Several skiing areas lie within a two-hour drive of Christchurch.
HAMNER SPRINGS
Hanmer Springs Adventure Centre (Tel 03-315 7233;
www.hanmeradventure.co.nz; 20 Conical Hill Rd; h9am-5pm) supplies information on (and handles bookings for) various activities, and rents equipment such as mountain bikes (per hour/day $19/45), fishing rods (per day $25) and ski and snowboard gear.
There are two main skiing areas near Hanmer Springs. Hanmer Springs Ski Field is the closest, 17km (unsealed) from town, and Mt Lyford Ski Field is some 60km away. They aren’t as expensive as the larger resorts. The Hanmer Springs Adventure Centre operates shuttle buses to the mountains.
PORTER HEIGHTS
The closest commercial ski area to Christchurch is
Porter Heights (Tel 03-318 4002;
www.skiporters.co.nz; daily lift pass adult/child $75/40), 96km away on the Arthur’s Pass road. Its Big Mama is one of the steepest runs in NZ and there’s a half-pipe for snowboarders, plus good cross-country areas and ski touring out along the ridge.
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ARTHUR’S PASS & CRAIGIEBURN REGIONS
There are five ski areas in the Arthur’s Pass and Craigieburn regions:
Temple Basin (Tel 03-377 7788;
www.templebasin.co.nz; daily lift pass adult/child $60/35) is a club field 4km from the Arthur’s Pass township. It’s a 50-minute walk uphill from the car park to the ski-area lodges. There’s floodlit skiing at night and excellent back-country runs for snowboarders. For info on local facilities, see Arthur’s Pass.
Craigieburn (Tel 03- 318 8711; www.craigieburn.co.nz; daily lift pass adult/child $65/35), centred on Hamilton Peak, is 40km from Arthur’s Pass. It’s one of NZ’s most challenging club areas, with intermediate and advanced runs (no beginners). Not far away is Broken River (Tel 03-318 8713; www.brokenriver.co.nz; daily lift pass adult/child $60/35), another club field, with a 15- to 20-minute walk from the car park and a nice sense of isolation. See Craigieburn Forest Park and Arthur’s Pass for details of local places to stay and eat.
Another good club area in the Craigieburn Range is family-friendly Mt Cheeseman (Tel 03-344 3247; www.mtcheeseman.co.nz; daily lift pass adult/child $60/30), 112km from Christchurch. The ski area, based on Mt Cockayne, is in a wide, sheltered basin.
