Beat the heat skiing in Chile

IT IS night time in the dining room at Portillo, South America’s longest-running ski resort, high up in the Chilean Andes.

The lifts are closed for the evening; the room is packed. Walls are paneled in dark leather. Deep, cozy banquettes are filled with hungry skiers. A waiter — wearing red — cuts up a child’s dinner. There are Brazilians, Americans, Argentinians. And, of course, Chilenos. Everybody is eating side by side, worn out from the day’s exercise and the steep altitude — it’s around 9,500 feet at the base, similar to Vail, Colorado.

Portillo, sitting directly on the Chile / Argentina border, is owned by the Purcell family.

Originally from New York, their roots in Chile go back even farther than the hotel itself, which is now 60 years old.

The Purcells are a constant presence here during the winter season, which runs from late June into September.

They, along with the resort’s hundreds of staffers and the varied clientele, give this out-of-the-way spot a uniquely cosmopolitan air.

It feels, at times, like one big American stew.

It is rare you find yourself in a place that makes the Western Hemisphere seem cozy and small.

Then again, it could just be the hotel which, though modest in size, is essentially all there is to the resort, save for a couple of wings and outbuildings.

Portillo doesn’t go in for sprawl — things are much as they were sixty years ago. It’s not like there aren’t various levels of lodging — just nothing terribly fancy.

This isn’t a destination spa, it’s a serious ski resort, for serious skiers — the vast majority of their business is week-long packages, and there are not a lot of bunny runs.

The current manager, Miguel, himself a Purcell, once climbed K2 and has scaled most of the peaks you can see from your modest hotel room at Portillo.

It is hard to believe that here, we are just two hours by car from the sprawling city of Santiago.

FAR, BUT NEAR

Santiago, if you were forced to make a comparison, is a little like Denver, without the altitude.

It rests at just 1,700 feet above sea level on plains that run up to snow-capped peaks.

Santiago is an outdoorsy, sporty place, with massive health clubs and various wilderness outfitters and ski shops everywhere.

It is active but also mellow, and maybe just a bit too boring to keep people around for very long.

This also could have something to do with the fact that you can drive up into the Andes very quickly — what city could compete with the Andes?

It doesn’t take very long to get from the heart of the city of six million up into the mountains.

One minute it’s all fancy hotels and banks in shiny glass towers. The next minute, you’re turning off Avenida Kennedy and onto a winding, treacherous road that takes you up to 8,235 feet where you’ll find one of Chile’s most popular ski resorts, Valle Nevado.

It stands to reason that along with it, you’ll find a lot of snow. After all, it’s winter down here in the Southern Hemisphere, in case you forgot.

At Valle Nevado, you can purchase a $40 half-day lift ticket — perfect for those just looking to get their feet wet. Some city hotels run ski shuttles.

It’s a beautiful place, Valle Nevado; rustic but comfortable, with lodging styles ranging from hostel to 5-star, all in a horseshoe next to the lifts, which serve the 7,000 acres of skiable terrain in the area.

There’s a great terrain park — a snowboarder’s dream — and lots of off-piste for those in the mood for a challenge.

Visitors to Valle Nevado can be fairly noncommittal — unless, of course, the road is closed on account of snow, in which case, you’re stuck.

Portillo sells day lift tickets, but only when it feels there’s enough surplus terrain that its guests, most of them there on 7-day packages, won’t be crowded out.

However you get up to Portillo, and for however long you choose to stay, there’s no question it’s worth the drive.

Set on the Laguna del Inca, it’s said to be haunted — or was that hauntingly beautiful?

Portillo’s commitment to serious skiing has attracted many of the world’s best skiers over the years; everyone from Stein Eriksen (he once ran the ski school here) to Bodie Miller, who has trained here with the US ski team. You can expect the US team, along with others, to pop in later in the year.

Like other resorts in South America — mostly found in Chile and Argentina — you’ll find lots of well-trained teachers on hand throughout the season; it is not uncommon to bump into folks who winter in Aspen or Chamonix or Tahoe.

Whichever resort you visit, it’s almost worth it just for the experience of winter in the middle of July. Order a pisco sour and sit out on the terrace, snap a few pictures, put them up on Facebook.

Never mind the hate messages from your friends in the humid north. They’re just jealous.

THE LOWDOWN

FYI: Chile is considered to be the safest country in South America, with good roads and an excellent police force. The February earthquake has not had a lasting impact on popular tourist destinations, beyond the odd road detour and some construction at the Santiago airport.

GO: Flight time from New York to Santiago is nearly 11 hours. The national carrier LAN has round-trip fares during the winter season for around $900 including tax from JFK — found on Kayak.com (lan.com).

INFO: skiportillo.com; vallenevado.com