Where is Porters Ski Field?

Porters ski field is located near Porters Pass, about 99km northwest of Christchurch off Highway 73. Porters is located at the south end of the Craigieburn Range near the Canterbury club fields.

Porters Ski Field is 41km from the town of Springfield (about a 30 minute drive in good conditions) and 17km from the little village of Castle Hill.

Driving To Porters NZ

From Christchurch take Highway 73 past Springfield over Porter's Pass. The turn-off is about 7km later and is well sign-posted (including a proud sign that Porters now has a chairlift!).

From Methven, rather than travelling inland towards Darfield on route 77, the fastest way to get to the Porters Ski Field is via the Lake Lyndon Road ie go out past Terrace Downs and turn right at Lake Lyndon Road and then left onto SH73. The road past the lake is sometimes snow-covered and a little sketchy. The Lyndon road generally has a closed sign up during winter (which essentially means it’s not maintained) and it’s generally OK if you have a 4WD. This route to Porters takes about 1:15 hours (saves 15-30 minutes).

The 8km access road off Highway 73 is possibly less intimidating than others in New Zealand. As to be expected there are no safety rails and it’s not sealed (and the scenery is far from attractive!), but the road is pretty wide and in very good condition for a dirt road.

There are no chain hire places nearby, so come prepared. Also come with petrol in the tank as the closest petrol stations are in Springfield or Arthur’s Pass. For those too wary of putting chains on, there is a free shuttle bus service from the chain fitting area to the ticket office. It operates only on days when chains are required to be fitted, and the Porters shuttle needs to be pre-booked.

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Getting Around Porters

There is plenty of parking (free and unpaved of course) available which is only a stone’s throw away from the lifts and the day lodge. There are also the characteristic keas loitering about the carpark, waiting for people to depart to the slopes so they can munch on windscreens, roof racks and any dropped gloves.

Other Ski Fields Nearby

For advanced skiers there might not be enough terrain at Porters to warrant more than one to two days, but with so many other places nearby you can sample multiple ski areas. Other nearby ski areas include:

• Mt Cheeseman is a little to the north, and 30km by road from Porters.
• Further north again is Broken River, 31 km by road. Broken River is 47km northwest of the town of Springfield.
• Craigieburn is adjacent to Broken River (a little further north) and 32km by road from Porters.
• Further north again is Temple Basin, 70km away by road.
• Mt Olympus is really close as the crow flies, although it’s a decent drive to get there (52km via various windy roads).

The northern Canterbury ski fields of Hanmer Springs and Mt Lyford are a few hours’ drive to the northeast.