Access Road to Ski Portillo in Chile Now Closed For 4 Weeks Straight
Access to the iconic ski resort of Portillo in Chile by road has now been closed for what’s thought to be and unprecedented four straight weeks.
Road access to the iconic ski resort of Portillo in Chile by road has now been closed for what’s thought to be an unprecedented four straight weeks.
The ski area has had an up and down season with two little snowfall to open initially as planned in June, then a few weeks after opening in July, was hit by a massive storm. It has now had 6.6 metres (22 feet) of snowfall over the past four weeks, most of it in the first week in mid-July.
The road was closed on Tuesday, July 14 in advance of the storm. Ski slopes were closed for a little over a fortnight as resort teams worked to make them safe and runs re-opened at the start of August, but with guests only able to arrive and depart via helicopter.
Combined with the delayed opening, it means Portillo has only been able to offer skiing to those arriving by road for about two out of the planned first eight weeks of the 14 week 2026 season. The continuing closure of access roads led Ski Portillo Chile’s General Manager Miguel Purcell to issue this statement last Thursday,
“We have been closed on Route 60CH for more than 23 days, preventing access to Portillo. Safety should always be the priority. But today, the road to Portillo has been clear for more than a week, with both lanes enabled and in safe conditions for traffic. While the route remains closed, more than 550 workers, their families, suppliers, and the entire tourist activity in the area are affected. In a season that lasts only three months, we have already lost practically a third of the operation. Opening this route is not just a decision about Portillo; it is a decision that benefits tourism, employment, and the prestige of Chile as an international destination.”
Portillo is currently posting the deepest snow cover on its slopes of any open ski resort in the world, with nearly 3m (10 feet) on higher slopes.
Local media in Chile report that provincial officials, including the Provincial Presidential Delegation of Los Andes and the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED), have stated that the road’s continued closure is strictly a matter of public safety and regional coordination. They report Ricardo Figueroa (the Presidential Delegate for the local Los Andes area) stated that overall snow and mountain conditions still do not safely permit the reopening of the route.
Portillo’s 2026 season is currently due to end in just over six weeks on 26 September.
