Matt showing how it's done in the Portillo backcountryOK, so Portillo isn't THAT bad...I woke up on Tuesday to clearing skies and went for a tour across the lake with some snowboarders that I met in the lodge.
It wasn't until we toured for a few hours that we really began to appreciate the size of the Portillo valley. There are no trees to give a sense of scale, so one can't tell if the mountains are 1,000 or 4,000 feet high on either side of the valley. It turns out they are closer to 4,000 feet.
Matt touring in the valley of the giants
The sun was hot and we were worried about making it back to the lodge for feeding time (lunch), so we hung a left and started climbing. Matt set a vicious skin track up a rib leading to a rocky face. I set track across the face. It was steeper than either of us had anticipated, and with the sun softening up the snow it was a bit scary...falling with skins on and your heels unlocked is no fun.
The other two snowboarders, Yumi and Alan, couldn't follow up the steeps so they took a right and followed a gully with a slightly lower angle.
We made it over the steep section and continued up the ridge above. I did my best to keep up with Matt's impressive standard by settingt the track straight up the hill but I eventually had to start switchbacking. My lungs and legs aren't used to setting track at 11,000 feet!
We climbed for about 1-1/2 hours, gaining by my estimate 2,000 vertical feet. I think we were about halfway to the ridgeline. The terrain in the valley around us was fantastic--you could spend a week back there and never run out of lines.
The sun had gone behind clouds again by the end of our climb, so the snow was a bit stiff as we descended. Matt is a certified gnar schralper, so he had no troubles at all setting clean arcs with his snowboard down the face. I followed with my typical timidity and promptly buried a tip and dug my face into the snow.
It was a great run.
Portillo is a great place to ski if the weather is good.
Matt, from Yukon Territory, Canada, has a split board and tons of touring experience. The other snowboarders had snowshoes and little to no touring experience. Thus, Matt and I spent a good part of the tour waiting for the others.
Leaving the lodge for the long trip across the lake
Leaving the lodge for the long trip across the lakeIt wasn't until we toured for a few hours that we really began to appreciate the size of the Portillo valley. There are no trees to give a sense of scale, so one can't tell if the mountains are 1,000 or 4,000 feet high on either side of the valley. It turns out they are closer to 4,000 feet.
Matt touring in the valley of the giantsThe sun was hot and we were worried about making it back to the lodge for feeding time (lunch), so we hung a left and started climbing. Matt set a vicious skin track up a rib leading to a rocky face. I set track across the face. It was steeper than either of us had anticipated, and with the sun softening up the snow it was a bit scary...falling with skins on and your heels unlocked is no fun.
The other two snowboarders, Yumi and Alan, couldn't follow up the steeps so they took a right and followed a gully with a slightly lower angle.
We made it over the steep section and continued up the ridge above. I did my best to keep up with Matt's impressive standard by settingt the track straight up the hill but I eventually had to start switchbacking. My lungs and legs aren't used to setting track at 11,000 feet!
We climbed for about 1-1/2 hours, gaining by my estimate 2,000 vertical feet. I think we were about halfway to the ridgeline. The terrain in the valley around us was fantastic--you could spend a week back there and never run out of lines.
The sun had gone behind clouds again by the end of our climb, so the snow was a bit stiff as we descended. Matt is a certified gnar schralper, so he had no troubles at all setting clean arcs with his snowboard down the face. I followed with my typical timidity and promptly buried a tip and dug my face into the snow.
It was a great run.
Portillo is a great place to ski if the weather is good.
R & R in the hot tub after a long day of skiing
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