Porters

For quick access from Christchurch and snowsure New Zealand club field skiing, Porters is a great option.

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Vertical drop

Pistes

Runs

Lifts

Terrain by difficulty

The ski experience at Porters was transformed in 2015 with the construction of the ski area’s first chairlift

a quad serving the excellent Easy Street blue, one of the region’s top learning zones. There is also a magic carpet and a drag for beginners in a zone that is fully equipped with snowmaking. Further up the mountain, three T-bars take you up to a great range of steeper blues, unpisted blacks, a number of gnarly off piste chutes and steep, open bowls. In good conditions, there is 680m of vertical up for grabs, so head here after fresh snow to experience the full area at its best.

Located a couple of minutes down the hill, Porters Base Lodge has been recently upgraded and is home to 40 comfortable beds, a cosy bar and restaurant and if that wasn’t enough, the view from the windows is spectacular. Unsurprisingly, this often books up quickly, so if you miss out stay down in the valley in Castle Hill, or even in Christchurch – the drive is only an hour and a half.

Nearby resorts also worth visiting as part of a multi-resort trip include Broken River, Craigieburn, Mount Cheeseman, Mount Hutt and Mount Olympus.

Resort website: www.skiporters.co.nz

In the Resort

Away from the slopes there isn’t a vast amount to entertain children, book a big hotel if you’re looking for post-skiing activities or things to do in an afternoon off. The après is increasingly lively up at Passo_Tonale, with some good bars utilising the sunny plateau and the foot of the slopes – but Ponte di Legno itself is quieter.