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

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

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

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



Ski lobby

     The precipitation has stopped, and it's your typical bluebird day in Portillo. I forgot my sunglasses in the hotel after a late night at the disco, and leaving the Siberia was truly painful. That is until my eyes adjusted.  Fresh snow covered everything. It's hard to tell where the light is coming from here, the glossy slopes or the sun beaming above them. Although there are no trees in Portillo, color is everywhere. The blue sky, the yellow hotel, the brown and hard black peaks. I savor the slow walk to the hotel on days like this... I would be skiing, but rules are rules - employees ski during the week only. But I don't complain. I'm still here, taking it in, and the truth is, skiing is just one way to enjoy these beautiful surroundings.

   Still, I've got a friend from the states visiting Portillo tonight and tomorrow, and I'm going to lobby management to make an exception. Let's be honest, it's going to be a powder day again tomorrow. I'll say it again: snow stays fresh longer than it should in Portillo (see Guests and groomers). Anyways, My friend has only one day to ski, and it's also tomorrow. The stars have clearly aligned in our favor, Morgan. I'm banking on good ol' skier's sympathy. The rule makers enjoy the sport as much as I do, so I'm hoping they understand. Here's my angle:

40 cm in the last 24 hrs.
70 cm in the last week.
Two gringo friends from Vermont (ice) have the opportunity to ski together in Chile (polvo).

     Comment furiously in my favor. Maybe it'll help. As some mild encouragement, enjoy a few pictures from yesterday's storm and the beautiful aftermath that was this morning. As always, for more info on life and skiing at Portillo, check out our facebook page. Señor misterio de facebook, who`s good friend of mine, boards almost daily, and I'm guessing he's uploaded photos already.

Yeah, dog

¡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!

Twinnings Polynesia Portillo

     Portillo staffers often compare the hotel to a cruise ship. Without a nearby village, all food, entertainment, and lodging are, like with a cruise ship, contained in one place.* But I hate that analogy. Cruise ships are fine - if you`re looking to do nothing and gorge yourself for ten days. Food poisoning, pirates, and binging are all things we here at Portillo try to avoid. So let`s scrap the cruise ship analogy. Yes, this a self-contained establishment, but it is immobile and classy. The surrounding waters are all frozen.

 (photo courtesy of Diego Alvarez)

     Despite the rant, I will admit that, especially this week, Portillo is wearing its sailor`s cap. It`s Family Week once again and the hotel has more going on than a Disney liner. Since Saturday there`s been a magic show by Carlos Arce, a Polynesian dance and music hour, and an intimate wine tasting of the Garces Silva Vineyard. In between these nightly events have been daily yoga and pilates classes, futbòl tournaments, and tubing sessions. Let`s not forget that we`re in the middle of the Copa de Amèrica tournament, meaning games are being screened daily in both the disco and cine. Go back a few posts (Chile vs. Mexico) to understand the futbòl ethos in Portillo.

     For better or worse, there will be no more Chileans dancing like Polynesians this week. The remaining activities, though, should keep guests busy and satisfied. Tomorrow night Twinings returns for another tea tasting. Despite my initial doubts, these tastings have become quite popular. Sober, aromatic fun. On Thursday the weekly Carrera de Sol will be held all day on Plateau (it`s a ski race) for anyone who`s interested. The winners will be announced on Friday, and the award ceremony is always fun. I expect that instructor Heidi will bust out her accordion for the occasion. Also on Friday, as the last big event, is the Red Bull Party. Here`s the scene: beautiful people chugging liquid energy, techno pours from the background. Dreams come true. Everyone remembers their last night in Portillo fondly, albeit vaguely. So that`s the week in sum. As always, join us.

*Technically, there`s also the Posada, the understated employee hangout across the street. Not many guests venture in that direction, however. I`m probably the only one who advertises it in reception. Even though it will always belong to the community of employees,  if you`re going to spend a week at the hotel, the Posada is a must-do.




Davenport does Everest

     You really have to follow this guy closely... If you don't, he might just lay turns down the world's highest peak without you knowing. That is Chris Davenport, world-class skier and mountaineer. The last I saw or heard of Chris was a year ago, when he hosted his annual freeride camp at Portillo. At the time, he'd also just completed his Antarctic adventure, which was captured beautifully in the ski odyssey, Australis (http://antarcticskiodyssey.com). The daring film is not your typical ski movie, nor is Chris your typical shredder. Almost immediately, Australis proves to be more than just ski porn. It's a testament to the fearsome yet arresting Southern Pole, undaunted exploration, and one man's ability to climb, ski, and inspire like few others. If you think I sound too gushy... then you haven't met this guy.

      Did I mention that Chris is just plain nice? Like I said, he was at Portillo last summer, hosting his camp, and, well, being the hotel's most visible ambassador. Chris has been coming to Portillo for years, usually with his young family, and is well-acquainted with the staff. He's totally personable, and although he may not remember this, he and I talked over a beer one night in the disco. I asked him how he'd ended up skiing professionally, what's changed about the scene, etc. Not only was Chris cool talking to a lowly receptionist, but the ski hero even wanted to know about my life. Like I said, the dude is nice. If you continue to think I sound too gushy... then you're a sad cynic with no appreciation for meaningful interactions.

     Anyways, instead of resting on his laurels after years in the spotlight, Davenport continues to redefine "professional skier." As Australis and the Everest trip demonstrate, Chris has capably embraced mountaineering, combining it with his first love of skiing. The Lhotse descent and Everest summit took place back in May, which means it may be old news for a lot of you. However, I couldn't resist sharing the trip - two skiers, 50 degree Himalayan sidewalls, O2 tanks, a real f@%#ing adventure. If you're interested, Chris' website has got photos and videos of the whole thing. I personally stumbled across an interactive from skinet.com, where the powder day on Lhotse is elegantly documented.

http://chrisdavenport.com/news/
http://www.skinet.com/skiinginteractive/flashfiles/63_75_05_18/LHOTSE.html

   So congratulations to Chris on the achievement! And to all of you following the blog, I'll be writing  more on Chris' adventures once he returns to Portillo later this summer. Now get off your computers and climb a mountain.

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."