History of Skiing in Chile
Getting from point A to point B in the rugged Andes was a cinch in
summer. Come winter, though, deep snow, howling winds and massive
mountain passes meant going anywhere east or west was nearly
impossible. Skiing in South America was a necessity before it was
considered a pleasure. On both sides of the imposing Andes Mountains,
skis were first strapped on by explorers, engineers and military
trainees attempting to travel across treacherous mountain terrain, to
colonize remote valleys and to guard both sides of the border.
Portillo, the first ski resort in Chile, and Catedral, the first one in
Argentina, were created by visionary immigrants who had a sense of the
adventure potential of the amazing Andes.
Picture the poor guys laying the railway tracks beneath the tall
Andes. Working in the freezing snow 3,810 m above sea level, in
knee-deep snow. When their European bosses suggested strapping on
wooden boards so they could head back to the work camp faster, they
must have been intimidated. But after a few quick lessons on the basics
of skiing, the wooden boards surely made life even a little bit more
fun. When eager athletic types from Santiago joined them for winter
weekend ski trips, the essential became an indulgence.
Isolated from the rest of the world by the Andes, with a long
coastline, Chile had little reason to attempt mountain travel until the
Trans-Andean railway was built in the early 1900s, connecting
Valparaiso near Santiago with Mendoza, Argentina. The tall peaks that
formed the country’s western border were simply seen as too large and
too difficult to explore. When it opened in 1910, the railway crossed
the highest mountains in the world outside the Himalaya, and changed
the way Chilean saw the snowy peaks. Travelling on skis proved the only
way for workers (led by English and Norwegian engineers who’d brought
their boards over from Europe) to make the Uspallata Pass, not far from
what is now Portillo resort. Skis were necessary for transportation
before they became a source of fun.
Portillo
The new sport introduced by European railway engineers caught on in
Santiago, particularly amongst social clubs of Europeans who
established a company, Hoteles de Cordillera S.A. that would build a
hotel just west of the Uspallata Pass. The first chair lift went up at
Portillo in 1946, making it the first in South America. The resort
opened in 1949, and was an instant hit with Chileans from Santiago. The
resort was purchased by Americans Bob Purcell and Dick Aldrich in 1962,
and hosted the World Alpine Ski Championships in 1966, drawing
world-wide attention. In 1987, Michael Prufer broke the record for
speed descent at Portillo, clocking 217.68 km per hour.
Since then, other ski resorts have opened up and down the Chilean
Andes, including Termas de Chillán in the 1970s and La Parva, El
Colorado and Valle Nevado in the 1980s.
About the Author:
David Owen, owner and guide for PowderQuest tours, has been hooked on
skiing and snowboarding since stepping into a pair of skis back in
1976. David now lives in Pucon, Chile and invites you to Ski Chile with PowderQuest
