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NEXTKeep it simple and head to Portillo, Chile, where only week-long all-inclusive packages are offered and the terrain is good enough for the US Ski Team’s summer training. Perched at 7,250 feet a two-hour drive into the Andes from Santiago, Portillo consists of just three buildings, 14 lifts, and 14,000 acres of above-treeline slopes and knee-buckling couloirs. “It’s a cruise ship for skiers, in a good way,” says Chris Davenport, who hosts an annual big mountain ski camp ($2,150) in Portillo each August. “Everything’s included—lift tickets, lodging, four meals a day. All you have to do is ski. There are only 450 beds in the valley, so over the course of the week, you’re bound to meet everyone. It’s the most social ski resort in the world.” The upper deck crowd should stay at the famous blue and yellow Hotel Portillo, which costs around four grand a person for the week. Dirtbags can live it up in the dorm-style Inca’s for as little as $800. You’ll still enjoy the same hot-tub views, late night disco beats, and radical skiing. Davenport’s favorite is the 5,000-foot Super C Couloir. From the top, there’s a spectacular view of 22,841-foot Aconcagua—the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.
The skiing's good down south. Via Shutterstock
Photo: yxm2008
