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6th July 2009

An official welcome to Big Mama for the 2009 winter season. Big Mama emerged yesterday for the first time this winter after some fresh snowfall allowed the Porters snow-safety team to declare the iconic Porters run ready-for-business. Were in the midst of a polar blast at the moment, which is bringing snow to the Craigieburn Range, with more to come this weekend. Were open, the school holidays are beginning, and its looking like a fantastic winter season at Porters.

From the Mountain

The mountain looks fantastic. We opened with fairly firm conditions due to the early snow and subsequent frosts, but after the recent snow-falls this week, its all on!

Big Mama is once again open for the school holidays! We have received a good amount of fresh snowfall over the past few days, in addition to snow-making, and the skiing on the mountain is fantastic! Just what we all need leading into the school holidays! Luke Armstrong, Operations Manager is very positive of the skiing right now. 

"Conditions are very good at the moment with both piste and off piste skiing well. The forecast snow coming later this week should have us looking very good for this time of year. Our snowmaking is still cranking away, machine-made snow can vary in quality and I have no doubt that the snow we are making now is as good as it gets."

"Both big faces are being skied today. Big mamma is epic up top, and is a little bony at the bottom while Bluff has an average of 10cm of fluff on top of a solid base underneath. The skiing is on up here right now."

It's looking great up on the mountain, so get up and enjoy the snow!

Holiday Programmes

Porters is the perfect place for you and your little ones these holidays. We have great options for your kids to have fun on the snow in a fun and progressive environment. The Porters Kids Club offers parents the option to include their 3 to 5 year olds in morning and afternoon lessons (2 hours each) with our excellent Snowsports School instructors. Your kids will ski with others their own age, and will be well looked after by our instructors who will pass on their knowledge and experience. The programme runs every day in the school holidays, as well as every Sunday. A half-day is $40 or $70 for a full day. Check into the Snowsports School office at Porters to find out more and get your kids involved.

For the older children, we have a range of training programmes that may be of interest. From race training to ski improvement training, plus free-ride specific coaching, theres something for everyone. You can read more about the programmes right here.

If you and your family are new to the snow, the Porters Passport is the perfect way for you to get involved and progress your skills. Offering you discounted on mountain packages over a four day (non-consecutive) period, the Passport culminates in a complimentary season pass for 2009 for each person who completes the course! Its affordable, its progressive, its fun, and its the best option in NZ for first timers. Come see us in the ticket office for more information, or check it out here.

Monday Ladies's Clinics with Katharina Klein

Hello ladies, this is Katharina! Are you a strong intermediate to advanced skier, and want to improve your skiing? Then we have just the thing for you. A two hour lesson every Monday with me as well as another female instructor, with lessons set at a time that gives you the chance to take your kids to school and pick them up in the afternoon. We have a ski test (demo) planned, a day on the race course, plus if weather and conditions allow, a day off-piste with transceiver search and snow science. A shuttle bus will wait for you at 10.30am in the chain fitting area. I'm looking forward seeing you and to have a great time. Drop us a line, you can contact us for more info.

Porters Community Park Open

 Alan and the crew at the Porters Community Park worked hard leading up to opening weekend, and have set up a 'mini-park' at the base of T-bar 1. Featuring a range of small jib hits, Alan and the crew will be pushing to get more features in now that more snow has fallen. You can check out the latest from the Porters Community Park here, including a brief video showing the features available (filmed Sat 27th June). More to come soon, come up and check it out. The Community Park page will be updated as features are installed.

Its holiday time, and the skiing is on right now. Get out and about and enjoy the fresh snow around the mountains. Well be ready for you up here at Porters, were here to help, and look forward to seeing you soon.