Portillo Re-Opens To Guests Arriving By Helicopter

Chile’s famous Portillo ski resort is reported to have re-opened to guests arriving by helicopter after being cut off by road for more than two weeks.

The centre has had more than six metres (20 feet) of snowfall during the period it has been closed and is currently reporting the snow lying 2.6m (102”) deep at hotel level and 2.8m (110”) up on the Plateau run.

Those stats give the centre the deepest base in the world at present, 30cm (a foot) deeper than Argentina’s Las Leñas.

Access roads in and out of Portillo have been closed for nearly three weeks now which is believed to be one of, if not the longest closure in the resort’s long history. Resort representatives say roads are  currently clear but that Portillo is awaiting official news that they can be used again. Another 1m (40”) of snowfall is in the forecast.

Ironically, before the massive snowfall arrived, Portillo had been forced to delay its planned season opening date in June several times due to too little snow having fallen at that point, resort representatives now say conditions are looking great until October.  A Portillo representative commented:

“Portillo opened yesterday with guests arriving by Heli. The road is clear, but Portillo is waiting for the government to open it. (When the storm was incoming) there were some guests already there who opted to stay for the major part of the storm, or opted to leave. Portillo had stocked up supplies for staff and guests. There was another foot on Friday, and then expecting another meter before there s a period storm free. Snow should be great until October.”