Which do you like-- Portillo or Las Lenas?

**snowsprite** · 03-31-2004, 11:05 AM

For those of you who have been, which do you personally prefer and why? I'm in the process of deciding which is better.

Btw Roo, are you going this summer? Any others here going?

I'm trying to organize something w/ some friends. I have spoken w/ some tour agencies in SA, rates are sounding very good in either place. Spanish is my native language, so I think I'll be right at home there! Well, that and because there is a lot of snow too.

Sprite

**truth** · 03-31-2004, 11:24 AM

http://www.portillos.com/images/misc/portillos.jpg

**Shredhead** · 03-31-2004, 11:31 AM

Portillo is a lot easier to get too. LL has a lot more terrain and night life.

**flanker769** · 03-31-2004, 01:21 PM

Totally planning on putting together a crew of Canadians to hit up South America this Summer.
Haven't done much research as I'm hoping to just hook up and go where the majority of maggots are going.

**The AD** · 03-31-2004, 01:30 PM

I don't think I'm going to be able to go this summer, but the ski club at my work is organizing a trip to LL in August. It looks great.
http://www.skibacs.org/Trips/brochures/2004chile.pdf

Not exactly cheap, though.

EDIT: Oops, just realized the trip is to Valle Nevado, not Las Lenas.

**Buzzworthy** · 03-31-2004, 01:47 PM

Ok, back a while ago I was working with an Argentina Olympic skier from the 84 Calgary Olympics, Ignacio Birkner. His cousin, same last name is ripping it up in competition currently (I don't follow that).

Ignacio was telling me about a place called Ushuaia that he used to ski a lot. The place is called Glacier El Martial. In fact he said the French and German (I think) ski teams were down there close to the time of last years SA Summit.

It obviously does not have the vert though:

Ski Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela and Chile

I guess you can't really go that wrong if you are skiing in the middle of summer though in a different country.

**This End Up** · 03-31-2004, 01:59 PM

IMHO the food and wine (Malbec) are better on the Argentinian side, but that not why you're goin down there.

**dude_le_skibum** · 03-31-2004, 02:01 PM

the best ressource i have ever found and i based my first trip at

www.andesweb.com

if you are planning on a two weeks stay or something like that check out these guys they are the shit

www.powderquest.com

**Squirrel99** · 03-31-2004, 03:07 PM

Steep and deep be at Lenas. Marte is one bad biatch and challenges even the tram at the 'Hole for title of "provider of mass terrain"

**bad_roo** · 04-01-2004, 08:50 AM

I think I'm going to run dry of holiday leave this year.

**snowsprite** · 04-01-2004, 09:35 AM

What!? That's just unaccepatble Roo. Don't you live in Europe? You can't possibly run out of holiday time...

Sprite
(PS--I only get 10 days a year which explains my highly cynical and sometimes miserable demeanor

)

**bad_roo** · 04-01-2004, 09:37 AM

I had to re-read that last post. At first it scanned as "I only get it ten days a year..."

I could always come down with a bout of Goggletan Fever.

**snowsprite** · 04-01-2004, 09:43 AM

Originally posted by bad_roo
I had to re-read that last post. At first it scanned as "I only get it ten days a year..."

Perish the thought!

Sprite

**Hicks** · 04-01-2004, 11:54 AM

Originally posted by Buzzworthy
Ignacio was telling me about a place called Ushuaia that he used to ski a lot.

I got some actual infos out of a skiing mag on that one-will pass it on shortly.

**Cornholio** · 04-01-2004, 12:50 PM

Originally posted by snowsprite
Perish the thought!

Sprite

You have to admit that that, too, could account for a highly cynical and sometimes miserable demeanor.

**Hicks** · 04-03-2004, 04:44 AM

Originally posted by Hicks
I got some actual infos out of a skiing mag on that one-will pass it on shortly.

The place close to Ushuaia is called Cerro Castor, got 4 chair lifts, elevation between 300-1000m. Lift ticket €23 a day, season from June to October. Supposed to have huge BC potential but many runs still end in the bushes with long hikes out. Still got high rankings in the magazine. Getting there seems to be quite a bit of a trip, it is located in the far South of Argentina.

**Phil** · 04-03-2004, 08:37 AM

Damn I had some sweet pics of cerro castor and B.C. I can't find em right now but I'm looking hard...

I say unlimited back country with ocean view. Rad lines too. Definitly high on the priority list. Might be headed down there september...weather depending.

Problem is sometimes the face shots block the said view.

Cheap and deep Argentino style.

Corhhole : Don't let the bastards grind ya down man.

**Minotauro** · 04-15-2004, 06:43 PM

Hi, I am an Argentinian skier who has also skied in USA.

My advise:

a. Dont go to Castor. It is good and has plenty of snow, and I go there in emergencies (for ex, dry winter, no snow at the rest of the resorts). Not steep at all, it's great for beginners. Darker, as the trails dont face the sun.

b. On the contrary, iIf you come down here, go to Valle Nevado, Las Leñas or Bariloche (Catedral).

c. Portillo is also OK but smaller. Chilean resorts are of better quality than Argentinean in terms of lifts, hotels, etc. However, skiing is better in Las Leñas and VN, though.

d. Argentina prices are half of Chile prices.

e. It may be like comparing Colorado to Utah. Colorado resorts such as Vail, Beaver Creek are better off, richer, fancier, more expensive. Utah is simpler... but in my opinion it has better skiing and snow. Chile would be Colorado and Argentina would be Utah. The ones loving food and wine as much as skiing and no budget constraints should take Valle Nevado or Portillo.

f. Las Leñas has better nightlife and is probably the most challenging.

g. Portillo is probably the most expensive of all.

h. VN and P have better access. Bariloche is also OK.

i. Bariloche has by far the best scenery of all of them.

j. Less lift lines in Chile than in Argentina.

k. VN is bigger if you add La Parva and Farellones (you can buy the ticket for all of them).

Tough decision. Choose anyone of them, you won't miss.

**Lone Star** · 04-15-2004, 07:56 PM

Minotauro, thanks for the good information! Hope to see your posts more often.

**Minotauro** · 04-19-2004, 12:52 PM

I have just registered: ask about SA skiing and I will try to answer whenever I can check this forum.

**kinetic** · 04-19-2004, 01:39 PM

i asked something similar on epicski.com but with valle nevado vs. las lenas...

http://www.epicski.com/cgi-bin/ultim...;f=17;t=002473

and this was a good site for reviews too:

http://www.goski.com/portillo_review.htm

getting to las lenas seems like a trek... as opposed to landing in santiago and having portillo/las lenas so close to the city and definitely a city worth visiting from what i've heard. it's all pretty expensive imo but it's the airfare that is the killer. cheapest i can find is around 650.

i still don't get why there isn't as much buzz about valle nevado since it's so much larger than portillo and lenas.

**snowsprite** · 04-19-2004, 01:52 PM

Minotauro...I'm curious about this too. Does Valle Nevado have less reliable snow? What kind of a resort is it in terms of type of trails/type of skier it attracts?
Thanks (and welcome!)

Sprite

**snorkeldeep** · 04-19-2004, 02:22 PM

with any luck, ill be down in sa somewhere this summer for the first time. hoping to find some mags going and meet up down there for some turns.. touring.. and whatever. still undecided as to where im going as i havent been anywhere quite yet.. but looking forward to it.

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**Minotauro** · 04-20-2004, 08:53 AM

VN has indeed better access than all of the rest. You fly to Santiago and from there you have an hour and a half of mountain route. As for Portillo, you have 4.5 hours from Santiago.

Las Leñas is far from Buenos Aires, but you can take a plane to Maralgue from Buenos Aires (1.5 hours from there) , or to Mendoza from Santiago and then a 5/6 hours bus travel to LL. I dont know about airfares, when I go to LL I take a 14 hours bed bus (it travels at night) which is the cheapest way to get there. From Buenos Aires (where I live) when I go to VN I fly to Santiago.

VN is the biggest of SA IF you only ski trails and you add La Parva and Farellones (for example, you will have VN one week lift ticket, then take 2 days La Parva ticket and 1 day Farellones ticket, so you will be able to navigate all the trails.

LL is usually loved by the expert international skier. It is the biggest and best ifyou ski offpiste, out of bounds, it is more extreme, you can ski between rocks, in steep offpiste, snowcat, etc, etc. All these features and trails you wont see in the maps of the resort site. You just have to sign once an own responsaibility act, and you may cross the borders.