Shucks), so I'll just say that it's Portillo's giltzy opposite. Yet despite such clear cultural differences between the two, do you know what strikes me as the most dissimilar? Access. Park City is rightfully advertised as being
"conveniently located," 40 minutes from Salt Lake City and an international airport. Parley's Canyon, which connects the mountains with the valley, is a well-maintained, three lane passageway that rarely closes. Parley's sick and twisted cousin is el Camino de los Libertadores... The road to Portillo from Los Andes, our closest neighbor, is a steep beast that consists of thirty plus switchbacks and hundreds of potholes. On the best of days, it takes three hours to drop into Santiago. But if you've been reading the blog, you know that with even the least bit of snow the road closes - potentially for days. Avalanches and ice and the greatest dangers, and the Chilean government won't hesitate to trap guests, up or down.

A truck, a chair, and the road

     Yet these inherent dangers, the constant perils of snow and ice, are just half the story. Rapid access to the hotel is equally impeded by an almost daily line of trucks, semis from across South America that naturally move at a snail's pace. In reality, Portillo's closest neighbor is the nearby border crossing, which, sitting just half a kilometer up the road, is the most significant interchange between Argentina and Chile. With scant amounts of snow, the road closes and Portillo is totally isolated. Without it, Portillo (or rather the Posada) is an elegant pit stop for the hundreds drivers waiting to cross into Argentina. When there's congestion, and there often is, the view Juncalillo chair, as it passes over the road, is mind blowing. Truck after truck after truck down to the valley floor. I've never seen anything like it, really. Although the juxtaposition of such bleak industry with the beauty of Andes can be unnerving for those seeking tranquility in the mountains, please don't let this entry mislead you. The hotel is a good ways from the road, and after their initial ascent most guests quickly forget about the trucks. That is, until they ride Juncalillo... But even then, the congestion is a kind of Chilean novelty, at least for me. The road to Portillo should be thought of as another fascinating part of the Portillo experience, which, for the reasons stated above, is not your minutes-from-the-tarmac, boots-on-in-the-car kind of vacation. Yet even though getting to Portillo can be a real challenge, those that make the journey rarely do it once.

Exhibit A

Snow = empty

Sunshine and Powder

     Nobody can remember last season. Those painful August memories of Juncallilo bare and muddy, and Vizcachas closed, are hardly traceable now. The snow is that good. Yesterday, sunny and cold, was by far the best day of this year. With over 70 more cm of quality fluff having fallen in the last week, Portillo's rock problem is long buried. Everything is open and skiable. On Friday morning I enjoyed both sides of Gargantita, Vizcachas, as well as an awesome chute below Primavera, all of which didn't open last season. I couldn't ski today (goddamn Saturdays!), but friends said only good things. Tomorrow's slated to be clear, so everyone is expecting more of the same: sunshine and powder. Below are photos from Thursday's whiteout and the following morning. Que bueno.

Blizzard and autos



Blizzard and hotel



 Frozen at last

On the traverse back to Laguna

Portillo and its mountain

August Photos

     I love whiteouts - especially at night. You're stuck inside. It's dark out. Through frosted windows, we are contentedly watching tomorrow's snow rapidly accumulate. But, really, I can't see anything; it's a whiteout. The certainty comes from seeing friends stroll outside, only to stomp back in minutes later blanketed head to toe... and obviously smiling. That's what it's like right now and we're thrilled. Unfortunately, the total lack of visibility means I'm not sharing any photos from today. I did go skiing, which was great, but the light was flat and sometimes it's better to leave the camera at home. This again means no visual evidence of the storm we're experiencing. Tomorrow, pending that the lifts are open, I'll bring the camera. Until then, how about a photo bag from August instead?

Employee housing

Blue dusk

Trucks crossing into Argentina... slowly

Almost frozen

 

Snow Forecast

Portillo likes to keep you informed, so read carefully: between today and Saturday there will be only storms (link to official snow report). Hooray!

Tuesday (light snow, 8 cm)
Wednesday (heavy snow, 41 cm)
Thursday (light snow, 10 cm)
Friday (light snow, 5 cm)

The first flurries began last night, gently warning us of the present blizzard. The heaviest snow is set for Wednesday evening. Looking outside it's hard to believe it could get hairier and windier than this. Whatever happens we expect half a meter to drop before the sun shines again. Stay tuned - photos to come!

Portillo Ice Fest

     Portillo celebrated its 6th annual Ice Fest this weekend! Patrick Moore, the event's founder and lead organizer, deserves a huge thanks. He arrived days before the competition began, setting routes and finalizing a mountain of logistics. Every year, Moore sets up a tent city behind the Octogon and near the rock field. The dome tents are definitely emblematic of the ice climbers who started pouring in on Friday. For more information on the event, check out our facebook page, and if Spanish isn't a problem, the Ice Fest has gotten a lot of national and Argentine press. There's also a lengthy write-up on Escalando.org that outlines the weekend's schedule and explains the rules.

Portillo has all levels of accomodation


  

Extremo



Sunshine Sweetgrass Morgan

     Blogging daily is hard. Of course every week is a little different, but the reality of my life hardly changes from day to day. What's more is that life at the hotel repeats itself. The guests don't mind, as they only see Saturday to Saturday. I think few realize that the bands never change, the activities never change. Everything is cyclical at Portillo. But again no notices, so it's all good. In fact we pride ourselves on staying the same year after year, and being free of the commercial distractions and expansion that one would normally associate with "ski resort." Luckily this blogger's dilemma is resolved by Mother Nature and the weekly turnover.

Always and forever

      The weather is a constant topic of discussion here. From "Will it snow?" and "How much snow?" to "When will it be sunny again?" and so on... Well this week it was sunny. In the course of the last seven days, the snow conditions have gone from powder to soft crud to nice slop to heavy slop. Sometimes "despejado" is the way we like it - hence the logo... However, too much sun and even the best conditions will start to decline. Nearer the base it was spring skiing today and yesterday. Fortunately the higher one got the more consistent the conditions. Still tomorrow looks to continue the warm weather pattern, letting guests remember Portillo the right way: with a goggle tan. Whether they'll admit it or not, people are definitely thinking about that quintessential ski souveneir, if only to brag to their co-workers that they went skiing... in July... in Chile. Hey I don't blame them. The Portillo experience is memorable, and a ski tan can say it all. Just don't let me catch you on the deck sunbathing with your goggles on...


   New groups of guests also keep things interesting (and occasionally more challenging) from week to week. The interesting ones this week, in my opinion, were the dudes from Sweetgrass Productions. They arrived last week, before the last storm, to shoot the final segments for their new film, Solitaire (trailer!). It's likely you've never heard of Sweetgrass. To date this budding Colorado film company has only done a few feature films, namely Signatures. However, their unique approach makes me think that Solitaire will be epic. The project is two years in the making and shot entirely in South America. When I say South America, I don't mean Chile and Argentina only. These guys hiked deep into the unknow cordilleras of Peru and Bolivia as well... Plus instead of just mindless snow porn, Solitaire, is a Conradian travelogue, as the various crews daringly cross into the continent's most untamed regions. Like past Sweetgrass films, I anticipate that Solitaire will be a contemplative, albeit highly entertaining, ski movie. And if you haven't already, watch Signatures, which features Japan-only sequences and loads of Zen wisdom. As for the "challenging" group, that award goes to JP Morgan's recent mini-summit. Although the event was excellently organized, as with any group their size, problems inevitably arose. Can you imagine trying to coordinate an on-mountain dinner for 70 at Tio Bob's, running Plateau lift in complete darkness? But guest complaints were keep to a minimum and everyone enjoyed their stay. That's all I'm going to say about JP Morgan.



Clear skies



UK blog

     As per the advice of our resident digital media manager, the talented yet peculiar S.W., I've opted to paste each of my UK posts here on the Portillo blog instead of just submitting the link. Due to my arrangement with the Ski Club Great Britain, however, there will be a delay of some days between the posts. Anyways, below is what I wrote for the Ski Club last Friday:

     Hotel Portillo’s timeless living room, warm and dry, is an easy hide out on days such as this, when visibility is bad and the wind is worse. Outside these long windows there is only white. The present storm, which began late Friday night, is supposed to run through until early this week. If everything goes to plan, I won’t get another lake view until next week…. The timing isn’t spectacular (Saturday is the only “busy” day in reception) and the wariest of guests have already checked-out. But for those happy skiers who have chosen to stay, the whiteout is but another gift in what has been an auspicious week at Hotel Portillo.

     Snow levels were so meager at the season’s beginning that opening day was postponed until late June. The first few weeks of July looked to confirm the worst: another year of below average snowpack. As a measure of last resort, ancient Incan snow rituals were almost added to the nightly activities. Yet the snow gods preempted our desperate petitions, delivering the first blow in mid-July. Since then Portillo has been blessed, some may say cursed, with new snow every weekend. This week that rate has doubled, and our current guests will have battled weather upon both arrival and departure.

     Yet with great sacrifice comes great reward, says the ski bum philosopher. Getting to Portillo last Saturday was messy and complicated. The obvious reward, ironically, of deep powder was precisely that which compelled the sacrificial travel effort. The less obvious - nightly wine tastings. That’s right, the dangling fruit, Chile’s finest wines, for all to enjoy – you just had to get there first! Portillo’s 10th annual week, easily one of the hotel’s more popular events, ended on Sunday, and as always, was a huge success. The daily sign-up list is always swarmed with thirty names by one o’clock. People are rarely left out, but the anticipation is enough that signing up becomes an urgent affair. Everyone loves wine week.

     So wine and snow have characterized these past seven days. The nights were livelier than usual, even with people running on tired legs. As I sit here, watching more snow fall, I chuckle at the thought of guests, fresh off tonight’s tasting, taking face shots in the morning. Through plumes of powder, their wine-stained smiles will surely testify to a good week of skiing and drinking in Portillo!

Plateaued

Saturday

     "Off-piste" has entered the guest vocabulary. Times change and the Brazilians are trickling home. In their place have come are the Americans. Excuse me, the North Americans (everyone here is American). My countrymen are great, and with so many around, working in reception is a piece of cake. But if you're so anxious to ski in August that you book a trip to the Southern Hemisphere, you're probably a good skier. And good skiers, generally, play off the groomers. Oh, how things change...

     I don't know how to say this... but there was a lineup before the lifts opened! People actually gathered, mulled around the closed signs, until patrol pulled the ropes. Although it wasn't a gung-ho as the Alta base at 9 o'clock, it was totally ridiculous - according to our standards. Truth be told, this new batch of guests did wait two days before the more advanced lifts were opened. The roads were closed on Saturday, stranding hundreds in Santiago, and only the carpets were open on Sunday. So today was their day! And did they make the most of it... Las Lomas, the baby lift, opened first and we swarmed. Plateau, finally, started running and we swarmed again. Garganta was bare within an hour... "We should wait at Condor before... Damn, there's already a line!" Remember those posts, where I bragged about being the only guy out there? Well those posts, and those sacred afternoon, are gone! They went to Sao Paulo and to Rio and to the beach. Instead I've got really fun groups of powder hounds to complain about.
      

Sunday

      However, as I just implied, there's a silver lining: these gringos are fun. Portillo is host to a number of solid skiers right now, young and old, who truly enjoyed themselves today. My Chilean friends always tell me Americans are loud. Well, it's true, we love to holler - especially when we're knee deep in fresh snow. Up and down the mountain I heard "whoops" and "oh yeahs," all kinds of jolly nonsense. Moreover good, risky skiing is contagious. Waiting in line at Condor, you can see the entire run and every skier. "Oh he's fast"; "Wow, that was huge!"; "Ouch" mutters the crowd. Soon the t-bar arrives and it's your turn, our turn to ski even harder. The energy was new and good. So what if Plateau gets shredded a bit early? I must finally add that Roca Jack and Condor, the two greatest lifts, were closed all day. Three days worth of snow is getting skied tomorrow. This morning's lineup was nothing. So if you're staying at the hotel, rest up. I'm not that cutthroat, but if you're slow on the traverse this gringo will show you loud.

Monday

all good

The Receptionist's Song

I reckoned, "No new posts until it stops snowing..."
But when will that be? The wind won't stop blowing
This meter of snow from the last seven days,
The mountain awash with a blanket of haze.
When have I ever asked it to stop?
To give it a rest, to leave the last drop?

It feels so wrong praying for less,
But the slopes are filled and the road's a mess!
God open the pass and start the lifts,
I've been sitting for days and my legs are stiff.
So here's to the morning, sunny and clear!
I want deep turns, face shots, and as always, a beer.

Panic in Portillo

Today's typical exchange at the reception desk:
"I need to know about the road closures tomorrow."
"Portillo is not responsible for the maintenance of the roads."
"So will the road to Santiago be closed?!"
"Portillo is not responsible for the maintenance of the roads. But based on the forecast it's highly possible..."
"So they`re definitely going to close the pass then?! TELL US!
"Sir, I don't have the answers you're looking for..."

     The truth is, I understand why guests panic. We're three hours from Santiago via a pretty wild and curvy mountain pass. With even a little snow, the road can get shut down. This leaves people stranded at the hotel, unable to get to Santiago where their planes home await them. So the panicked guest is common and absolutely understandable. I get it.
     However, receptionists can't predict the weather and we definitely can`t predict road closures. Will twelve centimeters close the road? Probably. But like I said, we don't clear the roads, the municipality of Los Andes does. In other words, it's up to the Chilean government, so there's really no telling when the road will open, regardless of how much snow falls... My apologies. All I can recomend is that guests plan accordingly. Reception will keep you informed, I swear. If you're worried, leave early. If you want to stick it out (and pay for the extra night), please do. Is that the answer you're looking for?
  

Ski Club UK

     If the Portillo blog isn't enough, you can also check out what I'm doing for the Ski Club UK, where the my weekly submissions are more formal and generally longer. The British audience demands more, I guess! So if you're interested head over to the Ski Club site. I've got two "installments" published so far, with more on the way.

     In other news, my brief stint as the night watchman is almost over... Only a few more hours and I can return to society. My body has rejected the odd rhythm, despite my best intentions, of skiing all morning, sleeping all afternoon, and working all night. Each shift has gotten progressively harder, and my physical and mental health continues to deteriorate. I have no more patience for drunken shenanigans in the lobby. The juice they give me no longer satisfies. Still it was another perspective on life in Portillo, and I must admit that the past few nights have been enlightening. Who knew that guests regularly prank called the reception desk at 3 am?

Portillo Asleep

     It`s snowing again! Around 12 cm are predicted for tonight, followed by even more precipitation for Friday and Saturday. I forced my tired body outside only minutes ago, and was happy that I did so. The storm is indeed serene. With no wind, the flakes are easily discernible. They're also everywhere, making it difficult to focus on a single one. I manage to catch a few of these silent descenders, and am astonished, as always,  by their smallness. In a matter of hours, I'll be possessed by the cumulative effect of these tiny flakes, whooping energetically down Plateau. Yet for now, amongst the same snow that I'll be skiing much later, I feel a satisfying calm...

Lights off in the bar

Gastòn on Primavera earlier today

Un zorro acostando outside Tio Bob's

Hello, August

Night Watch

     El señor de la noche, Diego, has the week off... and until Wednesday I`m his replacement. There`s a late shift, which ends at midnight, and then there`s Diego`s shift, which starts at midnight. As I write this, it`s 7:15 and I`m nearing the end of my first night watch. To be fair, I like staying up to the wee hours of the morning. It`s never been hard for me, and tonight proved to be easy. I have an hour`s worth of real work, after which my only responsibility is to answer the phone and keep a log. I find the log a bit funny because very little happens during the late shift. Still, in case of an emergency, it makes sense. I`ve published last night`s log, as it was recorded, below.

August 1 2011
2:25 - the discoteque closed
3:19 - Alex, the security guard, slowly passed by the reception desk
4:07 - five guests returned from the Posada and decided to finish their drinks in the lobby.
6:19 - a check-in (family of three from Peru)
7:09 - gringo sighting.

The end of July

     Today's entry is an unbiased photographic comparison from this season of Valle Nevado and Ski Portillo. I won't tell you which ones are which until the end, making the process totally fair. So what's the more picturesque resort?





     Big red and the bunny slopes are Valle Nevado. The final two, including the yellow behemoth featured above, are from Portillo. Could you tell the difference? If you're a fan of Valle, know that my slanderous posts against our unsightly competitor are over. Valle tries hard and that's what counts... Sometimes you just can't fight mediocrity.

Gringo Storm Saturday

      Another Saturday storm. As much I appreciate the snow gods' favor, they should know better. It's the weekend. Save the blizzard for Monday, Thursday, I don't care, and spare Portillo the only day it needs the road to be open. Fortunately, drivers brought out the chains and more than enough caravans braved the curves. It's a good week to be in Portillo, and guests tried hard to get here.

   To begin with, it's Wine Week (season calendar). Connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike are going enjoy nightly tastings of Chile's finest wines, each of which will be festively capped off with trivia and giveaways. I swear that that last part is classier than it sounds. Besides the anticipated vino fest, new guests have also been humming to ski what we expect to be 20 inches by tomorrow. Now that they're here, checked-in and cozy, they're happy. Between last week's gifting and tonight's addition, August conditions are looking hopeful. Total snowfall this season is still relatively low (~220 cm), so more is always good.

   The only problem I foresee is the commencement of gringo season. This week is a nationality overlap, with a mix of Peruvians, Brazilians and North Americans all arriving this afternoon. However, even the slight uptick in gringos means more skiers on Roca Jack, Cara Cara, and everywhere else I like to ski. The logic is simple: only serious skiers will trade Hawaii for Portillo, and the beach for the mountain. Those same skiers, if they're here, will also go immediately to the traverses. At the same time, I love seeing old dudes hollering down chutes. It's nice to share sometimes. Nobody wants to be greedy, and with so much good terrain, even a few gringos won't be able to shred it all.


    Below is the Santiago skyline from Wednesday morning. My feelings regarding cities haven't changed, but the view from my friend's apartment was stunning. The second photo needs little explanation. Valle Nevado is clearly ugly, flat and crowded.

All the people living here (Santiago)...



... are building property here (Valle Nevado)



Santiago

    Leaving Portillo for the Santiago is strange. Whites become browns, and the tranquility that I´ve grown used to dissipates into in dusty crowds of cars and people. It´s not always easy to drop down into the valley, where society's problems rear their ugly head. I discovered long ago that I dislike cities, and it's been easy to avoid them. Sure, there's "lots to do" in Santiago or elsewhere; people breed culture. However, these same locales are rife with poverty, waste, pollution, and crime, as well as the gross materialism that pervades over the entire project. These are harsh words, but, as I said, leaving Portillo is strange. Of course, the hotel is plagued by the same problems, on a smaller scale of course, as the rest of society. Yet the isolation is liberating. Portillo lets us feel somehow apart, away from it all.

    Fortunately, my stay in Santiago will be a short one. Tomorrow morning I´m off to Valle Nevado for two days, migrating back to Portillo on Friday. To be honest, this will be my first real "ski trip" in Chile. Portillo was it for me last year. Four months straight in the mountains. But this being my second season, I decided it was time to venture off and, you know, scout the competition. From what I've heard Valle is big and flat. It's got a reputation for being overcrowded, congested even. Almost anyone will tell you that Portillo is by far the better resort hotel home destination. That being said, I'm going to leave my bias in Santiago, where it belongs, and check it out for myself!

Misty Lifts

     Today was a surprise. The forecast had predicted a few centimeters, flurries no más. What we got was close to 10 cm,  which was more than enough to cover old tracks on Cara Cara and Roca Jack. Juncalillo was groomed and soft, and the two t-bars were servicing everything from fun crud to freshies off the traverses.  Rocks, affectionately known as "tiburones" here, were only a mild concern. The mountain is skiing well, and last night's storm was quite the gift.

View of Cara Cara from Juncalillo

      It's my free week, so I'll be out again tomorrow. Since it's Portillo my expectations are high. When I stumbled home around 2:30, there was plenty left unskied. As always, the only ones gunning for good snow were fellow employees and the boys from Activejunky.com. What tomorrow is unlikely to duplicate will be the ethereal blanket of clouds that hung around all morning. Juncalillo was spooky good.


Crossing over




"Yes, the road will be closed all day."



Look at the icicles

Portillo por la Noche

     With no snowfall since last Saturday, the vibe here has been mellow during the day and festive at night. There’s no reason to get up too early, which means all the more reason to stay out late. As much as I love heaps of fresh powder, it was nice to wake up on Tuesday at 10:30. A friend and I skied until late afternoon before taking a long lunch in the sun. After that, I lapped Lake Run twice more and called it a day. It wasn’t four o’clock yet so I dropped by the pool. I skied once more this past week, on Thursday, and it was more of the same. Parts of the traverse aren’t bad, but getting to the good stuff takes awhile. Everything else off-piste is skied out, including Roca, which got hounded quickly (Roca pre-opening). But like I said, mellow isn’t bad and with so much pent up energy guests were more than willing to fill the bar disco Posada until late night.

     “Entretenciones,” as well as the bar staff, need to be thanked publicly. It was a fun week, to say the least, and both departments worked hard to make it happen. The Corona Party was everything advertised: two for one Coronas and loud music. Guests and employees of all ages packed the dance floor. I’ve rarely seen the disco as full. It’s always hard to tell what brings people out past midnight. I swear the equation never changes, and yet some nights blow up. The only difference was a couple of well-known dj’s, which I guess was enough.

     The fate of the nightlife is entirely up to the guests. My friends and I, the fifty some instructors, and a few others like to go out – and we’re out all the time.* But we’re not enough to make the party, so when guests gripe to me about a downer evening, I point out the fallacy of such complaints: they are the party. Again, the equation never changes. Moreover, the equation is well though out. Check this out: free cocktails from 7-8, dinner, drinks and live music in the bar from 10:30-12, more music and conversation in the disco from 12-2, and, if you’re still up, the Posada stays open until 3 in the morning. It’s not a bad cycle, but it’s up to you, readers and future guests, to populate each location. Pace yourselves and have a good time. If you have no idea what’s going on, the party schedule is published nightly in reception.
   
     Look what happens to the blog when there’s no new snow! I ramble on about the nightlife. Don’t come here for the nightlife! It’s a plus, but Portillo is an isolated hotel deep in the Andes. Any sort of nightlife should come as a surprise!** Like I said, our entertainment department does a great job at keeping everyone occupied when the ski day ends. However, Portillo is a centro de esqui, and that’s what we do best. Today, for example was clear and sunny. It was a great day to lap Plateau and Juncalillo, maybe stop by Tio Bob’s for lunch. Even without new snow, the mountain is impressive. So if you’re planning a visit, make skiing the priority – and let the nightlife pleasantly surprise you.



*Technically, the entire hotel staff goes out every night. Come 1 am, the Posada is always full, almost without exception. But 90 percent of the guests, at their own fault, never venture over to the Posada, so it’s not a part of the conversation
**The Posada is, again, the exception. There are four hundred employees with nothing to do besides work and enjoy each other’s company. In other words, the Posada being packed every night is hardly a surprise.

New Kids on the Noise

facebook

     I didn`t know anything about these guys until earlier today. I`m your dorky gringo, who likes Manà and Manu Chao. But tonight is the CORONA PARTY in the DISCO and the New Kids are bringing the music (noise). More than a few of the employees, including the regular dj, have been plugging the duo, who I`ve been told are somewhat big in Santiago. What I do know is that they played at Lollapalooza Chile earlier this summer, which immediately makes New Kids bigger than the bands we`re used to seeing up here. Much bigger.

    So I`ve been listening to tracks off their facebook page for the past half hour. Mash-up type stuff. It`s nothing too original, but they´re good. In all honesty, I`ll dance to anything that isn`t Cumbia or Reggaeton. Sorry, my latino friends, I gave it a chance. Anyways, Fridays are always fun, and tonight looks to be a topper. Between the free-flowing Corona, tonight`s sponsor, and good ole fashioned party music, it`ll be easy to forget that tomorrow is Saturday*...

*Saturdays, if I´ve failed to mention, are generally hellish workdays in reception. It`s the end of the ski week and the start of a new one, meaning we get swamped with check-ins Seriously, I get cramps just thinking about it. 

The Lake Run

From the top of Lake Run

     Ski patrol, understandably, likes to pace itself. One by one, day after day, they`re pulling ropes and opening new lifts. First it was Plateau and Las Lomas, followed by Condor some days later. On Monday morning it was Juncalillo, then Cara Cara in the afternoon. Today it was the Lake Run, aptly named. Actually, it`s really not a run per se. Runs have boundaries, signage. Runs get groomed nightly. With the Lake "run," there is only space, a wide slope extending to the lake shore. From the top, it`s quite a sight: the Laguna below, Los Tres Hermanos to the right, and across the lake a stretch of equally imposing peaks. The run itself is a series of gullies and ridges scattered with boulders. It`s a large enough zone that no line has to be the same. Basically, the Lake Run is a blast to ski. Hopefully today was just one of many this season.

     What truly distinguishes the Lake Run, though, is the traverse back to the hotel. Since the lake has yet to freeze over, the dilemma is making it home without getting wet. For years, the solution has been a thin road that meanders, somewhat treacherously, along the cliff edge. It`s a ski-length wide, and the only thing separating you from the cold waters meters below is a metal fence.  In all honestly, the Lake Run cat-walk couldn`t exist in the states. But here, in the Chile, in the Andes, a dangerous traverse kind of makes sense. Yeah, it`s quite the drop. Yeah, you could die. Yet passengers understand the risks being taken - plus there`s the fence. In South America, or at least in Argentina and Chile, there isn`t the same glut of lawsuits as there is in the states. The system is too slow and too clogged to file suit. I`ve been paragliding in Mendoza without signing a release form. I`ve gone white water rafting in Peru sans helmet or any kind of safety debriefing. Similarly, Portillo has a signature traverse, by which unsupervised skiers slowly find their way home along the cliff and waters edge. It`s puro chileno and Portillo wouldn´t have any other way.



In sight of the hotel

     In other local ski news, Roca Jack is definitely opening tomorrow. The delay has been both the lack of snow and the fact that getting the va et vient operational is an intensive process. Basically heavy cables need to be dragged from the bottom of Roca to the top. Mechanics and ski patrol surrounded the base station all day. There were also 10-15 individuals on the upper slope, merely specks in the adjacent photo, literally passing the cable to the highest anchors. Roca Jack is probably the most beloved part of the mountain, as it is the access point to the Super-C and the best traverses. The only bitter part about tomorrow is that I´m working from 8 am to 4 pm. However, if I`ve learned anything here, it`s that the snow will stay until I´m skiing again on Friday. The hotel is full, but the slopes are empty. Roca`s opening and practically no one cares, apart from the employees. Plus my dad always said "Patience is a virtue." The irony is that no matter how many days I wait, I´m still skiing in July, too impatient to wait until November...
 

Patrol hoisting the cable up Roca Jack

Soon

Vicente - in his element