Shopping

The shop at Portillo is large by Chile standards, but it’s still only got a small range of ski gear. Most of the goods in the shop are souvenirs.

Ski and Snowboard Equipment and Clothing The Portillo shop sells a range of inner wear and mid-layers including quality thermals and polar fleeces from Polartec and North Face. They also sell a moderate range of accessories such as socks, helmets, goggles and beanies.

They also sell a small range of outerwear such as ski jackets, shell jackets and ski pants. The quality and prices range from basic up to very fancy high end ski clothing from North Face and Obermeyer.

Hardwear is limited to only a few skis such as Fischer slalom skis and Stockli Storm-rider fat skis. There are no snowboards for sale or ski or board boots.

Prices for ski equipment, clothing and accessories are not particularly cheap. They are probably comparable to prices in Australia and New Zealand, and more expensive that those generally found in USA and Canada.

Souvenir Shopping The Portillo shop sells an array of clothing souvenirs so you can boast about your visit to Portillo. They have caps, t-shirts galore and lots of hoodies. The only problem when we visited was that the many hoodies were in sizes inconsistent with those that would typically align with the genders. Pinks and pastels were available in XXXXL sizes, whilst stereotypical boys’ colours were only available in small sizes. There were also lots of kids clothing souvenirs including cute tees and hoodies.

Lots of other Portillo souvenirs are available such as mouse pads, mugs, CD cases, baby bibs, handicrafts and jewellery pieces. They also sell St Bernard dog soft-toys, the mascot of Portillo. The real St Bernard dogs are commonly found dozing out in the sun near the hotel, and sometimes they even hang out in the discotheque. Party dogs!

General Shopping The shop has a little bit of general clothing for sale, and considering that the hotel is often so hot inside, you might need to purchase a t-shirt or cool top if you haven’t packed one. They also sell a few pairs of walking and fashion boots, but steer clear of the ghastly jumpers they have on offer.

Grocery Shopping A few toiletries and sundries are sold in the shop. Thankfully they sell sunscreen as this is definitely required for the sunny Portillo conditions. And in case the hang-over from excess pisco sours is getting to you, they also sell paracetamol.

Food groceries or alcohol shopping is not available at Portillo.

And don’t forget to charge any goods to your room to avoid the tax.