Portillo, Chile has been a travel destination since steam trains brought tourists high into the Andes in the late 1800’s. The bright yellow hotel, sitting close to the Argentine border crossing, has seen ski history unfold as early ski legends like Stein Erickson then Warren Miller, all the great national ski teams, and big mountain royalty, as well as regular guests, come to ski and enjoy the unique camaraderie of the remote location.

My father and I arrived at Portillo Hotel on a Saturday in July amid full blown arrivals and departures chaos in the chalet style hotel lobby which felt more reminiscent of summer camp than anything we had ever seen at a ski resort.