Surrogate summer skiing?

So far, this summer, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time observing what was going on at the Portillo ski resort, in Chile, and thanks to some well-placed webcams, I was able to witness a good ski season unfolding before my eyes, without big crowds (only the single hotel guests seem to be hitting the slopes) and what appeared to be an excellent coverage. 

I captured the video three days ago. More stunning though for the keen eye, was my ability to watch Portillo’s famous slingshot lifts, known as “Va-et-vient” (French for ‘come and go’) built by Poma for Roca Jack, Condor, Las Vizcachas and El Cara Cara runs. These runs are steep avalanche chutes, forbidding the use of lift towers. 

These unique lifts are made of pulleys anchored to the mountain above which pull five skiers at a time up the 27 degrees Roca Jack slope, over 968 vertical feet. If you watch the attached video on a large screen (20” or more), you’ll spot a black dot going uphill where indicated and that’s that lift that reaches just 165 feet below the start of the 1966 World Championships Downhill. 

You can access the Portillo webcams here and if you’re interested in joining me next summer to ski Portillo (for real), should conditions allow it, let me know. For the moment, get your eyes wide open and get your fill of skiing and winter fun!