SKI PORTILLO SEASON BEGINS WITH NEARLY FIVE FEET OF SNOW
Season Runs from June 20 to October 3, 2009
Portillo, Chile (June 24, 2009) – The South American ski season has officially begun with an impressive number of early season storms, dropping nearly five feet of fresh snow on Ski Portillo, South America’s most historic resort.
The 2009 Portillo season runs from June 20 – Oct. 3, 2009, and ski week prices have been kept at 2008 levels, starting at US$890 at the Octagon Lodge or US$1,450 at the grand Hotel Portillo. Saturday-to-Saturday ski weeks include seven nights’ accommodations, four meals a day, seven-day lift tickets and access to Portillo’s amenities and entertainment.
For information or to book a vacation to Portillo (including flights), call toll-free from the U.S. and Canada 1.800.829.5325 or email reservas@skiportillo.com. For more information, visit www.skiportillo.com.
Located on the edge of the Laguna del Inca and surrounded by 19,000-foot Andean peaks, Portillo combines breathtaking scenery, a unique old-world hotel experience and epic skiing and snowboarding, delivering a memory-filled vacation for families, groups of friends, couples or singles.
The Purcell family of New York, who have owned and operated Portillo for more than 50 years, have resisted condo development and preserved the classic, original elements of the resort, including a casually elegant and comfortable hotel design and the renowned guest experience, which is personally delivered by the warm Chilean staff (who outnumber guests two to one).
Portillo accommodates only 450 guests a week and has vast terrain serviced by 14 lifts, making lift lines non-existent and the slopes crowd-free. Guests come for Saturday-to-Saturday ski weeks and get to know one another as they share the slopes and the wide variety of hotel après-ski activities. As other resorts grow bigger and more impersonal, Portillo remains a haven for skiers and snowboarders looking for relief from the world’s troubles and sprawl.
Following are special weeks for the 2009 season:
FOOD & WINE WEEKS
Eighth Annual Wine Week: Aug. 1 – 8, 2009
A favorite of wine aficionados, Portillo’s eighth annual Wine Week features a different Chilean vineyard every day, each personally presented by the winemakers. Special events include a Peruvian afternoon at Tio Bob’s mountain restaurant and a special Sol de Portillo ski race. There is no additional charge for guests.
Chile Festival: Aug. 8 – 15, 2009
Join Portillo in celebrating the culture, food, wine and art of the bountiful country of Chile. Highlights incorporate a dinner menu focusing on Chile’s unique seafood, including lunch menus with Chilean comfort foods like empanadas, sausage completes and stews; additional highlights include a Chilean wine tasting, an Atacama desert night from Portillo’s sister resort Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa, a Chilean Fashion show, a Chilean artisan fair and a Chilean film festival. As a special offer, guests booking from North America and the UK receive a complimentary night at thewww.skiportillo.com or email reservas@skiportillo.com or call toll-free from North America, 1.800.829.5325.
