Portillo’s short ski season

A weekend ago, at the end of Austral winter, on September 21, the Portillo ski resort in Chile was shutting down its three month season (It opened up on June 21). This in the Northern Hemisphere would be the equivalent of a brief snow season spanning from December 21 through March 21. 

Is this a sign for things to come everywhere? Quite possibly. For that season the South American resort recorded a cumulative snowfall of 196” (440 cm) while 22” (50 cm) were still measured at the hotel, 48” (108 cm) at the Plateau and 15” (34 cm) at Juncalillo. 

What’s interesting is that about a month ago, the entire section of Roca Jack, an avalanche-prone terrain, slid down, closing one its the iconic 5 passenger “va-et-vient” surface lift for the season. 

These lifts were especially built by Poma to access steep terrain where regular chairlift towers can't be installed. 

Sixty years ago, on August 11, 1965, a similar avalanche was already triggered on that same Roca Jack slope, killing five ski patrolmen. So these kinds of incidents always find a way to recur. 

As of today we hope for a good off-season through the Andes and can’t wait for its southern winter to return!