I spent a perfect summer day hiking in the Shenandoah’s and thought the only place I’d rather be was Beijing.
That was until I heard the news from South America.
Not only am I not in Beijing, apparently I’m missing one of the most EPIC storms of the year in Portillo, Chile. Meanwhile, Freeskier Magazine reports that my friend Mitch, who I met on my first trip to Portillo two years ago, is “cackling” at his good fortune, waiting out the storm for first tracks.
There are few places that rate as high as my home state of Utah when it comes to epic places to ride, but Portillo is up there. The lodge itself is at 9,350 ft, the slopes rise to 10,859 ft, and surrounding Andes peaks, including Mount Aconcagua, tower at 22,841 ft.
If incredible ski conditions aren’t reason enough to interest you ladies, I might add that being one of a handful of single women among 450 self-selecting ski fanatics had me feeling like a kid in a candy shop, better yet, a voyeur at a dude ranch. Where else can you go in August to see American superstar skier Chris Davenport stripped to his bare chest and a hot tub of Brazilian snowboarders packed tighter than a tin of sardines?
Enjoy your first tracks, Mitch, and get ready Sol Adventurers, August 2009 – we’re going to Portillo!