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Porters resort snow
Lat Long: 43.27° S 171.65° E
Ski New Zealand

Porters Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Porters at 1645m altitude

Issued: 5 am 22 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Porters: 0.1cm on Wed 22nd  (after 12 PM)

Visitor reviews for Porters Ski Resort

Porters Ratings

Overall: 3.5. Based on 10 votes and 9 reviews.

Snowsure: 3.5

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Porters is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.6

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Porters has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.4

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.7

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 5.0

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Porters

Public Transport: 3.7

  • There are no buses or taxis to Porters
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 3.6

  • No places to stay in/near Porters
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 4.4

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 1.9

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Porters

Ski in/Ski out: 1.9

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 1.9

  • There are no child care facilities at Porters
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 3.5

  • Porters relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.1

  • There are no snow groomers at Porters
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Porters are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.0

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Porters is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 3.0

  • If snow conditions are poor at Porters, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.0

  • Porters usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.3

  • The staff at Porters are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Porters are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.9

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.2

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.4

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.3

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.2

  • No intermediate terrain at Porters
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.6

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 3.5

  • Not even a kicker at Porters
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 2.0

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Porters
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.3

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Porters has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 3.4

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 3.1

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.0

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 2.1

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.4

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 2.4

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.6

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.6

  • Overall, Porters is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.6

  • Overall, Porters is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

June 04, 2020
colin from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Friendly, medium sized skifield that has a good Kiwi and international mix of staff. Best option for a beginner to get going as mum and dad can have a ski and still keep an eye on the kids on the platter lifts. Coffee is great. On a full snow clear day it is unbeatable for terrain. Local tip, head for first runs in the morning to the top of T3 and come down Sundance, 3 solid runs. Then coffee run, then a fast McBulty run, Big Mamma or Bluff, lunch, sleep and finish the afternoon with a cruisy Easy street.
August 10, 2018
Lewis from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Another reviewer couldn’t be further from the truth. The manager at Porters goes out of his way to help clients and lifts are all not (did you mean to include 'not', ed?) closed when the weather conditions make it unsafe for them to operate - and this information is communicated on their website in advance. If Mt Hutt is closed you can bet Porters will be open due to the different orientation of the slopes. No queues at Porters and extremely friendly staff. Closest skifield to Christchurch, best value for money and in my opinion some of the best off-piste runs in the area.
August 10, 2018
Kim from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Porters is the go to field for riders who want challenging terrain and excellent customer service. Mountain hosts are on the slopes most days and are more than happy to share their best runs and help first-time riders and skiers. The cafe has delicious home made hearty meals, the best baristas and don’t forget to try the steak sandwiches!! Yum!
September 06, 2017
Ben
Came here twice on my recent August trip. I was quite disappointed in the service to its guests. The first day I was here they only opened the chair lift and all T bars were closed. They didn't offer a discount or money back. The second time I came here I'd forgotten the card they load your money on and they charged me $5 for another card. Just days before I saw with my own eyes the manager give another person a lift pass from his office because he knew the person. I asked nicely if they can waive the $5 and they declined. $5 is not the problem it's the principal. Service to individuals under different circumstances is not taken into account. I felt like they wanted to take your money at every opportunity. If you are a keen skier go to Mount Hutt (yes, I have been given money back from Mount Hutt because they had to close lifts) or the other club flelds like Cheeseman, Broken River, Craigieburn Valley or Olympus which are all close by and I can guarantee you they cater more for their guests. You'll instantly feel welcomed and much more relaxed.
August 24, 2017
P Cezzie from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
P town has the crazy powder we all love to whizz through.
June 25, 2017
andrew gillies from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Awesome ski field, nice cafe, great long runs; Big Mama is a beast. Nice ski lodge in Springfield 25mins from Porters. Spa motel and outdoor spa at the lodge. Checkout Springfield Motel & Lodge. Highly recommend Porters and the area. 5 club fields to checkout just past Porters, also!
July 03, 2008
Chris J from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Good atmosphere. Excellent terrain park, good off-piste, good facilities. Snow quality can be sketchy but great after a dump!!!
July 20, 2005
Steve from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
One of the biggest vertical drops in NZ, I think. Awesome on powder days. Easily accessible backcountry, with easy traverses/short hikes out. I've had a season pass for the last several years, and am definately not sick of riding this field.
August 31, 2003
Peter Manning from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
The best value. Closest to Christchurch