Ski Portillo Buried by First Big Snowfall of the Year

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated May 20, 2025 2:49 PM ET

Dust off your boots and wax your skis, southern hemisphere skiers, the faucets are on in South America!

Chile's famous Ski Portillo woke up to 16" of snow on May 19, 2025 and there's more on the way. 20 inches of snow has accumulated at the resort in the last five days and they should see at least another six inches in the next week.

The current storm is expected to linger through Tuesday morning before another, weaker storm arrives Tuesday night through Wednesday.

Along with Portillo, Valle Nevado, La Parva, and El Colorado all benefitted from the storm, and should see more precipitation in the coming days. Valle Nevado got the most precipitation from the storm with 21" falling in the last five days. The ski area is scheduled to open on June 20. La Parva saw 19" as well and has their opening day set for June 6. El Colorado got 17" and has a predicted opening of May 31.

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Ski Portillo is right on track for their season as they usually start seeing storms roll in this time of year.

The ski area's opening date is currently set for June 21, 2025 which gives them just about a month to accumulate a healthy base. Weather and conditions permitting, Ski Portillo will be open until September 27.

Check out an exclusive selection of photos below from Ski Portillo first big storm of the season. Start planning that trip! The South American ski season is almost here.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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