There are ski destinations, and then there are places that seem almost purpose-built for a Warren Miller movie.
Portillo, Chile, definitely falls into the second category.
The classic Warren Miller segment below comes from Journey, the 2003 Warren Miller Entertainment film that traveled from the massive mountains of Alaska and British Columbia to Chamonix, Morocco, and the high Andes of Chile. Portillo’s wide-open, treeless terrain provided one of the film’s unmistakable backdrops.
For North American skiers, there’s also something particularly appealing about watching footage from Portillo: when summer has taken over the ski areas of the United States and Canada, winter is underway on the other side of the equator.
And few Southern Hemisphere ski destinations have a history quite like this one.
Portillo Is One Of Skiing’s Most Historic Resorts
Located high in the Chilean Andes near the Argentine border, Ski Portillo is the oldest ski resort in South America and one of the most recognizable ski areas on the continent.
The area’s connection to skiing stretches back to the late 1800s, when Norwegian engineers working on the Trans-Andean Railway crossed the mountains on skis. Once the railway opened in 1910, recreational skiers even began using the train as a rudimentary form of uphill transportation. The Hotel Portillo that anchors the resort today was inaugurated in 1949.
Portillo’s place in international skiing was cemented in 1966, when it hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships.
It remains the only ski resort in South America ever to host the event.
That racing heritage continues today, with elite ski teams historically using Portillo’s Southern Hemisphere winter for summer training.
The Terrain Is Pure Warren Miller
Anyone familiar with Portillo will immediately recognize why ski filmmakers keep coming back.
The ski area sits at roughly 9,186 feet (2,800 meters) at the hotel and reaches approximately 10,860 feet (3,310 meters) at its highest point. Portillo lists roughly 1,235 acres of skiable terrain, with 35 marked slopes surrounded by far more adventurous possibilities when snow and avalanche conditions cooperate.
The mountain is known for steep chutes, open bowls and expansive above-treeline skiing.
Then there’s Roca Jack.
One of Portillo’s signature expert zones, Roca Jack is accessed by the resort’s unusual Va-et-Vient lift, which pulls groups of skiers side-by-side directly up the steep mountainside rather than carrying them uphill on conventional chairs.
The lift system was designed for steep, avalanche-prone terrain where traditional lift towers would be impractical. From Roca Jack, expert skiers can access steep descents and traverses into some of Portillo’s most famous terrain.
It’s the kind of place where you don’t need terrain-park features or elaborate infrastructure to make skiing look exciting.
You just need skis, snow and a very large mountain.
Warren Miller And Portillo Are A Natural Match
Portillo has attracted generations of professional skiers, racers and filmmakers, and Warren Miller Entertainment has returned to the Chilean resort multiple times over the years.
That’s hardly surprising.
Few places deliver the combination of dramatic scenery, old-school ski culture and enormous alpine terrain quite like Portillo. The bright yellow Hotel Portillo sitting beneath the Andes beside Laguna del Inca has become one of the most recognizable images in South American skiing.
The segment from Journey captures that atmosphere especially well.
More than two decades after the movie was released, the skiing still holds up.
Turn up the volume, forget about summer for a few minutes, and enjoy some classic Warren Miller from Portillo, Chile.
Watch the segment below.