Portillo, Chile

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Ski Portillo Chile
Laguna del Inca
Location:
Nearest city: Los Andes, Chile
Vertical: 806 m (2644 ft)
Top elevation: 3310 m (10859 ft)
Base elevation: 2870 m (9415 ft)
Skiable area:  ? km²
Longest run: 2.6 km (1.6 miles)
Lift system: 5 chairlifts, 8 surface lifts
Snowfall: 5 m (20 ft)
Snowmaking: yes
Night skiing: weekly
Web site: http://www.skiportillo.com

Ski Portillo Chile (usually known simply as Portillo) is a ski resort located about 2 hours drive northeast of Santiago, Chile. It is one of the largest ski areas in South America and is located entirely above the tree line. The ski season typically runs from mid-June to late-September.

Plans to build the ski area were drawn up in the 1930s, construction began in 1942 and the ski area was opened in 1949. Several of the ski lifts on the west side of the valley were destroyed by massive avalanches in 1965, but were successfully rebuilt in time for Portillo to host the alpine skiing World Championships in 1966. The area has since grown into one of the principal destinations for ski racers to train during the Northern Hemisphere summer and it has a reputation for offering some of the best powder snow anywhere.

The town was once served by the now disused Transandine Railway which ran from Mendoza in Argentina to Los Andes in Chile.

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