Road access to Ski Portillo reopened to the general public over the weekend, ending a prolonged closure caused by heavy snowfall that had cut off Chile’s Los Libertadores Pass, the route linking the capital, Santiago, to the resort, Powder reported.
Ski Portillo confirmed on social media that the border crossing would be open to all vehicles, including hotel guests, skiers and day visitors, with the resort saying it was looking forward to welcoming visitors back and describing conditions on the mountain as excellent.
Los Libertadores Pass officially closed on July 14 as a major storm system brought more than 100 inches of snow to the region, while lowland areas of Chile experienced intense rainfall and flooding. During the closure, Portillo brought some skiers to the resort by helicopter and along the road, though access had more recently been restricted to hotel guests only.
Unlike many major ski destinations, Portillo has no sprawling base village and is largely reliant on hotel guests who book multi-day stays with lift tickets and meals included, rather than day visitors, a model Powder compared to a cruise ship in the mountains. A member of the resort’s guide and instructor staff, Alec Blossom, told Powder the scale of the storm was unusual even for someone who has spent years working seasons there, describing periods stuck on the mountain skiing when conditions allowed and shovelling snow in between.
The extended closure prompted ACESKI, an organisation representing Chilean ski resorts, to speak out over the impact on the winter tourism industry. “Chile must learn to live with the snow and not be paralyzed by it,” the organisation said, Powder reported, calling on the Chilean government to establish a National Mountain Management Policy and a group to review current road-closure protocols.
Los Libertadores Pass had separately reopened for truck traffic on August 18, ending a 34-day closure for freight between Argentina and Chile. Forecasters have warned that another storm cycle could bring further heavy snowfall to the area as early as next week, raising the possibility of renewed closures.