SKI PORTILLO, Chile

Finally: Ski Portillo. Set high in the andes on the cross roads of 2 countries sits the acangagua valley, lago de inca and Portillo. It is home to a huge hotel housing as many employees as guests, it looked full tilt. We merely went there for the day and spent a lot of money, so a week we can only guess the cost. The skiing also held up to its name, steep and gnarly.

We had a wonderful sunny day, the snow was near new and the temperatures reached almost hot by midday. Our favorite if not craziest experience was on the Roca Jack lift. Specially designed for this steep area the lift is like nothing i have ever seen (most likely would not fly in the US) A brief description is a bar hooked to a cable and ropes like a kite.

5 people share the poma like lift side by side, as it rips up the 35 degree slope over humps and bumps like a bucking bronco.

The flat out scary ride ends at the top by just stopping, no shack, no help just icy exit strategy. Once it stops the slope is still at 35 degrees and your immediate reaction is to turn your skiis to stop from sliding backward, however that is not possible due to the fact there are 4 others trying to do the same or opposite. Needless to say it was not graceful at all! We tried many times and still no grace. An experience that brought stress, laughter, anxiety, vertical and humility. As we also found out there are 4 other like lifts around the mountain, still no grace. Apparently it is a specially designed lift to take folks to the top of very steep slopes. If you survive, the skiing terrain accessed is awesome.

The lifts also go over the highway, which was almost as sketchy as Roca Jack just mix in the massive trucks cruising by. dont drop your glove!

After the sun kissed our noses and we skied 15,500 vert we slipped into the hottub for a relaxing poach. We Bought some patches, t-shirts, hats and stickers and retreated to Los Andes. A fun day and a great place. Skiing in Chile is top notch and worth another visit!

We are back in Mendoza now and headed to Buenas Aires tomorrow, not as planned but necessary. We will update again from the Capital city of Argentina. Suerte