PORTILLO, Chile – Texas skiers have found a cool way to escape the summer heat.

Carrying their ski gear, they board an evening American Airlines flight at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to fly nonstop to Santiago, Chile. Upon arrival the next morning, they have a choice of five destination ski resorts.

Jonathan Selkowitz

When it's summer in Texas, it's winter in Portillo, Chile, where the skiing is first-class.

Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite to ours. Our midsummer is winter in South America. That's when Texans such as Bill Nickell, Larry Fellman and Jolly Duncan have chosen to ski such powder playgrounds as Chile's Portillo, Valle Nevado, La Parva and El Colorado.

"At Portillo everything is first class, from skiing to lodging," says Mr. Nickell, an experienced South America visitor. "That includes four gourmet meals a day, wine tasting every night and activities for everyone, including a surprising number of families."

Open from June 21 through Oct. 5, Portillo operates 14 lifts serving 1,235 skiable acres, with a 2,500-foot rise to a 10,900-foot summit. Fifty-five percent of the 35 runs are rated difficult to expert.

"A good thing at Portillo is they groom most of the steep slopes," Mr. Duncan says.

The slopes are never crowded because Portillo limits weekly guests to 450. All bookings are Saturday to Saturday, with lodging in a 123-room hotel, two hotel annexes and eight chalets on a plateau at 9,450 feet.

Other activities are heli-skiing and training camps.

The camps focus on learn-to ski and snowboard programs, telemarking, adventure skiing and steep-and-deep freeskiing.

Not as upscale but also popular with an international clientele is Valle Nevado, two hours southeast of Santiago.

It has three hotels, 12 lifts, a 9,381-foot base and 12,038- foot summit. It claims 22,000 acres of skiable terrain.

Mr. Fellman says guests have access to CNN, an outdoor pool and a late-starting night life.

Offering a contrasting experience 300 miles south of Santiago is Termas de Chillan. The resort sits at lower elevations (5,248 to 8,530 feet) in a pristine forest.

Chillan has two hotels, thermal spa, casino, 11 lifts, an eight-mile run, snowboard park, dog-sledding and snowmobiling. The nearest airport is at Concepción.

Neighboring Argentina boasts two major resorts, at Las Leñas and Bariloche.

"Las Leñas has phenomenal off-piste skiing," says Martha Perez, a mountain vacation specialist with Aspen-based Ski.com, an international destination booking company. "There's a range of steep chutes around Las Leñas called The Necklace that is only accessible by snowcat."

Facilities include 13 lifts, ski and snowboard schools, and elevations from 7,347 to 11,250 feet. Annual summit snowfall is 396 inches, tops among South American resorts.

Mrs. Perez adds, "It's an enjoyable and uncrowded place to ski for all abilities because the resort is totally isolated from the outside world."

Piscis, one of Las Leñas' three ski-in, ski-out hotels, has a casino, spa services and a kids club.

Bariloche, in the heart of Argentina's Patagonia, pulses with night life, discos, pubs, a casino and fine restaurants. Eight miles away from the ski town is Bariloche Cerro Catedral, a resort with 40 lifts, mountain restaurant, two hotels and altitudes of 3,380 to 7,837 feet.

Reservations for all South American resorts except Las Leñas can be arranged by Ski.com; see the Web site or call 1-800-821-6670. For Las Leñas, call 1-888-527-5362.

Ski Portillo Chile is an additional booking source, with flights included. Contact: 1-800-829-5325; www.skiportillo.com.

Walt Roessing is a freelance writer in California.