Visiting Porters Ski Area

If you are visiting Canterbury during the winter months, be sure to enjoy some of the best skiing in New Zealand. Porters Ski Area offers great value skiing for all the family with special group rates and runs to suit all abilities. If you are looking for exciting things to do in the South Island, take Porters new Easy Rider chairlift and get out on the slopes.

Skiing is, of course, one of the most popular South Island activities, and many families return every year. The choice of lifts and runs is one of the reasons why Porters Ski Area offers one of the most complete Canterbury skiing options. There are gentle runs suitable for young children and those starting to learn and long cruising runs for those with a little more experience and confidence. For those who have mastered the art there are some challenging terrains to really test your abilities and in the Porters Community Park, you can practice your freestyle skills.

Porters Ski Area

Experience breathtaking views and great New Zealand skiing at the Porters Ski Area (Photo credit Porters Ski Area)

The Porters Snow School and the Academy employs an international team of qualified instructors who offer ski and snowboard instruction to small groups or on a one-to-one basis. Two-hour group lessons are available daily and booking for these classes is not necessary. Simply present yourself at the Porters ticket office and be at the Sunkid carpet lift, or the intermediate Platter lift, one hour before the class. For individual or private groups of up to 6 people booking is required for both the 2 and 5-hour classes. You can rent all the equipment you need at Porters including recreational or performance skis, boots, and poles. You can even get kitted out with jackets and pants, goggles and helmets, so don't worry if you don't have suitable clothing with you. You can also hire lockers to keep your things safe while you are out on the slopes.

Beginner's packages include a lesson combined with a lift pass so you can practice what you have learned and include all the necessary equipment, and Porters has a special Easy Riders packet which is one of the most popular Canterbury activities for people over 50. This packet includes a welcome introduction, a novice lift pass, beginners ski instruction and equipment hire. Afterwards, you can enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee or a glass of house wine and proudly display your certificate of achievement, all for a very special price.

Canterbury skiing Porters Ski Area offers great Canterbury skiing and snowboarding for all skill levels (Photo credit Porters Ski Area)

To get the youngsters started Porter’s offers kids under 10 free entry and provides kids’ camps for children from 4-6 years, and improvement programmes for children in different age groups. These run every Sunday and throughout the holidays in July. There is also a freeride programme for freeskiers from 10-18 years and a junior race team for 5-12 years olds. The expert tuition which Porters offers your children will allow them to become safe and proficient skiers and to enjoy Canterbury skiing to the full. Children under 10, and adults over 75-years of age can use the ski lifts for free with Porters, and lift passes can be bought from their online store with special rates for youths and discounts for seasonal or early buyers.

Located just 89-km from Christchurch, make Porters top of your list of things to do in Canterbury. To get there, hire a Christchurch hire car from Omega Rental Cars and enjoy the wonderful scenery along the West Coast Road (Highway 73) and through Porters Pass. Porters Ski Area also offers a 15% family discount and runs a midweek special of $69 lift passes for adults and bring a mate for $20.00 on Mondays & Tuesdays. So whether you want to try your hand at Canterbury skiing for the first time or if you are a veteran skier looking forward to a whole season of snow based activities Porters offers a friendly and knowledgeable option at very competitive prices.