Thoughts about Portillo 1966

The other day as I was looking if snow had made it yet to the southern hemisphere, after observing barren ski runs both in Australia and New Zealand, I was elated to see some natural snow on the ground at Bariloches (Argentina) and Portillo (Chile), a one-hotel ski resort located a stone-throw from that same Argentinian border. 

I’ve always been fascinated by that place, but never had a chance to bring my skis to this part of the world, at least for the time being. What had always captured my imagination was that the 1966 Ski World Championships, the first and only one to take place in the southern hemisphere. What had marked me the most was Jean-Claude Killy’s stunning victory on a treeless downhill course (there is another course without trees in Zermatt-Cervinia, that has yet to be raced on). 

This Chilean one, named “Juncalillo” is famous for its steep and long start area and rolling middle section. The race took place on August 7, 1966 under great weather conditions. The course started about 165 feet (50 meters) above the arrival platform of the Roca Jack lift and came down through the Juncalillo run, passing over the two tunnels of the International Road, linking Chile to Argentina with its steep schuss preceding a finish line next to the Juncalillo chair. 

In these times, some critics have said this downhill was a glorified giant slalom, yet it had all the ingredients needed in that speed even and was appropriate for a world championship. Yet, its top 4 to 5 turns on a very steep pitch made all the difference, as they required a perfect carving that Schranz, Nenning or Brugmann, the big favorites of the day, just couldn’t deliver, while Killy in Honoré Bonnet’s own words was “Cutting into the course without spraying any snow…” as the famous French ski team director was observing from mid-course. 

Killy won in 1 minute 35 seconds and 16/100th at an average speed of 62.5 mph (100.51 km/h) before his countryman Léo Lacroix and Germany’s Franz Vogler. Today, that downhill course is mostly used by the US and some Canadian and European ski team for their downhill summer training…