Chile's Portillo Extends Season After Most Snowfall in 50 Years
Chile's Portillo Extends Season After Most Snowfall in 50 Years
Published : 20-Aug-2026 07:02
The famous South American ski resort of Portillo in Chile has announced a two week extension of its 2026 season to Oct. 11, pushing back its original late September closing date.
The centre says the move is thanks to its biggest snowfall in 50 years, accumulating over 8 metres (25 feet) of snow since July 14.
Although all that snow is good news for the rest of the season, it has caused challenges for Portillo in running their business. Access roads in and out of the resort were closed for nearly four weeks straight by the snow and resulting dangers.
And before the snow arrived Portillo had had to delay its planned season start in June for several weeks into July as, ironically, there was too little snow. It was then only open a fortnight before the snowfall shut it down again.
Now most slopes are open and snow depths are among the current deepest in the world at nearly 3 metres.
As an added incentive, the resort is offering visitors a 20% discount on standard low-season rates, when booking three- or four-night mini-weeks or full seven-day ski weeks from Sept. 29 - Oct. 11, 2026.
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