Well, once again it’s been a week of changeable weather up here at Porters. We’ve gone around the dial – from warm temps with clear skies to cold storms bringing fresh snow. 

We’re having a great season, some fantastic skiing and riding so far, with plenty more to come. As we move towards the springtime, the sun shines high on the Porters basin – it’s warmer, brighter, and the snow softens, meaning great conditions for you to enjoy. It's the perfect time to come and join us if you're new to the sport, as conditions are more forgiving for beginners. We have some fantastic all inclusive packages for you to uptake, especially the Porters Passport which is ideal for first timers wanting to get into skiing or snowboarding. Talk to the Porters Snow-sports School for further information, or have a read here.

Read on for the latest from Porters.

From the Mountain

With all the weather, we were lucky enough to get a top up of fresh snow overnight on Tuesday, receiving between 10 and 20cm falling on the ski area. Our snow safety team along with ski area management opted to remain closed on Wednesday while they assessed the snow-pack and the relative stability, especially in light of the new snow.

All well, we had no releases through the control work, and the ski area re-opened today. Our snow-safety team will continue to monitor the snow-pack to ensure that we’re safe when skiing and riding at Porters. Please respect all closures, they are closed with your best interests in mind.

With the warmer temperatures we’re experiencing at present, we have some excellent spring snow conditions for you to enjoy. Grab your sunnies, slap on some sunscreen and enjoy the awesome conditions we have for you right now.

Weather this weekend – Thanks Metservice.com

Fri Aug 21 - Fine, a few early morning frosts and fog patches.
Wind at 1000 meters: Light and variable.
Wind at 2000 meters: Light and variable.
Free air freezing Level: 1600 metres.

Sat Aug 22 - Cloudy periods.
Wind at 1000 meters: Northeast breezes.
Wind at 2000 meters: Northeasterlies rising to 40 km/h in the evening.
Free air freezing Level: 1700 metres.

Sun Aug 23 - High cloud, with some rain about the Divide. Snow down to 1500 metres. Northerlies easing.

Upcoming Events

We have two fantastic events for you coming up this weekend.

Quest Community Park Jam #2 - Stomped out by Burton

The laid back atmosphere is what the Porters park is known for, so in fine style, we embrace it for an old school jam session for you to show your stuff. Registration is at the Porters Ticket office from 8:30am, plus from 9:30 at the Burton tent at the bottom of the Community Park. Comp entry fee is only $10. Check out the comp blog here for further ticket information.

The Jam will run from 10am to 12pm with a final for the top 15 riders from 12:30 1:30pm and a prize giving following (times subject to change). Quest and Porters are putting on a free BBQ for all the competitors throughout the event, and spot prizes will be put up from Burton, R.E.D, Anon, and Quest as well.

In the event of bad weather, the event will be moved to the Sunday 23rd Aug. Please check the snow report on the day for further information. Come up and join the Community at Porters this Saturday!

Miles Toyota ‘Bring a Toyota’ Fun Day

It’s on this weekend – the Miles Toyota day on the mountain. Miles are proud to support Porters, and to celebrate, they invite you to Porters with your Toyota Vehicle. Cruise up to Porters in your Toyota this Sunday the 23rd of August, and those in your vehicle will be eligible for two ‘all-lifts’ day passes for the price of one (conditions apply).

Grab a Toyota 2 for 1 voucher from a Porters Mountain Host when parking, and present this at the ticket office to purchase your two for one passes. One voucher will be issued for every two people in a Toyota vehicle. The ZM crew will be on board to cook you a sausage and keep you entertained with some great music, plus keep your eye out for the mystery skier give-aways during the day. Get to the slopes with Miles Toyota and Porters Ski Area.

It’s looking like a lot of fun to be had this weekend at Porters, so come on up to see us, especially if you’re a Toyota owner, and enjoy a great day in the mountains. We’ll be happy to see you, as usual, and will be happy to help out in providing you a fun, safe experience with us.

Cheers.

Guy Nurse,
Porters Marketing.
guy@skiporters.co.nz

Well the weather continues to change. We seem to have had it all over the past week or so. After a fantastic weekend of skiing in warm soft spring snow with clear skies and light winds, we have had a couple of days of overcast weather, and now some fresh snow falling to top things up.

We’ve got a few things going on over the next couple of weeks, a few events, a family fun day thanks to our partners Toyota, and some fantastic skiing!

So read on for more and check out what’s happening at Porters.

From the Mountain

New snow has fallen! We have seen some interesting weather patterns over the past week or so, with some warmer temperatures and wind. But the current weather system has brought some fresh snow over the past 24 hours.

We’re at about the halfway mark in the season right now, and with an awesome snow-pack, we’re well set up for the weeks to come. The warmer temperatures have warmed the snow up, but it remains in great condition, skiing well as soft, spring snow at the moment.

Last night and during the day, we have received around 10 to 15 cm of snow on the upper mountain, with less lower down. Hopefully the moisture is still around tonight when the temps are cooler and some more snow falls!

Our apologies regarding our webcams – we have had some technical issues for which we’ve had to source new parts. This has taken some time, and we hope that we’re able to have them back online as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

Weather for the weekend (thanks to Metservice.com)

Fri Aug 14 - Rain clearing during the morning, but remaining overcast, with areas of low cloud about the foothills.
Wind at 1000 meters: Tending northerly winds 25 km/h.
Wind at 2000 meters: Northwest 45 km/h tending northeast 40 km/h
Free air freezing Level: 2200 metres.

Sat Aug 15 - Cloudy periods, with some rain at times, mainly about the divide.
Wind at 1000 meters: Light and variable.
Wind at 2000 meters: Northerly rising to 50 km/h, tending northwest at night.
Free air freezing Level: About 2200 metres.

Sun Aug 16 - Cloudy periods with brief rain likely. Light winds at low levels. Northwesterlies about the tops dying out in the morning and light southeast winds developing.

Mon Aug 17 - Cloudy periods, possibly a few early showers. Light winds.

Upcoming Events

Snow and Surf Big Mama Chinese Downhill - 16th August

As mentioned last week, this weekend is scheduled for the first Snow and Surf Big Mama Chinese Downhill event. Taking on Porters Crown Jewell, the name of the game is to get from top to bottom as fast as possible. The races are one off heats (you get practice time on course!), split into divisions, then it’s all on!

This weekend, Sunday the 16th will be the day, with snow safety patrol and management yet to make a call on the snow and weather condition for the event. Please keep you eye on our site and the snow reports for more information regarding the final call for the event.

You can pre-register for the event by filling in a registration form and faxing/dropping it into the Porters Ticket office. You can then pay for your entry fee ($10) at the ticket office, and you’ll be issued with a bib on the morning of the event once your entry has been paid (see ticket office). You can also collect an entry form from Snow and Surf in Christchurch on Tuam St.

Miles ‘Bring-a-Toyota’ Family Fun Day - 23rd August

Just another reminder for you on the Miles ‘Bring a Toyota’ day. Next weekend, you can cruise up to Porters in your Toyota on Sunday the 23rd of August, and those in your Toyota vehicle will be eligible for 2 for 1 on ‘all-lifts’ day passes (not eligible with any other deal).

You’ll need to grab a voucher from a Porters Mountain Host as they organize on the day as they direct you to a park so as to get this special Toyota owner’s deal when purchasing your day passes from the ticket office. One voucher for every two customers traveling in each Toyota vehicle, and all passes for that vehicle must be purchased at the time of presenting the voucher to ticket office staff. Big thanks to Miles Toyota for their support, and for making this possible.

Also next weekend, we have the Quest Community Park Jam, stomped out by Burton NZ. This jam format event allows the groms, local rippers and pro’s to mix it up in the park in a relaxed, jam format in the Community Park. We’ll have more on conditions and features next week for you leading to the event, but in the mean-time, come on up and get some training in for the event.

Ok folks, that’s it from me this week. Hopefully when you check the next blog on the site tomorrow, I’ll be telling you how much new fresh snow has fallen. We’ll keep you updated through our website.

See you soon.

Cheers,

Guy Nurse.
Porters Marketing
guy@skiporters.co.nz

Hello Porters fans,

As we roll into August, we’ve seen a bit of a change in the weather systems that have been flowing through over the past two weeks. We’ve had a bit of a nor-west spell, which brought snow, wind, sunshine, warm, cold – the works really! Even though we’ve had some warmer temps in town, the snow conditions remain good, with cold winter wind packed snow, which has been skiing really well.

We have a number of events and activities coming over the coming weeks – watch this space! Check out the events calendar for more information, and come up and make the most of these fun days on the hill.

Read on for the latest from Porters…

From the Mountain

As mentioned, the skiing is great. With the wind, we have seen the snow moving around a fair bit, which has deposited fresh wind-blown snow in certain areas of the mountain. These areas feature the best skiing, Uli’s call in the report this morning is for Bluff Face as great skiing today.

The access road is in great shape, no chains required today, which should be the same through the weekend. We still operate our complimentary mountain road shuttle from the chain fitting area for those who prefer not to drive the mountain road. This runs every day at 9:30am, with further trips running as booked prior to the day. Please contact us to book a pick up if you’re unsure.

We have some superb terrain for beginners and intermediates to practise and improve. With our ski-mat magic carpet lift, it's easy to get back to the top of our wide beginner area, and once this is mastered, we have the platter lift which offers a larger easy area for you to take it to the next level. If you're not sure, grab a package that includes a lesson with one of our fantastic instructors, it's the best value for you. Also ask about the Porters Passport -  it can get you a complimentary season pass for the rest of this year!

Our apologies regarding our webcams – we have had some technical issues for which we’ve had to source new parts. This has taken some time, although we’re almost there, and hope to have them back online as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

Weather for the weekend (thanks to Metservice.com)

Fri Aug 7
Fine, apart from cloudy spells near the Divide.
Wind at 1000 meters: Light and variable.
Wind at 2000 meters: Light at first, rising to northwest 40 km/h by evening.
Free air freezing Level: 1800 metres.

Sat Aug 8
Fine, with morning frosts and variable high cloud. Some cloudy spells near the Divide.
Wind at 1000 meters: Light northwesterly.
Wind at 2000 meters: Northwest 40 km/h, easing a little at night.
Free air freezing Level: 2000 metres.

Sun Aug 9
Fine weather.
Wind at 1000 meters: Northwesterlies 25 km/h developing.
Wind at 2000 meters: Northwesterlies 35 km/h developing
Free air freezing Level: 2600 metres

Upcoming Events

Snow and Surf Big Mama Chinese Downhill - 15th/16th August

Started in 2008, the Snow and Surf Big Mama Chinese Downhill is a classic. Taking on Porters Crown Jewell, the name of the game is to get from top to bottom as fast as possible. This event will run on the best weather day of 15/16th August, please check the snow reports closer to the day for the call on weather etc. The races are one off heats (you get practice time on course!), split into divisions, then it’s all on!

You can pre-register for the event by filling in a registration form and faxing/dropping it into the Porters Ticket office. You can then pay for your entry fee ($10) at the ticket office, and you’ll be issued with a bib on the morning of the event once your entry has been paid (see ticket office). You can also collect an entry form from Snow and Surf in Christchurch on Tuam St. We’ll have more information for you in next week’s newsletter once we know how the weather is looking etc, in the mean time, get out there, check out Big Mama and get some training in!

Miles ‘Bring-a-Toyota’ Family Fun Day

At Porters, we like Toyotas. So, come up in your Toyota on Sunday the 23rd of August, and those in your Toyota vehicle will be eligible for 2 for 1 on adult all-lifts day passes (further info to follow next week, not eligable with any other deal). You’ll need to grab a voucher from a Porters Parking attendant on the day as they direct you to a park so as to get this special Toyota owner’s deal when purchasing your day passes from the ticket office. One voucher for each Toyota vehicle, and all passes for that vehicle must be purchased at the time of presenting the voucher to ticket office staff. We’ll have further information for you leading to the 23rd, hope you can make it up for a fun day on the snow. Big thanks to Miles Toyota for their support, and for making this possible.

Hope you are all enjoying the winter season, and the turns are coming your way. It’s been a great start to the season, and we hope it will continue over the coming months. Come up and see us at Porters for some great skiing!

Cheers,

Guy Nurse.
Porters Marketing

Hello Porters crew.

Another week ticks by, and we’re now moving towards the peak season month of August with an average 140cm snow-base. It’s during August when we would normally get some settled weather and some great snow conditions, and the sun sits a little higher in the sky, shining into the Porters basin. We are in the hands of Mother Nature!

It’s also this time when the events start to roll around each week, with fun for everyone, and plenty of different options. Later in this newsletter is a round-up from the weekend events just gone, and some information for upcoming events.           

With some snow forecast in the weather system ahead, it’s looking like some great skiing in the near future. Keep an eye on the reports for further information.

From the Mountain

We’ve had a couple of days of moderate wind recently, which have shifted the snow around a bit, leaving firm conditions in places, and really nice wind blown powder in others, you just have to know where to find it! Ask the staff for a tip on where to ski and snowboard. I’ve had several people mention to me that they were lapping T-3 on Tuesday and by the time they were back up the top, their tracks were filled in and it was all on again!

The wind continues today, and with some stronger gusts, the call was made to close the mountain. They are forecast to ease during the day, and we’re confident that we will be open again for tomorrow, Saturday 1st August. We also anticipate some new snow to fall in this system, so keep an eye on the website and make sure you’re ready to go if we do get a powder day!

Snowride Sports Retro Dual Slalom - Results

Last weekend we held the inaugural Snowride Sports Retro Dual Slalom, which saw a range of strange looking outfits come out of the closet and onto the snow. More retro gear than usual at Porters (there’s plenty anyway!), it was a great day of racing and fun for those involved. Big thanks to Richard from Snowride, Murray from Nordica and Fischer, and the Porters Instructors for their assistance. To check out all the results and more photos, click here. Keep your ear to the ground for the next family events – Snow and Surf Big Mama Chinese Downhill coming soon!

Travelling in Alpine environments

Skiing in New Zealand is slightly different from elsewhere in the world. The nature of our ski areas means that access is inevitably via gravel mountain access roads, which vary in quality and difficulty. Here at Porters, we beleive ours is one of the easier access roads, and with a dedicated team looking after the road in the event of a snow-fall, we endeavour to keep our roads as safe and accessible as possible. But there are a few other things you can do which make it even easier! A four wheel drive vehicle is a great start if you spend a bit of time in the alps. Our partners at Miles Toyota have a range of new and used vehicles that are perfectly suited to our alpine environment. They’ll certainly look after you as a Porters Customer, check out the options right here, or click below for more great deals!

The next step is to winterise your vehicle to ensure it can handle the cold temps, and then get some rubber and steel that will make driving on snow and ice easier! A good set of snow specific tires helps with tractions, and all vehicles in alpine environments should carry snow chains, so get you-self a set. Auto City in Christchurch are an accredited Kumho1 dealer, as well as a range of other brands. Call in to see Murray and the team who will get your vehicle all geared up and ready to tackle the mountains. Click the link below for contact details.

Upcoming Events

Quest Community Park Jam Event 1

Come on up to Porters and join in the Quest Community Park Jam Series starting this Saturday at 10am (weather permitting). There are 4 divisions with Groms (under 15) and Open split into Men’s and Women’s. Throw down what tricks you have in your bag in a relaxed and fun jam format.
 
Registration in the Porters Ticket office, plus from 9:30 at the Burton Tent at the bottom of the Community Park with a comp entry fee of only $10 for CHILL pass-holders and those with season passes, and an amazing combo from Porters of only $40 lift pass + $10 entry fee for non season pass holders. (You must be competing in the comp to be eligible for this deal, and purchase your lift pass and pay the entry fee at the Porters ticket office.)

The Jam will run from 10am – 12pm with a final for the top 15 riders from 12:30 – 1:30pm and a prize giving following (times subject to change). Quest and Porters are putting on a free BBQ for all the competitors throughout the event, and spot prizes will be put up from Burton, R.E.D, Anon, and Quest as well.
 
In the case of bad weather, the event will be moved to Sunday 2nd Aug. If the weather has not cleared up for either day, the first event will be cancelled, and a 2 part series on the 22/23 Aug and 5/6 Sept for the Grand final will continue as planned. Please check the snow report on the day for further information.
 
There will be 2 other jams following this Saturday as mentioned above. The Grand Final will take place on the 5th September where those who have attended all 3 events will be eligible for the overall prize or ‘MVP’ of the series.

Come up and join the Community at Porters this Saturday!

The snow is coming, and our base is exceptional, so make sure you come up to make the most of it. Provided we get the appropriate weather, my pick for the weekend is Saturday, so bail the kid’s out of the morning footy, load them up in the wagon, and cruise on up!

Guy Nurse.
Porters Marketing
guy@skiporters.co.nz

Hi everyone. It’s snowing at Porters! We’ve received 15cm of fresh snow in the car-park this morning, and it is snowing heavily! With a possible clearing weather forecast for Friday and clear skies and light winds for the weekend, it’s going to be a great weekend in the mountains!

We’ve got plenty going on this weekend, a couple of fun events for you and your family to enjoy, and it looks like we’ll have some fantastic skiing on fresh snow for you also. The whole mountain is covered, and the skiing is some of the best we can remember in a long time. You need to come up and check it out!

Read on for the latest from the mountain, and what’s on at Porters this week.

From the Mountain

Video Report Update…

We have a new update from the mountain that has been posted to the site. Catch up with Ellie from our customer service team as she informs you of what’s happening on the mountain, a look at the skiing on offer, and an idea of what’s happening this weekend at Porters. You can view the video through the latest blog post, or check out the Porters video gallery which features this update, along with an archive of videos from Porters this (and last) season.

Fresh snow!

As mentioned above, we have received 15cm of fresh snow in the car-park alone, with more snow likely higher up. It is snowing heavily, and is forecast to do so throughout the day. The next change is later today to cooler temperatures and weather out of the South, with more snow possible overnight. The Porters patrollers will be monitoring the snow-pack today, and will be doing control work first thing Friday morning depending on what the weather brings. We will open the ski area as soon as conditions allow. As the conditions improve tomorrow, the snow will be looking good for some great skiing.

Keep your eye on the reports through the Porters website, we will keep you updated with the latest information from the mountain.

Upcoming Events

Snowride Sports Retro Dual Slalom – SUNDAY 26th JULY!

The Snowride Sports Retro Dual Slalom is all on for this Sunday 26th July and offers you the chance to measure up to your family members and friends, both in racing and style. It will have a family focus, emphasis is on fun as well as speed. The dual slalom is for youths aged 10 to 18 years, as well as open men’s and women’s categories. Pre registration ($10) can be done at the ticket office this Friday and Saturday, so get involved and sign up for a fun day on the slopes. Registration will close at 9:30/10am on Sunday morning, and competitors will meet at the top of the race course at tower 7 on T-1 from 10:30am for race briefing and a welcome from the retro team. Get out your retro gear, slap on some zinc, and come and join us for a tribute to fluro and ‘hip-swinging’ turns!

Porters Community Park – Open Day and Mini-Jam – Sunday 26th July

Leading into the Quest Community Park Jam Series in association with Burton taking place over three separate weekends this winter, Sunday 26th July will see an official opening day in the Community Park. This date has been pushed out from Saturday to give the Community Park crew a chance to consolidate the snow and get the park in tip-top shape for Sunday. It’s a day where the park will be open with as many features as we can have operating, followed by a lunch-time ‘mini-jam’ powered by Quest Snow Store and Burton, plus support from our other Community Park sponsors.

So get your mates together and come check it out, should be a fun day, and will set you up well for the Community Park comps coming up. No rego required for the open day, spot prizes only, pre-registration for the Jam events will be available through the ticket office from this weekend onward.

New Porters Tees

We’ve gone ahead and taken your favourite Porters sticker and slapped it on a new t-shirt, available now through the Porters ticket office. The new ‘I * Big Mama’ tees come in kids and women’s versions in Powder blue. Stand out in the Porters crowd with your tribute to the magical Porters icon – Big Mama. We have many more great designs from Porter’s Oktoberfest to Community Park tees and hoodies, Porters down vests, plus wind and water resistant shells, so come on in and check them out. Get your complimentary sticker at the Porters ticket office.

Let it snow, let it snow…. we’re still receiving fresh snow, so keep your eyes on our website and webcams tomorrow for the latest from the hill as conditions improve. We’ll be completing control work tomorrow morning, and will update these reports with any further changes.

Thanks, see you this weekend!

Guy Nurse.
Porters Marketing

Hi, its Guy here, welcome to the school holidays!

Wow – what can I say? The holidays are cranking at Porters! We have had some incredible snow conditions on the mountain, with many a report of the ‘best skiing ever’ coming from the hill. The snow we have received, combined with favourable (cold) temperatures have meant that the quality of the snow is very high, especially for this early in the season. Luke, our operations manager said that 'the skiing does not get much better in this hemisphere than what we have right now. Blue skies and powder!'

It is usually this time of year when the hype of the ‘start’ of the winter is in full swing, with all the ski areas laying claim to fantastic conditions. It seems that across the range, these claims are more than justified this winter, and many of you are scoring some epic days in the alps.

Read on for further information from the mountain.

The snow just keeps coming! We are now completely covered and all runs are open. The faces are skiing well, with top to bottom skiing, and many have been taking advantage of the wide range of terrain on offer.

We have had some beautiful clear and calm weather conditions, which have allowed many of you to take advantage of the excellent back-country access on offer.
Please ensure that you check in with our Patrollers if you are to exit the ski area boundaries. They know what’s going on in the mountains, and are your best option for gaining the knowledge you need to keep safe. Make sure that you have all the gear you need, and travel together.

Make sure you create a bookmark for our website (www.skiporters.co.nz) to check in on the latest reports, webcams and information from the mountain before you head up. 

Porters Kid's Club underway these holidays

The Porters Kid's club is up and running for the holidays, and offers parents the option to include their 3 to 5 year olds in morning and afternoon lessons (2 hours each) with our excellent Snowsports School instructors. Your kids will ski with others their own age, and will be well looked after by our instructors who will pass on their knowledge and experience.

The programme runs every day in the school holidays, as well as every Sunday. A half-day is $40 or $70 for a full day. Check into the Snowsports School office at Porters to find out more and get your kid’s involved.

All of the Porters holiday ski and snowboard programmes start on Monday the 13th at 9am, and run through the 2009 winter season. For those of you who're involved, we all meet at the Porters platter lift on Monday to divide the groups. If you require more information, please contact us and we'll see if we can get you involved!

Coming at you for the first time this winter, an event the whole family can enjoy! Powered by Nordica, the inaugural Snowride Sports Retro Dual Slalom (25th/26th July) offers you the chance to measure up to your family members and friends, both in racing and style. Richard from Snowride assures me that his ‘one-piece’ ski-suit is a force to be reckoned with, so clean out the closet, wax up your 210cm GS skis, and come prepared for a showdown! This event is for youths aged 10 to 18 years, as well as open men's and women's categories. Pre registration will begin later next week for the event, check out our events page soon for more information.

Well, the last couple weeks have been great for snow. We've had some unreal powder riding, and all the snow helps to keep us pretty busy here in the park, digging things out. But it's good, as it now means that we have plenty of snow for getting the rest of the park cranking.

We now have kickers set up on the first terrace and third terraces, the wall-ride is open and we have put the two 4 metre boxes together to make an 8 metre down box.  

We're now continuing the process of building the park up over the next couple of weeks towards our Community Park Open Day, for which we'll have a full park line set up, and will also have a casual after lunch jam session, with sponsors product up for grabs. We will look to get a few more features in before the weekend (11/12 July), and will continue to get more happening from there.

Check the Community Park page soon for some more video content from the park.

We have joined the Twitter revolution! We are now sighed up to Twitter, and you may have noticed the inclusion of our Twitter stream on the right sidebar on our website. You can stay in touch with the latest in snow and weather conditions from the mountain, so as to make a good decision on when to head up. Sign up to our reports at www.twitter.com/skiporters, and keep in the loop.

A huge thank you to all for your ongoing support, we’re stoked to be able to offer you some tremendous ski and snowboard conditions this early in the season, and like you, are hoping for it to continue through the winter. Gather your family and friends together and come and see us at Christchurch's favurite family ski area. For more information, snow reports, webcams and much more, check out our website at www.skiporters.co.nz.

Thanks,
Guy Nurse.

Porters Marketing
guy@skiporters.co.nz

Hello everyone – it’s Guy here.

An ‘official’ welcome to Big Mama for the 2009 winter season. Big Mama emerged yesterday for the first time this winter after some fresh snowfall allowed the Porters snow-safety team to declare the iconic Porters run ‘ready-for-business’. We’re in the midst of a polar blast at the moment, which is bringing snow to the Craigieburn Range, with more to come this weekend. We’re open, the school holidays are beginning, and it’s looking like a fantastic winter season at Porters.

The mountain looks fantastic. We opened with fairly firm conditions due to the early snow and subsequent frosts, but after the recent snow-falls this week, it’s all on!

Big Mama is once again open for the school holidays! We have received a good amount of fresh snowfall over the past few days, in addition to snow-making, and the skiing on the mountain is fantastic! Just what we all need leading into the school holidays! Luke Armstrong, Operations Manager is very positive of the skiing right now.

"Conditions are very good at the moment with both piste and off piste skiing well. The forecast snow coming later this week should have us looking very good for this time of year. Our snowmaking is still cranking away, machine-made snow can vary in quality and I have no doubt that the snow we are making now is as good as it gets."

"Both big faces are being skied today. Big mamma is epic up top, and is a little bony at the bottom while Bluff has an average of 10cm of fluff on top of a solid base underneath. The skiing is on up here right now."

It's looking great up on the mountain, so get up and enjoy the snow!

Porters is the perfect place for you and your little ones these holidays. We have great options for your kids to have fun on the snow in a fun and progressive environment. The Porters ‘Kids Club’ offers parents the option to include their 3 to 5 year olds in morning and afternoon lessons (2 hours each) with our excellent Snowsports School instructors. Your kids will ski with others their own age, and will be well looked after by our instructors who will pass on their knowledge and experience. The programme runs every day in the school holidays, as well as every Sunday. A half-day is $40 or $70 for a full day. Check into the Snowsports School office at Porters to find out more and get your kid’s involved.

For the older children, we have a range of training programmes that may be of interest. From race training to ski improvement training, plus free-ride specific coaching, there’s something for everyone. You can read more about the programmes right here.

If you and your family are new to the snow, the Porters Passport is the perfect way for you to get involved and progress your skills. Offering you discounted on mountain packages over a four day (non-consecutive) period, the Passport culminates in a complimentary season pass for 2009 for each person who completes the course! It’s affordable, it’s progressive, it’s fun, and it’s the best option in NZ for first timers. Come see us in the ticket office for more information, or check it out here.

Hello ladies, this is Katharina! Are you a strong intermediate to advanced skier, and want to improve your skiing? Then we have just the thing for you. A two hour lesson every Monday with me as well as another female instructor, with lessons set at a time that gives you the chance to take your kids to school and pick them up in the afternoon. We have a ski test (demo) planned, a day on the race course, plus if weather and conditions allow, a day off-piste with transceiver search and snow science. A shuttle bus will wait for you at 10.30am in the chain fitting area. I'm looking forward seeing you and to have a great time. Drop us a line, you can contact us for more info.

Alan and the crew at the Porters Community Park worked hard leading up to opening weekend, and have set up a 'mini-park' at the base of T-bar 1. Featuring a range of small jib hits, Alan and the crew will be pushing to get more features in now that more snow has fallen. You can check out the latest from the Porters Community Park here, including a brief video showing the features available (filmed Sat 27th June). More to come soon, come up and check it out. The Community Park page will be updated as features are installed.

That’s all from me this week. It’s holiday time, and the skiing is on right now. Get out and about and enjoy the fresh snow around the mountains. We’ll be ready for you up here at Porters, we’re here to help, and will always have a smile for you to make your day!

Thanks,
Guy Nurse.
Porters Marketing
guy@skiporters.co.nz

Kia ora.

After a week of fantastic snow-making temperatures and preparation work on the mountain, the Porters team are all set to go this Friday (26th June) for the opening of the 2009 winter season.

There has been some great early season snow-falls, and we now have an excellent snow-base on the main runs. Recent snow-making has added to the natural base and the skiing and riding on-piste is looking good. Porters’ experienced grooming team have been hard at work consolidating the snow-pack, and ensuring the surface is in premium condition for the start of the season.

Ski area manager Uli Dinsenbacher is excited about the season ahead. “All the staff are raring to go. We have a great base, and conditions are good on the main runs. The skiing on the main groomed run of T3 is good, as well as the intermediate run through McNulty’s basin returning to T1. The beginners, intermediate and T1 area are also looking really good, so we encourage all keen Christchurch skiers and boarders to come up and take advantage of the great early season conditions.”

“Due to some unmarked hazards and firm conditions off-piste, we will have some closures. We hope to open these areas as soon as we can after either a warmer period or when we receive some new snow. We’re hoping to get some more fresh snow from a weather system early next week.”

Porters will open for business this Friday the 26th of June (weather permitting), with all mountain facilities operating, including the Porters free mountain shuttle from the chain fitting bay. Please callor email ahead if you'd like to use the shuttle service so we can ensure that it's there to meet you and get you up the mountain!

The Porters website, www.skiporters.co.nz, has all the info you need before you come to see us at Porters. The latest webcam images, up to the minute reporting on which lifts are open, rates and packages, and much more. Check it out, and we’ll see you soon at Porters!

Cheers,
Guy Nurse.
Porters Ski Area.

Hi there,

Hope you’re all well, and like us are eagerly awaiting the winter season. As I type this email, another cold southerly system is working its way up the country, bringing snow to 1000 metres tomorrow. It’s great that the end of our early pass sales and the CSA Snow Show coincide with a cold weather system.
Read on for this week’s news….

From the Mountain
As mentioned above, it’s snowing in the Alps. The latest from Luke Armstrong, Porters Operations Manager, is that the snow-line is now down to tower 10 and still descending. All this snow and cold weather is great for cooling the ground down.

Last Days – Early pricing on Season Passes
We’re now into our final 2 days of the season pass sales at the early rate. All passes are available through our website, www.skiporters.co.nz, where all season pass options are available through our online shop. You can purchase multiple passes or products with each order – simply select the product from the drop down menu, fill in the details required, and click ‘add’. You can then select another product to add and continue through to the checkout when ready. Click on the image below to apply now.

Winnie Bagoes – ‘Ferry Funky’!
Long-time Porters partners, Winnie Bagoes, opened up their second Christchurch location late in 2008, and have been loving Ferrymead ever since. Both restaurants offer hands-down the best Pizza in town, and are great places for a drink too. After a day on the slopes, take the family to Winnies and you’ll leave happy, well fed, and relaxed. We will have exclusive offers with Winnies through the winter, so keep your eyes peeled for more information! Check out this year’s CHILL mag for this special Winnies winter deal plus many more…

2008 Porters Photo Competition

The 2008 season was a great winter, with some fantastic skiing and equally great imagery. We had a number of entries, not as many as we'd like (so please send yours in!). There was one Porters skier, also an excellent photographer, that provided many great shots to us last year. Dean Jeffery is the winner of last years competition with this great shot of the mountain from below, taking away the prize of a 2009 Porters season pass! Congratulations Dean, we appreciate your effort. 

We'll be featuring all photo competition entries through our online Gallery through winter, with Uli Dinsenbacher, Porters General Manager, selecting the winning entry at the end of the season. More info through our website and in newsletters to come...

Pre season training
It’s time to get those legs ready for winter! Get into it; it helps with your skiing and snowboarding, reduces the chance of injury, and will result in more enjoyment for you on the slopes this winter. There are a number of exercises, stretches, and training that can help – check out www.snowsmart.co.nz for all the info you could ever want on getting in shape for winter.

That’s all from us – remind all your friends and family to get online tomorrow to secure their Porters pass for winter. We’ll be in touch again soon, all the best.

Guy Nurse
Porters Ski Area.