We rented a car with the Macdonald's and drove up to El Portillo, a ski resort in the Andes. We were hoping to get a great view of Santiago, but El Portillo is in the middle of the mountains. The Andes are pretty barren, mostly rock.
We missed the turnoff and had to turn around at the border checkpoint--they just laughed at us. They are working on the road there and the signs were down. We expected a huge resort, but it is just one hotel, a few private homes and a lake, Laguna Inca.
We saw several chairlifts, but no defined ski runs. I guess the skiers just start at the top and come straight down. I'm assuming the lake freezes over in the winter. It is over 9,000 ft elevation.
This is a picture of the road coming down the mountain from El Portillo, the curves are numbered and there are no truck escape ramps until you get to the easier part of the road. They all showed signs of being used. I wonder how long the brakes last on the trucks that go over this road to Argentina regularly.
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