ArcticTropic flies by Cerro Aconcagua, 22841 ft , 6962m, the highest mountain in the Western HemisphereLast Friday,February 3, ArcticTropic was returning to Chile after business meetings in Argentina. The Mendoza to Santiago flight was on a midsummer’s day. One can see the Argentina – Chile border post on the highway below, then Portillo Ski area in Chile, beside the bright blue Lago de Las Incas.
Arctictropic Blog
Archive for the 'Ski' Category
Highest Mountain in the Western Hemisphere
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012ArcticTropic on NY1 TV
Monday, July 18th, 2011
Valarie D’Elia - the Travel Reporter for NY 1 – New York City’s 24/7 All News Station is airing a summer travel feature – “ Warm Up To Cool Ideas For Extreme Temperature Travel ” Along with great clips from Havana, Iceland and New York State is footage shot by ArcticTropic while skiing at Portillo,Chile last August. Portillo is the premier ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere – now enjoying 27 inches of fresh powder that fell over the weekend. Be sure also to check out Valarie’s site – Travel With Val – for the best travel deals all over the world.
Portillo – Ski Paradise of the Far South
Friday, September 24th, 2010
Portillo is soon to wind down the Winter 2010 Season. Arctic Tropic’s recent trip there, 3 weeks ago, was nothing short of amazing!
LAN 501 from MIA to SCL was a comfortable 8-hour flight. After exiting customs, a driver from Portillo met us and took our luggage. Two hours later, after a 10,000 foot climb up the Andes, we arrived at the Hotel Portillo. One hour later, we were on the slopes.
Portillo is almost like a private resort. The hotel usually has about 400 guests. Since there is no other accommodation in the area it seems there are never more than 200 or 300 people on the entire mountain at any given time. On weekends, perhaps 100 more skiers arrive from Santiago for the day. The longest line we ever encountered was a group of 5 people. It is very common to be able to ski or snowboard down the mountains by oneself.
Juncalillo Run – 10 AM.
Va I Venti lifts are unique to Portillo and get expert skiers up the mountain in minutes.
Skiing down El Plateau.
Lunch at Tio’s Bob’s !
ArcticTropic was part of a press group and we had the opportunity to sit down with the owner, Henry Purcell at teatime one day. The Purcell family, originally from the United States, has owned the hotel and resort for over 50 years. A very interesting history can be read HERE.
Après – ski is relaxing and very social. First, a bone –warming soak in the outdoor pools and hot tubs heated to 38 C.
Dinner, like all meals, is included in the one-week package, along with accommodation and lift tickets. There is no need to carry cash. One simply gives their room number if asked, or signs for extras, such as drinks.
Many of the staff have worked at Portillo for 20 to 30 years and greet their guests by name when they return each season.
After dinner a lively crowd gathers at the bar, with different bands every night. For the late night crowd, there is a disco that opens at Midnight. Roaring fireplaces keep all the public rooms warm.
At night the hotel almost has the feeling of a ship, -far away from civilization under the bright cold Andean sky full of the Southern Stars.
ArcticTropic will have regular updates from Portillo during the off-season and lots of news before next season’s opening in June ,2011. Updates are always available on the Portillo Website.
Live Downhill Racing From Portillo !
Saturday, September 4th, 2010On the last run of the day, one of ArcticTropic‘s skilled videographers shot this excellent downhill footage while skiing.
The Chilean Flag waves proudly over the Andes.
Downhill in Portillo.
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
Yesterday was frigid and snowy. Here, racers practice for an upcoming race. Today is bright and sunny. ArcticTropic will have some great shots by evening in this time zone.
Sunrise in Portillo this morning.
On The Slopes- Portillo
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010Yesterday, Portillo was cold and windy- the temperature never rose above freezing and went as low as 19 ( F) -8 ( C). Many of the upper slopes remained closed. As of this posting it is snowing again.
El Plateau.
Hot water to sooth skiers at day’s end.
Just after sunset – about 6:30 PM.
Winter Wonderland !
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010ArcticTropic is now on location in Portillo, Chile !We arrived yesterday after a great overnight flight on LAN Airlines. Action shots and videos will be posted later today.
Ski Adventure In Portillo
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
Next Monday night, August 30th, ArcticTropic will board a LAN Airlines flight from Miami to Santiago.The flight will transition from a hot steamy night at MIA to a sparkling winter morning in SCL, 8 hours later. After clearing customs, we’ll board a van to Portillo, Ski Capital of South America !
LAN has brand new planes, comfortable seats, multiple entertainment choices and complimentary cocktails.
From New York or Miami – one can board a night flight and be on the slopes by lunchtime the next day.
This week the forecast calls for optimum late winter conditions – bright sunshine,mild temperatures ( though very cold at night ) and packed powder snow. ArcticTropic will have periodic updates before next week’s departure.
ArcticTropic on The Today Show !
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
This morning, July 21,2010 , ArcticTropic will be featured on the Today Show at 9:36 AM EDT, replaying hourly across the US Time Zones. Valarie d”Elia, the Today Show’s Travel Expert will be speaking about “Cool Summer Getaways”. This summer’s record heat in the Northeast has many people thinking about skiing already. Thanks to overnight flights to Santiago, Chile , and a quick ride to Portillo – the premier Ski Resort in South America – there’s no need to wait for the next Northern Hemisphere winter.
Four and a half million people will be watching at that hour. Many thousands of interested, qualified leads will visit ArcticTropic for the first time.
Valarie is an expert travel commentator who appears on national and local media outlets including NBC’s Today Show, CNBC, Fox News and The Early Show on CBS. She is also a featured speaker at the New York Times Travel Show and makes numerous other public appearances. Every weekend, Valarie is heard fielding listeners’ questions as the host of The Travel Show on the WOR Radio Network.
On television, she is also seen as the travel correspondent for NY1 News with her featured segments, Travel with Val.
Editor’s NOTE : Due to time constraints the segment did not air.
New Zealand
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009The country that bought you bungee jumping now presents the ZORB – a new way to bounce unimpeded down a hill.
Except for Antarctica, New Zealand is as far as one can travel from Europe or North America. Nowhere else in the world does such dramatic Alpine scenery meet South Pacific panoramas. Heliskiing, snowboarding, and surfing can all be done on the same day.
ArcticTropic currently l links to 3 Kiwi destinations, with room for many more. Visit the New Zealand link HERE.