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An open letter to anyone visiting Ski Portillo, written by Ski & Snowboard School Director Katie White. After spending 11 years working in Portillo—and 5 of those at the helm of the school—I have witnessed thousands of guests spend their vacation time here. A clear pattern has emerged: our school has something to offer for everyone and is worth the investment to ensure your time in Portillo is maximized to be the absolute best experience possible.
No matter if it is your first time skiing or snowboarding, or if you are an expert looking to tackle Portillo’s iconic terrain, going with a pro will no doubt make your time unforgettable.
For Beginners: Your Gateway to the Mountain
Learning to ski or snowboard can be intimidating for many people. New equipment, the high-alpine mountain environment, and many unknowns can make it feel very uncertain. Having a pro by your side makes that introduction safer, easier, and a lot more fun.
Safety comes first
In Portillo, our pros will teach you not only how to turn and stop in control, but also how to move around the mountain confidently and responsibly. You’ll learn how to use the lifts, understand trail signs, manage changing snow conditions, and share the mountain safely with others. Portillo is an amazing place to learn with beautiful beginner slopes and pros that know exactly how to keep you safe, having fun, and progressing for your entire trip.
Build skills that last
The goal isn’t simply to get you through your first day. It’s to give you the skills and confidence to become a lifelong skier or snowboarder. Good instruction helps you progress at the right pace, develop strong habits from the beginning, and discover just how much fun learning can be. Spending a week with a pro in Portillo will unlock your skiing or riding potential and give you the confidence to ski or ride anywhere in the world.
Learn the culture
Skiing and snowboarding have a culture all their own. There’s etiquette, language, traditions, and an unspoken understanding of how people interact on the mountain. A pro helps introduce you to that world so you feel like part of it from day one, and not just a visitor trying to figure everything out on your own.
Get connected to the Portillo flow
Portillo has its own personality. From its unique lifts and terrain to the way days unfold around the hotel and mountain, there is a rhythm here that takes time to discover. Going with a pro gives you an inside connection. You learn where to go, how things work, and how to make the most of every single day.
For Experts: Beyond the Trail Map
The better you ski or ride, the bigger Portillo becomes. Expert skiers and snowboarders come here for good reason. Portillo is famous for steep terrain, big lines, powder, and a landscape that rewards exploration. But being capable of skiing difficult terrain and knowing this mountain are two completely different things.
Explore safely
A professional who knows Portillo understands the terrain, its hazards, and how conditions can change rapidly. When you’re looking to venture beyond the obvious runs, local knowledge becomes incredibly valuable. A pro can help you make smarter decisions about where to ski and when to ski it.
Know where and when to find the best conditions
Snow is constantly changing. Sun, wind, temperature, elevation, and aspect can transform a slope throughout the day. The best run at 9:30 in the morning may not be the best run at 2:00 in the afternoon. Someone who spends every day on the mountain develops a deep understanding of those patterns and can help put you in the right place at the exact right time.
You can look at a trail map and find your way around. But a trail map can’t tell you everything. A trail map can’t tell you which aspect is holding the best snow, when a particular line comes into condition, or which part of the mountain suits your ability and ambitions that day. That knowledge comes from time spent on the mountain, which our pros have a LOT of.
Whether you are making your first turns or searching for the best turns of your trip, a pro helps remove the guesswork. You spend less time figuring out where to go and more time skiing or riding. You learn more, explore more, and become far more connected to the mountain.
Experience more of Portillo
There is more to Portillo than mountain exploration. The pros here can guide you on all things on and off snow to help you maximize your time in Portillo and make it the trip of a lifetime. Each instructor here has years of experience teaching, guiding, and understands the culture of Portillo deeply. People come to Portillo for the first time for world-class skiing and riding, and then continue to come year after year because of the culture, sense of familiarity, and uniqueness of the experience here. Connecting with a pro will ensure that you leave feeling like part of our Portillo family.
For Families: A True Vacation Together
Skiing and snowboarding are some of the best activities you can do together as a family, and Portillo is a very special place to do it because of the family environment that is felt in the hotel and on the slopes. Anyone who has skied as a family also knows that different ability levels, goals, and personalities can sometimes make skiing together more complicated than you thought it would be. Going with a pro takes a lot of that pressure away and lets everyone get more out of their time on the mountain.
| Family Benefit | How the School Transforms It |
|---|---|
| Zero Pressure for Parents | Teaching your own kids can be tough; kids often listen better to an instructor. Let us handle the teaching so parents can enjoy their own mountain time. |
| Independence for Kids | Children build real confidence, learn to navigate lifts, and connect with peers. By the end of the week, they feel like Portillo is their mountain too. |
| Community & Connections | You interact with the same families and instructors across the slopes and hotel all week, making you feel naturally part of the Portillo family. |
I have watched families come to Portillo for the first time and then return year after year. I have watched kids grow up skiing here, become amazing skiers and riders, and develop a connection with this place that goes way beyond skiing. Going with a pro will absolutely help your family ski or ride better. But more importantly, it can help everyone have more fun, explore more of the mountain, and feel more connected to Portillo and the people who make this place what it is.
Come to Portillo. Go with a pro.
Ensure your next winter vacation is memorable from day one with our private lessons, group clinics, and expert mountain guides.
