¡Bem-Vindo a Portillo!

     Portillo is all about seasons. High season, low season. Gringo season. You name it. During orientation, receptionists are told to expect the following: Brazilians ski during July and North Americans during August. Argentines get scattered throughout the winter, while Chileans pack the house in late September. Although I`m clearly generalizing, these are real trends. And from these "demographic shifts" follow some funny changes in the hotel and on the mountain.

     For example, I fear answering the phone during the Brazilian ski weeks. As mentioned, the hotel is temporalily annexed by Ski Brazil for the month of July and Portuguese reigns king. Obviously it and Spanish are quite similar, but barring totally fluency in the latter, Portuguese is a messy language for gringos. With all those j`s and om`s and ção`s, calls to the front desk from guests speaking Portuguese, or even heavily accented Spanish, can be nerve-wracking experiences for the ill-prepared. However, I`m not the only one who politely nods and smiles... when asked about the forecast. I`ve watched seasoned receptionists, Chileans and Argentines alike, get battered by the Portuguese wave these past few weeks. Our only defense is to sign. Speak slowly and make lots of gestures. Lately I`ve just been pointing at things - room keys, trail maps, lift tickets, all of which I put conveniently in reach. To ease the language barrier, management has organized Portuguese classes for employees who are interested. The result: more Portuguese all the time. Misunderstandings still occur on a daily basis, but we`re learning. Fortunately, the Brazilians that I`ve met in Portillo have been understanding, laid-back, beach types from Sao Paulo and Rio - which brings me to the second my second observation.

     Brazilians, or at least those staying in Portillo, generally stick to the groomers. I`m going to go out on a limb and say that there are zero ski resorts in Brazil, meaning few serious skiers. Like I said, beach types. It`s a known fact that off-piste terrain in Portillo stays fresh for longer than it should. In reality, it`s not only the Brazilians that I should thank for leaving the powder alone; lots of Chileans and Argentines guests keep to Princesa too. But my point is that from June until gringo season, the only ones making the traverses and lapping Roca Jack are the employees, instructors, the ski patrol. It`s incredible. One storm and I expect solid skiing under Plateau for a week. I`ve skied un monton de montanñas and never have I competed less for fresh tracks. That`s Portillo for the moment: lots of Brazilian guests tearing up groomers, content to stay off the va et vients. Working the front desk during July can be frustating, but with the trade-of being more snow longer, well... ¡Tudo bem!

Portillo in a day

     I need to get something off my chest: I`ve been here for two weeks and haven`t been skiing. I know I´m a fraud. The ski blogger who hasn´t been skiing. Fortunately, those cruel circumstances have changed and I was lapping Plateau from nine to five today. The reality was that with our present snow conditions, employees were barred from the slopes. Even the hallowed instructors were told to stay away from off-piste terrain. It`s an understandable decision, really. Portillo needed to conserve the snow that it had for paying guests. But, as I said, all of that changed today. Although WE`RE STILL NOT SELLING DAY TICKETS (I apologize in advance to those who didn`t get the memo and show up tomorrow expecting to ski), the receptionists were allowed a beautiful ski day, and beautiful it was.


The view from Tio Bob`s (photo circa last season)

     I began my morning with pate de cerdo on a stale roll. Some coffee too. Typical employee power breakfast. By nine o`clock I was riding up Plateau lift, the yellow hotel growing smaller and smaller behind me. What´s great about Plateau is that it`s fast and steep. Within minutes, I´m hopping on Condor, the va et vient lift near the top of Plateau, which takes skiers up another 500 ft. If you`ve never used one of Portillo`s t-bars, you`re missing an integral ski experience. Condor, four "seats" wide, literally tears up a 25 degree pitch at ten miles per hour. Approximately. If you`re not ready, the ride is over in seconds. Good skiers and boarders fall off the va et vients all the time. I, of course, made it to the top just fine - but not without holding on for dear life. The consequent run from there to the bottom of Plateau has three different pitches, lots of advanced terrain, and plenty of room for everyone. By 9:20, I was on my way back up Plateau, ready for more.


Another view from Tio Bob`s (photo circa today)

       I was up and down Plateau and Condor until close to noon, when my legs forced me to break and grab some water. My Portillo roommate of two years runs the Ski Box, one of two on-mountain restaurants operated by the hotel, so it`s a regular stop for me. The Ski Box is just that: a box. It sits at the bottom of Las Lomas, near la Princesa, waiting for the tired and hungry to come by for a beer. Sitting with my boots off on the Ski Box patio, I couldn´t have been happier. Portillo is such a beautiful place, no matter where you`re looking. I basked in the sun for an hour before leaving to meet a friend at Tio Bob´s for lunch. Now the Ski Box and Tio Bob`s are two very different establishments. The former is meant to be a quick stop. It`s seating is only outdoors, and the menu consists of easy fixes and lots of beverages. Tio Bob`s, on the other hand, is a definition restaurant, complete with a wait staff, indoor seating, and an array of excellent food options. What separates Tio Bob`s, however, from every other on-mountain restaurant that I`ve visited is the view... and the salads. The view is: unbelievable, unbeatable, scary, and 360 degrees. You can look down onto the Laguna, back towards the hotel, or up at the jagged peaks that surround the restaurant. For the view alone, Tio Bob`s is a must-do for all guests. But the greatness of Tio Bob`s doesn`t stop at the view. As I alluded to, the salad options are absolutely incredible. Of course, there`s a selection of hamburgers, choripans, and steaks. Yet it`s the gigantic host of fresh and creative ingredients at the salad bar that always surprise and impress. Today, I ate more vegetables in one sitting than I`ve had in months. This was followed by a cold beer. Too good.

The Ski... Box

By three o`clock it was time to call it quits. My next move was classic Portillo: a dip in the hot tub. Sore muscles needed relaxing, and there`s nothing better than some pool time after a hard day of skiing. I floated, waded, and watched the sky. The views never stop here. After the soak, it was off to the showers and the reception desk, where I´ve been since five. One of evening`s first queries was, "How are the ski conditions?"... Finally, I thought, I can answer truthfully. "Increible," I replied. "We skied all day and the snow was great."