While the Northern Hemisphere had one of its worst winters ever, the Southern Hemisphere’s winter season has been quite the opposite. Storm after storm has pummeled Chile, leading to road closures, early terrain openings, and many, many powder days.
In particular, Portillo has gotten more than 23 feet of snow throughout the season, which has led them to extend their season. Late last week, the ski area announced that due to all the snow they’d received over the last month and a half, they’d be staying open through October 12, 2026.
Additionally, Portillo is offering guests who book a stay at the resort between September 30 and October 12 a 20% discount. The ski area had originally planned to close on September 26.
The ski area initially delayed its opening due to lack of snow, but eventually opened on July 4, 2026. Things turned around fairly quickly after that. By mid-July, a 100+ inch storm was headed for Portillo, and the road to the ski area had already closed once. By July 24, 183 inches of snow had fallen on Portillo in just a seven-day period, prompting the entire ski area to close.
As of August 11, the road to Portillo, which winds through the mountains, had been closed for several weeks. Some guests had been able to reach the resort via helicopter, but the area’s roadways still posed an issue. The organization that represents Chile’s ski resorts, ACESKI, put out a press release asking the country’s government to revise its responses to weather events like these, in an effort to support Chile’s ski tourism industry.
According to Portillo’s website, the road remains closed, but hotel guests have been able to access the ski area where, this week, almost every lift is spinning. Portillo is somewhat unique in that it offers complete ski week packages for visitors that include lodging, food, and lift tickets.
Portillo’s ski season usually runs through mid-September, depending on conditions, but it has stayed open beyond then. In 2023, the ski area extended its season to October 1.
Although forecasts show that the storm in Portillo has broken for now, there could be more on the way over the next two weeks. If you’ve been waffling about that summer ski trip, it seems like now might be the time to hit send on Portillo.
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