Ski Portillo Chile, Part 2: Why This Boutique Ski Resort Feels So Different

Inside the Portillo, Chile ski experience—from daily life and family-friendly lodging to what makes this independent resort so unique.

And for our Ski Moms community, there’s a little added bonus:

Enjoy 10% off your stay for bookings between June 20 and August 1 by emailing reservations@skiportillo.com and mentioning SKIMOMS.

Last week, we covered how to plan a trip to Portillo. In this episode, we’re getting to the heart of it: what makes this iconic Chilean ski resort feel so different once you arrive.

We’re joined by Ellen Guidara, who serves on the board of Portillo and previously led its marketing. From arriving as a young ski instructor after Middlebury to returning after an 11-year career at Disney, Ellen brings a rare, personal perspective on the resort’s evolution and enduring magic.

Recorded over tea at Portillo, this conversation explores the rhythm, traditions, and intentional choices that define the experience—from shared tables and afternoon tea to remaining independent in a world of mega passes.

If you’re curious about what keeps families coming back year after year, this episode brings that feeling to life.

In This Episode:

•  Why Portillo has stayed independent (no Epic or Ikon) 
•  The all-inclusive rhythm that makes the week feel effortless 
•  How shared meals and traditions create real community 
•  Family weeks vs. August’s more social energy 
•  The realities of running a remote ski resort in the Andes 

Planning a Trip?

We’re partnering with Portillo this month to share more tips, guides, and behind-the-scenes.

Follow along on Instagram @theskimoms and subscribe to the newsletter for more.

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Opening June 20, Portillo Chile is one of the most iconic ski destinations in the world—gorgeous, uncrowded, and incredibly easy for families since everything’s right on-site.

Ski Moms listeners get 10% off stays from June 20 to August 1.

Email reservations@skiportillo.com and mention SKIMOMS.

Celebrate your love of the laid-back ski life. Shop cozy gear made for the mellow skier:
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Transcript

Speaker A: Welcome back to the Ski Moms Podcast. It's season five and we're hitting the slopes. We're sharing real, unfiltered stories of motherhood on the snow. From conquering the bunny hill with toddlers to squeezing in your own powder days, this season celebrates every type of ski mom.

Thanks for joining us. We've got a great season lined up and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Hey, ski moms. I'm still going strong here in Vermont and I just got off the slopes today,

but for many of you, your ski season has come to an end and you're still wanting more. That's why we're onto week two of highlighting Portillo.

Last week we talked all things logistics, how to actually plan your trip, what to expect and why it's so worth the journey. But today we're shifting gears a little because Portillo is more than just a place you go.

It is a feeling and an experience.

So we're talking about a little bit more of the romantic and the adventure side of it. If you've ever wondered what makes a ski resort truly unforgettable, the kind of places where families go year after year, where friendships form over long tees and time spent on the ski lift,

well, this is just for you.

We're revisiting our conversation with Ellen Guidara, who has a deep personal history with Portillo.

From arriving as a young ski instructor just out of Middlebury to a career that included over a decade at Disney and ultimately returning to help shape Portillo into it is today.

Ellen brings both heart and perspective to this conversation.

We recorded this episode over tea at her beautiful house overlooking the lake.

It is an episode that really is evocative and just puts me back into that special experience of skiing Portillo.

It is independent, it's small, and it's deeply personal. We talk about the rhythm of the season,

from family filled weeks to more grown up memories that could be made in August when the powder is absolutely dumping down,

and how Portillo manages to feel both lively, think live music and peace coast hours on the deck,

as well as intimate those quiet moments where you can be reading a book quietly in the gorgeous library. We also get into the realities of of running a remote ski resort in the Andes and why that challenge is part of what makes this experience so special.

And of course, we touch on the details that make a trip here really memorable, from staying in the Octagon or Inca Lodge with kids to afternoons at Tio Bob's that turn into the stuff of legends.

So if you're dreaming about a summer ski trip that feels a little more connected, this episode is for you. And be sure to listen to the very end of the podcast.

That is where I give my top insider tips for. For your summer trip to Portillo. Enjoy the episode, and be sure to listen to the very end. Hey, ski moms.

This is a special episode. Sarah had to sit this one out, but I want to share this conversation I had over tea at Portillo with Ellen Guidara. She is.

Oversees the marketing, is on the board at the Portillo ski resort. It's incredibly special,

and I try to capture a little bit of its essence in her time there and what led her to this resort in this conversation.

So we've recorded it in the summer, and I want to share it with you now. We have another Portillo episode that you should definitely check out that has more of the nuts and bolts of planning the trip.

But this is about Ellen's history,

her present, and just how incredibly special Portillo is. So enjoy. And Sarah and I will be back together in the podcast booth very soon.

You learned to ski in Wisconsin?

Speaker B: Minnesota.

Speaker A: Minnesota.

Speaker B: Okay. My. My dad was from Long island and my mom was from Boston. They moved to Minnesota when I was in third grade and we started skiing. That's when they started and when I started.

Okay.

Speaker A: So everybody is as a family.

Speaker B: It was our family sport. Yeah.

Speaker A: Excellent.

Speaker B: Yeah, it was really great. So I do know the family thing, you know, and for my family, I'm. We have. I'm one of seven and my parents. Yeah. Okay.

Speaker A: It's a lot to afford skiing. I guess things just got passed down. Like, once you outgrew a boot, it went to the next kid and then.

Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Luckily, I was one of the older ones.

Yeah. So we moved there, and that was what they did with us. Like, okay, we're going to learn to ski.

And our family would ski every weekend,

and I would go with my dad weeknights sometimes because he became a fanatic. He loved to ski. And, yeah, my mom was busy because there were a lot of kids, so I'd go skiing.

So we skied a lot, but I never. I never raced at that time.

Speaker A: Were you at Buck Hill or were you at.

Speaker B: So my. I went to high school with.

Do you know the Stone family? They're the owners of Bucket. So Cindy Stone was one of my best friends, and she was already really good. And I.

I don't know about you. I had done gymnastics, and I knew that to be, like,

really good, you had to start when you're about 7, so I'm like in 10th or 11th grade, and I already think I'm too old to be a racer. We. We skied at a little place that doesn't exist anymore for the first year.

So then we along. We'd get seasons passes to Trollhagen.

Speaker A: Well, you must have gotten the bug strongly for skiing at some point to be able to. Want to come to spend your summer in the snow.

Speaker B: So even though I didn't race, I was a very good skier. Really strong. I guess gymnastics helped there.

And more of a bump skier, not really a carver.

So I went to school in Colorado State the first two years, and I did go out for the ski team there. Nice. And, yeah, I wasn't really very good, but started to learn about racing and, you know, carving a little bit.

And then I transferred to Middlebury,

and at Middlebury, they already had such a good team, so I went on the ski school.

So, you know, skiing was part of my life since we started as a family.

And so at Middlebury, I was on the ski school.

And,

you know, I heard about Portillo and thought that sounds fun. And so I.

And I had seen a picture of it in my, like, seventh grade Spanish book.

But anyway, there had been a picture that I remembered because it was skiing in South America. Right. But I heard about this, that the Sugarbush Ski School at that time in the year 1980,

was the ski school that would come to Port Dieu. So I went and applied for a job with Siggy Grotendorfer, who was the director then.

And I drove over there, and they. I think they thought since I was going to Middlebury that I was really good at Spanish if I was an ecom major. So I really wasn't.

I was taking French.

Speaker A: Yeah. They really are known for their language programs here.

Speaker B: So anyway, I got the job, and a week after I graduated, I came here.

Speaker A: Wow.

Speaker B: Instructor. Yeah. It was really incredible.

Speaker A: That's a really big leap for somebody that young. And it's always adventurous.

Speaker B: I had taken a year off between CSU and Middlebury and went to Europe.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: They had already gone all over Europe, and now Middlebury was ending. I didn't know what to do.

And I heard about that. Hey, why not?

And it was just one season. I just only did one season here and then traveled around in South America after and got home for Christmas. And then I went and worked at Sugar Bush from.

I think I probably showed up after, like, New Year's Day, after New Year's, and stayed till the end of the season. That season. So I had one year of being instructor, and then I joined the real world.

Speaker A: Yeah. And then did you pick up a lot of Spanish in that year that you were here and traveling?

Speaker B: Well, the way it works is, like, you do learn the ski instructions, but Spanish.

Speaker A: Yeah. Derecho.

Speaker B: Yeah.

And pujetus talones.

Yeah. So I did. I learned more,

probably. Probably. I mean, I didn't come home fluent or anything, but I did used to think it was sort of funny. I mean, I was only 22. Right. So. And at the beginning of the season, I.

And the other, there were six women and the rest were men. And at the beginning.

No, sorry, there were eight women. We were divided into two rooms of four.

And at the beginning,

we taught kids,

and the men taught the adults. Right.

But you can. It would have been like, now there were a lot of kids, so it made sense, too.

But during that time, I'm teaching the kids, you know,

it was. I, I. I started to do a thing where I'd be going up the lift, you know, like, you could teach them the skiing in Spanish really well. But then you're going up the lift, and the conversation was a little trickier.

And I'd say something like, mia buela tieri una maquina.

My grandmother has a machine just to say that, to see what they would. And they. It was just so funny. They'd, like, look at me like, oh, my God,

what is she talking about?

Speaker A: And so I always loved the kind of.

Speaker B: To pull it non sequitur on those little kids. It was really cute. That was, like, incredibly fun, actually.

Speaker A: B.

Speaker B: School life was ridiculous. I mean, you know, I was pretty innocent when I came here. And the other instructors, they always have been a professional ski school. So I was, like, the lowest,

right. I was thinking about coming back for a second season,

but at the same time,

I had interviewed for a job with a congressman from Minnesota.

And my mom being a mom, you know, since this is a mom's thing,

I got mom'd because the phone call came. You know, it was when the phone's in the kitchen on the wall, right? And I'm in the kitchen, and it's.

It's the congressman's office,

and they're offering me a job, right? And I. And I'm still waiting to hear a little bit about coming back to Portillo.

And my mother is like, she knows that it's the congressman. I'm getting a job offer, right. And she also knows I am being pulled to go back to that. And she's like, you know, just like the eyeballs.

Speaker A: Are you crazy?

Speaker B: Yeah. I don't know.

So I took that job and it was fabulous. I mean, that really, that. That was the bend in the road that led to my life, really. I mean,

it all adds up, right? But that, that was really good. So I went and I worked for three years for this great moderate congressman. He was a Republican, but sort of like the first George Bush.

They were friends. I mean, it was. He was a lot like that sort of moderate, center Republican and a great. A really good man. His name was Bill Frenzel. He wasn't well known.

He always liked to say, there are workhorses and show horses.

So.

And I got to do.

I was the first of three new people who showed up.

And so I got to pick my assignments first, and I picked the Budget Committee, which probably he had in mind for, you know, the guy who was coming two weeks later.

But I got it and it was. That was really amazing. I mean, Ronald Reagan was president and Bill Frenzel was like the number two Republican on the Budget Committee.

And then I applied to business school. I went to Harvard Business School, but when I got in, then took another job for a few months in Massachusetts working on a Senate campaign for Elliot Richardson.

I think they liked that I had taught skiing in Chile, you know,

and that was a whole essay I wrote about teaching skiing and being ambassador and, you know, taking care of guests and blah, blah, blah.

Speaker A: Yeah. And I think there. I don't know what it is now. It's probably still not even 50, 50 women, but.

Speaker B: No, it's not.

Speaker A: I think that you were a very interesting case.

Speaker B: I think so.

Speaker A: And really added to the conversation there.

Speaker B: But I think I. I was a unique customer.

Speaker A: And I do. I think that from my understanding, you know, Harvard is a real. It's not necessarily like one of the more entrepreneurial business schools. It's not necessarily more. One of the.

More like finance oriented. You can really find your passion and your people there.

Speaker B: That mound that you see there, the low mound, you know, the sort of the gumdrop mound. The top of that, we call it the chapel.

And that's like. That's where Henry's in my ashes that we're gonna put them. It's where you have a view of the Tres Hermanos, the hotel, the lake.

Speaker A: It's.

Speaker B: It's very beautiful. I opened the office for Disney in India.

Speaker A: So after business school you took a job with Disney.

Speaker B: Yeah, I went to Disney, moved to California. So I was doing licensing, and I did that three years and Then I moved to Hong Kong, and Disney at that time was internalizing, taking back its own offices because Walt had done the deal with like,

Franchise. And so I lived in Hong Kong for just about three years and then moved to India and opened our Disney office there. And then I went back to Burbank for three more years.

So I was at Disney altogether 11 years. Wow.

Speaker A: So this is the smallest business you've been associated with.

Speaker B: Yeah, it was a real change because I came from corporate,

lots of meetings, lots of standard operating procedure type of things,

and had learned a lot.

So I came here in 97 full time and I joined the company and did the marketing for Portillo. And so that change was really big. I mean, the biggest, hardest part was I didn't have a secretary anymore.

And, you know, you don't have an IT department,

so anything with the computer,

somebody,

it was more difficult. And all those, all the support that you get from a corporation we didn't have then.

Speaker A: I just don't notice a lot of computers around.

It seems to be, you know, a lot of the communication is done person to person, and then maybe they take something back to an office. You know, even, you know, Katie was basically, when she's signing the students in in the morning, she was working off paper.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And then the ladies in the spa were, you know, writing things in notebooks. And the front desk is, you know, you're looking people in the eye. There's not. I don't know if you noticed that, but a lot of hotels now you're looking at a screen.

Uh, it's kind of between you and the person checking you in. It's a very different. You sort of get the tone immediately at Portillo, because you're right, talking to a person almost immediately.

Speaker B: I think that that's what's really different about Portillo is that we are not big corporate. We don't want to be, and we're not. And like I told you the other day, we said no to Epic Pass and we said no to Icon Pass because that's not who we are.

And that was, what, 10 years ago that, I mean, we were one of the first ones that Vail was coming after to join Epic Pass so that they could be all calendar year skiing.

And we just knew it wasn't who we are or who our guests want us to be. And so we really stick to that. I think that's the message that I really want to pass on to you is you asked about, you know, our long term plans, and what we want to say is Just that we want to keep doing what we're doing and just do it,

keep doing it really well because the market for what we offer is growing and these big corporate ski areas are facing issues of crowds and that impersonality. Like, we're not.

You're not anonymous here.

You've probably met a lot of our other guests, right?

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah. And so you become part of the show. Right. It's a week and you become part of it, and we get to see who's who and know what's going on. We sit at that table where we can see the people coming into the dining room and you can get a feel if they're happy or they're not happy.

You can see if somebody's angry and then find out why and get that fixed.

So, I mean, that's really different. We want to keep doing.

Doing it the way we are. We're a boutique, we're small,

we're special.

And yet,

on the other hand, we gotta keep investing in the quality and the decor and the facilities.

Speaker A: And I feel, of course, a little entitled saying this, but it is really affordable with what you get.

Speaker B: Don't you think so?

Speaker A: Absolutely. I mean, David and I were talking about the. The pricing structure and, you know, we, we've certainly added things like we bought a bottle of wine and, you know, lunch and T Bobs and all of these things.

They're, you know, gonna add an extra portion to the bill, but it's incredibly affordable. You have the, the plane ticket, you know, for.

Speaker B: Right. That's expensive.

Speaker A: But I do think from, from a lot of the Americans we've talked to down here, they're, they're, they're combining it with Machu Picchu,

or they're combining it with going to see something in Patagonia, or they're. They're doing something else in. So the. That big flight.

They're kind of rationalizing that by saying we're going to go to two destinations in South America.

Speaker B: But that's,

that's interesting, actually,

because in August, when we have so many Americans, it's mostly American.

Those that. Then you get a lot of. A surprising number of people just come just for this.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: But,

like, I think that that whole pricing thing is sort of interesting because what.

Our family runs this business. Right. I'm on the board. I'm not doing the marketing anymore. I just did it for three years. But I'm always like, I'm sort of the one who looks over the marketing.

Or if there's something that we'd like, we like let's say bird flu happens and we lose all of Brazil because they're afraid of, they're more sensitive and that kind of thing.

Um, and now you have to go get the Americans or the Argentine that then all of a sudden I have a lot of work.

Speaker A: But what do you think are the projects you are most passionate about or the fast exhibits?

Speaker B: Yeah, I think the thing I'm really best at is being one of the people who receives the guests. You know, I talk to everybody and all right, I'm good at that when I do it.

I think what I'm most passionate about is,

is the quality maintaining this place,

making, getting the word out to people,

keeping it special.

I have completely bought into the plan of that. This is a unique ski area and we are offering something. But like what we really want to do is see people having really good vacation and that's what we sell our vacations.

It's a ski vacation here. And so I'm, I, I'm, I am a marketer, so I'm about the communicating of it. I find truth, beauty and authenticity super important. And I think that's what we are.

And I'm really proud of that. And I just, we all, our whole team is on board with it. So it's kind of not even that hard to do because we like what we do.

Speaker A: Yeah, you can tell that.

Speaker B: But apart from that, I don't know, like the things about running the lifts and stuff, I mean, I'll participate in those decisions, but that's more,

that's not my area so much.

Speaker A: It doesn't seem like you, Henry, Miguel or Tim and any really compare yourself to any of the other resorts in Chile, number one or really anything in North America. So you're a real one of a unicorn.

Speaker B: We're a very unique place.

So when I first came here to do the marketing and started doing marketing here,

you know, the first thing you do is what are the comparables? So I start looking at comparables. There really aren't comparables. You look for it and you could come up with maybe the Rustler or the Alta Lodge.

In Alta, that's about the closest thing there are.

You know, places like Aspen, Jackson Hole, Ulta. Those are a little more organicky of the bigger ski areas, sort of a little more similar to us.

So we do work with them, but, but I think that we are a completely separate, unique place.

Maybe a little bit, maybe a little

Speaker A: bit, you know, like the Tio Bob's vibe. You would find that in San Moritz and you would find A lot of families you would find, you know, very similar. The happy kids playing in snow.

And it's very family friendly.

Speaker B: So that's definitely. But you're seeing Portillo in a family time and you come back in August and you don't see all the kids, you see all the adults. And that, that's when the bar's on fire.

And, you know, and each week actually has its own personality. I think the family is really the family weeks like we have right now with the little kids, it's really kind of nice.

Well, the powder comes and goes sometimes. These weeks are great powder. And if you're lucky enough to get that, you're really lucky because the Brazilians and Argentines don't ski it.

No. So you have the whole thing. Yeah, powder, powder, powder.

Speaker A: Yeah. And we've not like the. The bits of off piste that we've done. Nobody's in there.

Speaker B: No one's in there.

Speaker A: When you are hiring for,

obviously for some somebody's role, like Katie, who's your. Your head of ski school. And I had a really nice chat with her.

Really forward, front facing position. You know, she's meeting literally hundreds of people every day and they're rushing around, they're maybe nervous about their kids.

I know you were looking for a certain certification level, but what are some of the kind of intangibles when you're looking for somebody to work here?

Speaker B: Well,

obviously getting along with people. And in Katie's case, what we like about her is that she does get along with people, but she's also a good leader,

you know, and that's not an easy job, that job, because those instructors, some of them have been here a long time and you gotta control them. And they're spirited and we want them to be spirited because the instructors.

Now, I'm not talking about the director, I'm talking about the instructors. They bring in a lot of energy into the guest experience.

Like not just in their lessons, but also in the nightlife.

And so you want lively people, but the director also has to find that balance of letting them loose or, you know, keeping them showing up to work. But I think all of our hires,

what we look for is,

you know, healthy person,

interested in skiing and outdoors,

good team player. Because we're living together here. They have to live here, so they have to get along with the team.

There's no arrogance here, so you wouldn't want an arrogant person and,

you know, just nice people who have people skills to deal with guests. Because guests can be.

Our guests are,

are amazing but if something goes wrong, they can be upset and you gotta deal with it. It's just like being at an airline counter, you know?

Speaker A: Yeah. There's a lot of troubleshooting, so you

Speaker B: have to have a lot of patience. And Katie has that too. Katie. Katie's just amazing because she really deals with people incredibly well.

Speaker A: Yeah. From the littlest to the, you know, the oldest people getting lessons. I definitely was observing her and it's

Speaker B: been that way since she started, which is incredible. Like her learning curve. She. She's sort of. I'm just so impressed with her, actually.

I mean, I think that the personalities here are one of the, again, differentiating points because.

Well, and it really starts with the Purcell family, not including me, but Henry and then Miguel. And they are very nice people. They're very humble and real and they really are outdoors people.

Like, for Henry, the mountains are his Life. Miguel climbed K2 and he. He's just like his dad. So they're both really outdoors. They love it here.

Speaker A: To add to other challenges, because it is a. One of it is pretty isolated. And then you're dealing with a government that is, you know, the US has its issues as well, but the government is always maybe a little bit more dynamic than an American government.

So do they just kind of look at Portillo and just think it's like its own little universe and they don't give you much attention?

Speaker B: Well, starting with the tourism industry.

They. Chile,

as an American, looking at it, I believe they don't fully recognize the jewel of a country, a beautiful country that they have.

And so they don't really spend enough on promoting tourism.

They try to. I've participated as the person participating in

Speaker A: those meetings for it ebbs and flows.

Speaker B: Probably they don't have a lot of budget budgeted towards it, but that's. That's the tourism infrastructure. And then the, the. The government itself.

The. Our problem there is that they don't understand the roads. They don't manage the roads very well. So we have to constantly struggle there.

And that's really difficult. And then this is sort of more the socialist type of government. And so there's a lot of rules about how we manage our employees that also are really difficult.

So, yeah, it's a headache, a constant headache.

Speaker A: Also getting supplies here, because it is. I mean, I guess you're. You're pretty close to Santiago, pretty good at that.

Speaker B: We have a truck, it's ours. And we have a big bodega warehouse thing.

We buy the food down there and in Losandes and the Truck brings it up and the truck comes up almost every night.

But if we do get snowed in,

we have enough stock for to get through what it would take. In the old days, they would be really snowed in. And there's some really cool memories of that.

Speaker A: Having to get creative.

Speaker B: They run out of salad, but they never have really run out of proteins or anything like that. They run out of lettuce.

Speaker A: I saw a lot of flour in the bakery.

Speaker B: Oh, yeah. So back when in the. I guess it was the 60s and maybe probably the 70s too. I think since the 80s and 90s hasn't been as bad. Maybe the 80s,

they would really be snowed in up here. Right. Because they couldn't plow the roads fast enough. And a lot of snow fell some of those years when these incidences happen.

So they're really, really, really snowed in. And I think it's the second week or whatever and maybe going into the third and finally it's clear enough and the helicopter had to come and actually drop some.

I think it was food down and they put big long red ribbons and they go out and they go and get it. Wow, that's kind of funny. That never happens anymore.

No, nothing. No. There were lots of adventure stories.

Speaker A: What does your outdoor time look like? Are you skiing every day or.

Speaker B: I ski every day. I ski today early. Usually though, I go out at like noon to 1:30 because no one's out there.

Speaker A: Yeah, agree.

Speaker B: They're all eating.

Speaker A: Yeah, everybody's eating.

Speaker B: Yep.

Speaker A: That's what we've been doing too.

Speaker B: What the other part that's hard about being a small, unique company like this is we're only open for the ski season. We only have 450 pillows. It's tough. You have to be really careful.

You know, we have to really.

We can't do everything.

That's one thing that's frustrating for all of us is like, we know, we know what our,

our list of things to do is,

but you have to pick and choose what you can,

what you can do because we, we only have so much of a budget. Yeah.

Speaker A: So we always, when, when we're on the podcast, we always talk about like what you love to do after skiing. Are you like a. To Bob's person or you just like to come back here?

I, I would come here and do exactly what we're doing now.

Speaker B: Exactly.

It depends, like it depends on the week in August, I. And if I have like in August, a lot of my friends come and they coming for years. So they tend to go to Bob's, so I do too.

So then I'll be hanging out at Tio Bob's. But right now, in these weeks, I tend to come back here and I have my own stuff that I gotta do on my computer or maybe I might read.

And then.

And then, as I said, when Hank a Leo's open, if it's a really nice day, I'll go do some labs on Hank a Leo. Yeah.

Speaker A: So. And what is your cocktail of choice here?

Speaker B: Mine is,

of course, I have to say pisco sour, but I actually try not to have too many pisco sour.

It's a lot of sugar, and it kind of gives me a headache. So I, I, actually,

I, I'm trying not to drink that much.

Speaker A: I'm. Ava, I'm right there with you. I, I think the older we get, the less it is a benefit.

Speaker B: I mean, and I just need to cut the calories. I mean, it's like living here all season.

You sort of want to not get into the pisco sour habit, even though I, you know, I think the guests should have them because they're delicious.

Speaker A: It's different because they're on vacation.

Speaker B: You're here not.

So I,

I, I try. I haven't had a dessert yet.

I,

you know, I, I'll get fruit. But if you start and then you think you're on vacation and you start eating that thing, like sometimes with the brownie, I don't know if we've had them this week, but they're really good,

Speaker A: really hard to turn away.

Speaker B: Yeah, sometimes you can't snip.

Speaker A: We. The carrot cake was my favorite thing we've had.

Speaker B: It's so good, isn't it? It's so good. Tea.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Oh, yeah. See, I, I don't go to tea

Speaker A: because, yeah, if you don't go to tea.

Speaker B: All too good.

Speaker A: Yeah, all too good.

Speaker B: And the bread, I try not to start, but, yeah, it's really good food.

Speaker A: Yeah,

completely agree. And I do think the, the yoga is fantastic. You have a really nice instructor, the young girl who's doing it now,

and that's, I think, really important. It was packed.

Speaker B: Oh, it was packed.

Speaker A: Absolutely packed yesterday.

Speaker B: See, I.

One of the disadvantages of having this beautiful house is that I do get down here. If I come down the afternoon, I don't go back up until dinner. And so yoga and I haven't been so good.

Speaker A: Well, it is, it's, it's. It's good stuff.

Speaker B: I did want to say a couple things, though, because you are talking about the mom thing and I think that for moms there, that, you know,

well, you. You're seeing how free the. The kids are and. But you're not seeing as many teen. There's a few teenagers here, but when the families with teenagers come, it's also really good because those teens go and do their own thing and they have dinner at night together.

And I think it really works for families. So that's very nice.

And then the other is that we always have had a sprinkling of American families who would come here with racer kids and they might bring their racer kids to be free skiers.

Right.

Speaker A: I mean, I do think, you know, that we've got a racer too, who got a little burnt out of, like, being in the lanes. Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah. So they come here and have enjoy

Speaker A: skiing, Fall in love with skiing again.

Speaker B: That's what.

That's a nice thing for the racers. Another thing is I asked Alejandro to show you the Octagon and the Inca. We renovated them and they're really nice now, and you save a lot of money by staying there.

And they're good places for kids.

So if, like, like some,

like, if a family came and had and brought the kids and the kids friends or whatever, those are really nice options.

Speaker A: Thank you so much for sharing your tips and your passion for this wonderful resort here at Portillo.

And I'm really appreciative of your time and for what you've created here.

Speaker B: I think it has been the passion for Henry and for Miguel. They really love it. It's been fun for me to put my little caboose on the brain.

I've enjoyed it.

Speaker A: To put stamp on it.

Speaker B: Yeah. And to put a stamp on it. I've helped. Yeah, for sure.

Speaker A: A quick endnote. Ellen and I recorded this from her gorgeous home that overlooked the lake at Portillo. I was so grateful for her, the time that both she and Henry gave me to share their story and the story of Portillo.

There are so many more details that I want to share. So if you are a Substack reader,

head to the Ski mom substack and you will see all of the great coverage of Portillo. And if you're not a Substack follower, you should definitely become one because it's a great way to read articles without ads.

So again, thank you so much to Ellen and to Henry for the trip, and I hope that you listeners get a chance to ski a summer trip to Portillo.

Before we wrap, I want to leave you with a few insider tips. These are the things that make a Portillo trip really click as a family.

Number one, embrace the all inclusive rhythm. Portillo works because it slows you down. Your day is structured for you. Take the long lunch, go to the pool and be sure that you linger a little bit over dinner.

Once you lean into the rhythm, the trip feels completely different than a typical ski resort. Number two, don't skip the afternoon tea. Every afternoon we all gather still in ski clothes for tea cakes and conversation.

It sounds simple, but it's really where friendships are made. You'll talk to the people at the table next to you and probably make some new ski friends for life.

Number three, choose your lodging strategically, especially with kids. The main hotel is iconic and if you can get a lake view, definitely go for it. But families also love the Octagon where they can have a little more space to spread out.

And then the Inca Lodge is set up as a hostel and it's definitely the most budget friendly. Number four, go in with the right mindset about luxury.

This is not a glossy five star resort in the typical modern sense. It's something better. The luxury is in the deeply personal service staff members who know you by name and remember you, the sense of tradition and the luxury of not having lift lines.

So when you frame it that way, it truly is the most luxurious ski experience around.

Number five, pack with the quirks in mind. This is a small but important one. So when you're packing, make sure that those little necessities or favorite brands that you have and use, just know you're not going to be able to pick them up here.

So be sure to pack them.

You're over an hour away from a town and it is a very remote resort. There are more than two dozen switchbacks to get to the top. So if you forget something, you've really forgotten it.

You're not going to be able to pick it up quickly or just pop into town.

Please make a packing list and check it twice.

Number six,

be thoughtful about your timing.

Early season.

It may be just that, early season conditions, you might not get that fresh powder. Everything might not be open,

it might be a little bit warmer. That's what we experience. But we absolutely love the uncrowded nature of it and also know the early season, June and July will be teaming with kids.

Now for me, I'm a ski mom. I absolutely love that I'm here for it.

I love seeing the energy of everybody out on the mountain. It tends to skew a little bit older and more of a party scene in August. So pick the weeks that suit you and just know that every diff every week at Portillo has a different personality.

You can ask the booking agents because they do know this luxury resort very well for their recommendations based off of your families.

Number seven. This is super important.

Make time for T o Bobs and not just for lunch. Of course your meal plan is going to give you the option for lunch and that's great.

But it's definitely worth going to lunch at Tea Bulbs and enjoying the views and the spectacular history inside and out. At this on top of the mountain lunch and apres spot you are definitely going to want to get at least one Pisco Sour.

It is a little bit sweet, a little bit tangy and it's just the essence of Portillo video. You're going to want to listen to the music out there, put your sunglasses in your pocket and it is kid friendly.

Absolutely nothing gets too out of control. But it is also a wonderful grown up experience as well. It is not included with your package so you will definitely need to pay a little bit more for this.

The prices are extremely reasonable so definitely build in that to Bob's experience.

I hope you can sense the enthusiasm in my voice as I talk about this resort.

Portillo is just one of those places that's hard to explain until you've been. Hopefully this gives you a little head start to your planning and if there's anything else that I can advise you on with your Portillo trip, please drop a note to me on instagram in a DM or you can email me at nicole ski moms fun.com I'm so enthusiastic about spreading my love of this resort.

Hey Ski Moms.

Speaker C: We hope you enjoyed today's episode and got some great tips for your next family ski adventure.

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