By Mackenzie MoranPublished On: September 23rd, 2019Comments Off on Portillo Through the Ages
Since Ski Portillo opened its doors in 1949, it has been a hotspot for South American skiing, attracting backcountry skiers, alpine racers, and ski enthusiasts from across the globe to enjoy the challenging terrain of the Chilean Andes. The hotel sits alone on the bank of Laguna del Inca (Inca Lake), surrounded by blue skies and snow-covered mountains, save a pool and Tio Bob’s bar deck. Its seclusion brings forth an ambient atmosphere that encourages community amongst guests, an energy that cannot be replicated at any other resort.
It wasn’t until 1961 when ownership of the hotel shifted from the Chilean government into the hands of Robert (Bob) W. Purcell and his partner Dick Aldrich, that the potential of the hotel was recognized. A couple of New York investment executives that had done time under the close watch of the Rockefellers would take the bankrupt hotel, reshape it, and allow it to evolve into the Ski Portillo known and loved today. Bob Purcell’s nephew, Henry, was 26-years-old when his uncle brought him on board as general manager. Together, the team initiated a development plan for the ski area that included ski lifts, a hotel expansion that brought the total number of beds up to 500, a heated swimming pool and sauna facilities. Next, the team had to figure out to persuade guests to fill those beds, figuring that once they saw Hotel Portillo’s charm, it wouldn’t be hard to convince visitors to return.
“At this time, people were still writing about having to have to hack their way through the jungle just to get to the base of Aconcagua. Somebody said, ‘why don’t we get the World Championships here, bring all the world teams down here, and show them what they have’,” recalls Henry Purcell, the current owner of Ski Portillo.
After getting the green light from the Chilean Ski Federation, the idea to host the Alpine World Championships was pitched to FIS, the European governing body that, at the time, had never been to Chile. Despite the fear of wading into uncharted waters, FIS approved the bid. The Purcell’s proceeded to install new lifts, transportation systems, and recreational facilities, amongst other additions, only to have their “test run” in 1965 prove to be a disaster. National teams that had traveled to Portillo to assess the venue were trapped when major snowstorms destroyed the new lifts and blocked off the railroad, leaving them stranded at the hotel for days on end. Yet despite many trials and tribulations, Ski Portillo prevailed and became the first and only South American country to host the Alpine Ski World Championships.
The 1966 Alpine World Ski Championships
“It snowed just the right amount, the sun came out, we had sun every day except one when we had 20 cm [of snow] which made everything look nice and they had a great event. The teams and racers loved it,” remembers Purcell.
At the time, Ski Portillo was still only accessible by train. The Transandean Railroad is, technically speaking, the first ski lift in Chile. It’s completion in 1910 prompted recreational skiers to use it to get up the mountain, although it often got stuck for hours due to avalanches. “Before [the hotel] existed the railroad had a hotel down by where the military is. The purpose of this was to get people to come up to use the railroad as a lift, ski down ride the train back up. For years that hotel was there and a lot of Chileans learned to ski there.”
In the 1960s, World Championships was one of two chances the top ski racers in the world had to compete against each other. At the 1966 Championship, representatives from 20 nations came to compete in August in Portillo.
Stein Eriksen skis on Garganta under the original Plateau lift (left). Fans line the slalom course under one of two original lifts (right).
In order to hold the event, Ski Portillo had to build its first ever downhill course, a move that would eventually lead to it becoming one of the top downhill training venues in the Southern Hemisphere. “It changed the whole face of skiing,” Purcell says.
Jean Claude Killy nabbed his first World Championship win at Portillo in ‘66, kicking off his dominant downhill career and leading the French, who nearly swept the competition.
Italian Carlos Senoner poses with a teammate after winning the gold medal in slalom at the ‘66 World Championships.
Although Portillo fell under the ownership of two Americans, Purcell made sure to keep the Chilean culture a large part of the experience.
The pool has long withstood the test of time, since it was built prior to the 1966 World Championships, it’s first major event.
“At this time the World Cup hadn’t been thought up yet. Serge Lang being the principal behind the whole thing, wanted to put the WC together,” recalls Purcell.
Lang had been dreaming up this concept to help the people of the world better understand alpine skiing, a circuit that determined a winner by a point system, one that stopped in multiple countries in Europe. Once in Portillo, all the major players in ski racing had the chance to come together to hash out the details of the prospective competition circuit.
“We got all the coaches and federation people together and said ‘What do you think of this idea?’ We talked it over at the bar here at the hotel during the World Championships. By the time they left Portillo they had the whole thing planned out,” Purcell says.
The New Summer Training Hotspot
The U.S. Ski Team was one of the first teams to check out Portillo, and although their initial visit in 1965 turned out to be a disaster, they just kept coming back.
“The teams realized then that this was a great place. Since skiing became professional in those years they said you guys are going to have to be year-round professionals, can’t just do it for a few months in the winter and call it a year. So they began to come to South America to train,” explains Purcell.
The Norwegian and Austrian National teams also frequent Ski Portillo in the summer, while Slovenia has been known to grace the slopes in Chile from time to time as well.
The United States’ Daron Rahlves, three-time World Champ medalist, and Olympic silver and bronze medalist, jumps over a knoll while training downhill in September of 2005.
Austrian Alpine Ski Team athletes Hermann Maier, Benni Raich, Mario Matt, Klaus Kroell, and Mario Scheiber on the famous Roca Jack surface lift, loading up for a day of downhill training.
Bode Miller digs into his giant slalom turn during a 2005 September training session on the Plateau with the United State’s Ski Team.
“The difference between skiing in South America and Europe, especially Chile is for sure the high altitude there. You have to be very careful with your endurance,” says Austrian Olympic Gold Medalist, Hermann Maier, pictured here during an August training block in 2007.
“I love going to Portillo every year, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s so rare when you get full length, serious downhill training, so it’s so fun to be able to ski on that Roca Jack,” says the United States, Ted Ligety.
U.S. Alpine athletes Ryan Cochrane Siegle, Brennan Rubie, Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn, and Bryce Bennett watch Thomas Biesemeyer get the Super-G training started with a crash in 2016.
Part of Ski Portillo’s training appeal, is the absence of trees and potential obstacles around the downhill training course, making the venue a safer place to train than many of its competitors. Here Benjamin (Benni) Raich, trains giant slalom during a August block in 2007.
Olympic medalist and World Champion, Michael Walchhofer, takes a breather between training runs in 2007.
Part of the attraction to Ski Portillo for national teams is the challenging terrain that provides for great training in all disciplines, both technical and speed. Here, Ted Ligety rides the lift between slalom training runs in 2015.
Askel Lund Svindal, the Norwegian two-time Overall World Cup Champion, is another World Cup legend that frequented the slopes of Portillo prior to his retirement in 2019.
Not only is Portillo know for it’s legendary downhill training, it’s also know for the wide open lines that attract free skiers from across the globe. The United State’s Steven Nyman and his coach, Dane Spencer, hike into the backcountry to catch some of Portillo’s infamous fluff in the Super-C couloir above the hotel during September 2011.
Max Franz takes a few powder turns over the vista of Laguna del Inca (Inca Lake), when the snow was too heavy for training in August of 2013.
The United State’s Olympic gold medalist, Julia Mancuso, finds a way to enjoy Laguna del Inca during her free time in September 2012.
The Austrian National team frequently travels south to Portillo to train in the summers. According to coaches, the accessibility, service, runs, and snow make Portillo second to none when it comes to summer training for World Cup speed skiers. Pictured here is the 2007 National Team, featuring Hans Grugger, Mario Scheiber, Hermann Maier, Michael Walchhofer, Benjamin Raich, Mario Matt, Klaus Kroell, and Andreas Buder.
“She would go out and train and maybe first week some of the girls would be pushing her and then somewhere along the lines she decided she had enough and would put it in another gear and seconds would disappear just like that,” Purcell says of the American legend, Lindsey Vonn (then Lindsey Kildow), pictured here with Kaylin Richardson in 2007.
Not only does Portillo offer state of the art skiing, but their recreational facilities are also a great place for athlete’s to spend time focusing on their fitness, or bonding with teammates during downtime. Here Ted Ligety and Bode Miller take each other on during a team basketball game in 2013.
The 2011 United State’s men’s speed team enjoys their time off the slopes at the pool installed by Bob Purcell during his 1960s renovations.
Tommy Biesemeyer, Lindsey Vonn, Askel Lund Svindal, Bryce Bennett, Jared Goldberg, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle sit down to play a hand of cards in the living room after a long day of training in 2016.
Portillo Today
From two single chairlifts and one surface lift to 13 lifts that carry skiers all over 1,235 acres of skiable terrain in 2019, Ski Portillo has survived seven decades of existence and the heart of the Andes. As it celebrates its 70th anniversary, Ski Portillo has the honor of calling itself South America’s oldest ski resort.
Henry Purcell named the hotel bar Tio Bob’s as a tribute to his uncle Bob Purcell aka ‘Tio Bob’ and his habit for swooning guests through cocktails and big laughs. The apres ski tradition has prevailed in Portillo ever since the World Cup first originated at the bar during the ‘66 World Championships.
“We have tried to keep Portillo, especially the atmosphere here, the same as it always was – but at the same time try to modernize everything and make use of all the modern things that come in,” says Purcell. “It’s a never ending job because we finish snow making, then modernize lift structure, then back in the hotel modernizing that. But people like all the history on the walls so we’ve kept it.”
From starting as general manager at 26 in 1961 to becoming the owner when Uncle Bob called it quits, Henry Purcell is now 84-years-olds, and still skis every day. He remains a huge fan of the sport and continues to maintain Ski Portillo’s tradition as an ambient and comfortable space for anyone who comes to enjoy the Chilean Andes.
Photos courtesy of Johnathan Selkowitz Photography, Andreas Pranter for GEPA Pictures, Claire Brown, and Ski Portillo.
Born and raised in Metro-Detroit, Michigan, Mackenzie grew up ski racing all over the Mitten. She moved out west in search of mountains and attended the University of Oregon, where she achieved degrees in Journalism and Environmental Science. She raced USCSA and was captain of the UO Alpine Ski Team.
