How to Properly Ride Portillo, Chile's Unique Slingshot Ski Lifts

Ski Portillo, Chile is a world-class ski resort often described as a "land cruise ship" due to its remote nature and singular, yet massive lodge adorned in an iconic yellow paint.

Once you're there, you're there, so to say, but that's just a sliver of the charm that exudes from Portillo's sun-soaked slopes. Have you ever heard of their unique Slingshot lifts? See below.

How To Ride Slingshot Lifts at Ski Portillo, Chile

Video by @skiwithkim , and shared with permission.

The Slingshot lifts, also known as Va et Vient (French for come and go) are quite the trip, right? A seasoned skier might notice the lift is similar to varying surface lifts models, but the simultaneous pulling of up to five skiers attached to a singular device is as unique as it is odd.

The Poma Company built four Slingshot lifts for Ski Portillo in the 1960s as a solution to a persisting avalanche problem. It was determined that installing chairlift towers to reach the desired terrain would be futile as avalanches regularly sweep through the area.

Instead, Poma designed a unique suspended surface lift that allows skiers to access the desired terrain that isn't at risk for avalanche damage. As of the southern hemisphere winter of 2024, Ski Portillo utilizes Slingshot lifts to access the Roca Jack, Condor, Las Vizcachas and El Cara Cara runs.

As one can imagine, the Slingshots lifts require a bit of coordination and planning while disembarking. The video shared by @skiwithkim was an excellent example of how to properly ride and get off Ski Portillo's Slingshot lifts.

According to an instructional video by Ski Portillo, the most important thing while riding a Slingshot lift is to have a plan amongst the skiers you're riding with. The proper way to disembark is for skiers to leave the lift one at a time starting with the skier on the end that doesn't have the safety rope.

If this isn't done properly, it usually results in at least one, if not every, skier falling as they try to move away from the lift. Check out the instructional video from Ski Portillo below.

It's important to remember that Ski Portillo is located in Chile and attracts skiers from around the world. There's a fair chance that you'll ride a Slingshot lift with skiers who don't speak English, but there are still ways to communicate.

A professional skier from the Lake Tahoe area recently told me about the experience of trying to communicate with German skiers on a Slingshot ride. It didn't end well because the stoic and silent Germans didn't show much interest in even trying to communicate. "Everybody ended up falling on their a**es," she said.

Ski Portillo, Chile is on the bucket list of skiers across the globe. The allure of skiing in the middle of August surrounded by some of the most beautiful peaks of the Andes is undeniable. It's got its quirks, like the head-scratching Slingshot lifts, but that's all part of the experience.

See you there next August?

Related: Film Your Summer Adventure, Win a Trip To Ski Portillo, Chile

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