It may have been a slow start to the season, but what we have up there has not gone unridden!…

Big shout out’s to those that are saying ‘fu#k it, we are all over it regardless….!..Here’s a slice of what some of the canterbury crew have found at Porters…Words and photos by Shannon McBride

With a lean start to the season and seeing opening dates come and go, my phone finally started ringing.  We were hearing rumors that “Porters is opening”, so a plan was put into place. The next day I find myself waiting at the gate of Porters access road just off Highway 73 and before long a green mud covered 4WD pulls in. New Zealand’s favorite Czech rider Jan Hurka is sitting in the passenger seat, I haven’t seen him since last spring. Methven local, Dom’s pizza owner and solid shredder and sledder Ryan Grice gets out and we throw my gear in the back and are away. Arriving in the car park we find it cold (funny that) and the new Porters snow-making system is pumping out man-made-snow covering the lower mountain. It’s good product, powdery and squeaky under foot but due to the
snow gods being on holiday only the first T-bar is open up to the 7th tower.
Ryan and Jan set to work…

The three of us make the most of what is on offer and have a fun morning playing on all the early season terrain that usually gets filled in with snow and Alan from the Community Park crew has set up a couple of super slippery PVC pipes to finish off each run. Now warmed up and hungry it was time for a bit of lunch in the Porters café filling up on Sheffield pies and coffee, we decide that we will climb to the top in the search for snow and hopefully a feature to hit. The climb sees us snowshoe and skin from just above the T get off point. As we climb in elevation the pockets of wind swept snow become more consistent, deeper and in the shade the snow is even dry and light! Once at the top we are meet by one of Porters best features, the views. Looking south over a glassy Lake Coleridge our vision is filled with countless snow and glacier capped peaks and to the east I can see a cloud-covered Christchurch. On the way up we have noticed a small building near the ridge line with a possible approach, which we think will work. With cloud starting to buildup and the sun on it’s way down we set to building a small lip to gap onto the roof. Soon everything is looking good and Jan is itching to go and he’s straight into it.

Jan Hurka, early season meth at Porters

Ryan some how finds a nail in the roof on his first try and then finds himself in a bit of a difficult position. After that everyone is comfortable with the gap to roof and fun is had. With the sun now well and truly low and the good light gone we all know the real fun is about to start, fresh turns! I throw my camera gear into my bag and we drop in, the snow is a bit wind affected but nice and the ever-present rocks that need to be avoided keep us on our toes. There are a few sections that see us take our boards off to get over rocks but the majority of the run is a lot better than we were expecting with a few powder puffs being thrown-up. So for my first day riding this year it was perfect, not like wading through waste deep powder digging out sleds like we were this time last year but it was fun riding with mates and making the best out of what was on offer. As a good friend of mine always says “Any day on your board is a good one” and it proved to be true.