Portillo
A yellow hotel alone at 2,880 metres by a frozen lake, where several world speed records were set.
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Portillo sits at 2,880 metres beside the Laguna del Inca on the road to the Argentine border, and it is one of the oldest ski resorts in South America - the hotel dates from 1949 and there is essentially nothing else there, no village and no other accommodation, so the resort operates on weekly packages. It held the first world alpine skiing championships in the southern hemisphere in 1966, and the Kilometro Lanzado slope above it was used through the 1960s and 1970s for world speed skiing records, with several set on it. Northern hemisphere national teams train here in their summer.
What you actually see
- A yellow hotel alone at 2,880 metres - no village around it.
- The Laguna del Inca below - frozen through the season.
- World championships in 1966 - the first in the southern hemisphere.
- A speed record slope - the Kilometro Lanzado above the resort.
When to go
June to September. Several days, since it sells by the week.
Honest expectations
Accommodation is essentially the hotel and it sells weekly packages - dropping in is not the model, though day tickets exist. The road can close in storms, stranding people. There is nothing else to do at 2,880 metres if the weather shuts the mountain.
Nearby
The Cristo Redentor pass to Argentina is above; Los Andes is down the valley.
What to pack for Portillo
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.