Massive boost for NZ snow industry.
Porters is closer to Christchurch than Cooma is to Thredbo, so this is HUGE for people living in the Canterbury region!
All new lifts (including a gondola), and the Crystal Vally area is going to be lifted!
http://www.skiporters.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Porters-Trail-Map-Tall-2010.pdf
Considering how close it is to Christchurch, this will make weekend snow trips to NZ much more of a reality - so Australian resorts are REALLY going to have to step it up!
What would you class as a weekend snow trip?
The reason i ask is if you consider them as only a sat & sun then i dont think any aussies would go to NZ for 2 days, i mean to get to the airport, the hassle of getting an international flight (not to mention the cost), then board for a day or so then come home i dont think it is feasible (in my eyes it isnt anyway).
Sure the flgiht over there is only around the drive from sydney/the gong to perisher (give or take an hour) but driving to perisher is a hell of a lot less hassle (to me) than getting a flight to NZ.
If it was say from thurs arvo to mon arvo (its not a weekend trip anymore) then maybe, just maybe i could see sense in it but it would need to be beyond epic conditions to lure me there for that short a time.
In summary, i dont think it makes a weekend NZ trip any more of a reality, i mean you can fly direct to Queenstown already (only cost me $20 more than a flight to Christchurch) and they have better resorts close by aswell.
EDIT: One impressive thing i found about porters is;
What’s really remarkable about Porters is that they offer a snow guarantee so that you can at least test out the conditions. If you’re not happy with the conditions by 10:30am (or 1:30pm on an afternoon ticket) you can get a voucher for another lift ticket on another day. That’s pretty impressive!
What would you class as a weekend snow trip?
I mean leaving Friday night, coming back Sunday night.
This changes everything for weekend NZ trips, because for many people it’ll be faster and cheaper to spend a weekend on-snow at Porters that at Thredbo or Perisher. Snow accommodation pricing in NZ is nowhere near that of Australia, and when you combine that with cheap airfares, it’s a win for Porters. Bear in mind, that there’s also been talk about trans-Tasman flights being reclassified as “domestic”.
For sure there’ll be cheap shuttle buses running from Christchurch Airport and nearby hotels - so even off-snow will be a viable option.
The 2hr time difference is also advantageous, because you could get a full day in on Sunday, and still be back home in bed at a reasonable hour to be fresh for work in the morning.
The Village area/accom is to be developed later down the track, the article says!!!!!
Once it is up and runnin, the cost to stay on snow in NZ will be comparable to that of Australia!!!!!
It’s great that they are spendin $$$ though, as it is a sign that the snow sport industry is alive and well!!!!!
Plus I’m with deano!!!!! There’s now way that I’d stuff around with all the travel just to do a WE in NZ!!!!!
You live a lot further from the airport than I do. I can walk from my place to the train station and be at the airport in half an hour - or 10-15 minutes in a cab.
Weekend trips to NSW snowfields are a shitfight if you have to leave after work on Friday and come back late Sunday afternoon. Dealing with all the incompetent nanna drivers is infuriating, and therefore really fatiguing. This NZ option will be MUCH more relaxing for many people, meaning they’re not totally spent for work the next day.
fair enough, i live 20 mins from melbs airport and i think id rather still drive the 5 or so hours to falls then fly to nz for just a weekend.
Buuuut thats just me.
Yeah, I much prefer the drive from Melbourne to the snow than Sydney to the snow. At the worst times, it can be 7-9 hours’ driving. That drive takes more out of me than a whole weekend’s boarding - so I’d take any viable option over doing it.
It’ll be especially great for people from Brisvegas, though. Sure, it’s already possible to do the Queenstown flights - but they’re never that cheap. It’s the sub-$300 Christchurch return flights I’m thinking about.
im going to disagree with you. i found the Gong-Perisher drive to be the easiest drive ever.
Me and my mates would do day trips every weekend( leave @2am get home around 10pm same day) its easy as sh!t, its pretty much highway all the way to front valley and i would sit on 120ish the entire way on cruise control, the drive from melbs to falls/hotham is heaps worse/annoying.
Yeah I don’t know if any of you have ridden the likes of Mt hutt yet… Not exactly the most exciting field. It’s got a semi decent park, but the hill is tiny and has pretty tame terrain.
I’m not sure about Porters, my mate runs the snow school there, but considering it’s in the same ranges and not far away, I don’t think the terrain is going to be much different than Hutt.
Also, where are you getting sub $300 flights? I paid around $400 return carry on only last year chch-sydney.
Yeah I don’t know if any of you have ridden the likes of Mt hutt yet… Not exactly the most exciting field. It’s got a semi decent park, but the hill is tiny and has pretty tame terrain.
I’m not sure about Porters, my mate runs the snow school there, but considering it’s in the same ranges and not far away, I don’t think the terrain is going to be much different than Hutt.
Also, where are you getting sub $300 flights? I paid around $400 return carry on only last year chch-sydney.
I’ve done around 25-30 days at Hutt, spread out over the last 16 years or so - and you’re right, it can get boring. I only really enjoy it on pow days, where I’ll ride whatever’s not tracked out until they open access to the South Face, then hike the Virgin Mile ridge, and finish off by hiking the Saddle Chutes. It can be awesome fun - just on the right days. I think Porters has better terrain, and once all the infrastructure goes in, it’ll be great!
There’s been quite a few sub $300 deals offered over the last few years.
im going to disagree with you. i found the Gong-Perisher drive to be the easiest drive ever.
Me and my mates would do day trips every weekend( leave @2am get home around 10pm same day) its easy as sh!t, its pretty much highway all the way to front valley and i would sit on 120ish the entire way on cruise control, the drive from melbs to falls/hotham is heaps worse/annoying.
By only doing Gong-Perisher, you’re already WAY out ahead, and by leaving at 2am, you’re not getting the traffic - so yeah, that way’s a breeze.
I’ve probably driven Sydney-Snowies and back at least 50 times, and the main time it really sucks is the first/last hour from/to Sydney (which can sometimes take 3 hours), and also during the standard Friday night leaving and Sunday night returning Sydney weekend drive. I’m specifically referring to that time frame - because that’s the standard time for weekenders. I do whatever I can to avoid those times.
I must admit, I haven’t done the Melbourne run at the standard weekender time, so I guess my opinion on that’s one’s not really valid.
Yeah I don’t know if any of you have ridden the likes of Mt hutt yet… Not exactly the most exciting field. It’s got a semi decent park, but the hill is tiny and has pretty tame terrain.
I’m not sure about Porters, my mate runs the snow school there, but considering it’s in the same ranges and not far away, I don’t think the terrain is going to be much different than Hutt.
Also, where are you getting sub $300 flights? I paid around $400 return carry on only last year chch-sydney.
I’ve done around 25-30 days at Hutt, spread out over the last 16 years or so - and you’re right, it can get boring. I only really enjoy it on pow days, where I’ll ride whatever’s not tracked out until they open access to the South Face, then hike the Virgin Mile ridge, and finish off by hiking the Saddle Chutes. It can be awesome fun - just on the right days. I think Porters has better terrain, and once all the infrastructure goes in, it’ll be great!
There’s been quite a few sub $300 deals offered over the last few years.
Probably booked months in advance though… in which case, you generally will book more than a 2 night trip. Otherwise, they are absolute last minute and therefore not really accessible to most people. (Either they are busy, they don’t have $300 per ticket on them, accommodation is too hard to get etc.)
^ I reckon they’ll start to offer all kinds of special packages once it’s all up and running. (you don’t invest hundreds of millions of dollars without incorporating a sound marketing/promotion strategy)
Gong - Perisher is only easier if ya actually in the Gong!!!!!
A bit South like me, and ya have to go up/down Maq Pass!!!!!
Gong - Perisher is only easier if ya actually in the Gong!!!!!
A bit South like me, and ya have to go up/down Maq Pass!!!!!
everytime we drove we actually used maq pass (some mates lived in Shellharbour)