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Porters ski resort
Tier C — ENSO-proof

📷 Porters

Oceania

Porters

37

Solid

→stable

Last Snowfall

Aug 31

today

Past 24 Hours

1.5cm

Past 48 Hours

1.5cm

Past 10 Days

25.8cm

14-Day Forecast

29.5cm

Snow Depth

50cm

Resort reported (website)
🎿

Powder Days

14

2026 season

☀️

Bluebird Days

1

2026 season

Updated: Aug 31, 11:06 AM•Weather at base: 1302m

Overview

Porters is a ski resort in Oceania, New Zealand. Today's SnowSure™ Score is 37/100 (Solid), snow base 50 cm (19.7 in), 2 cm (0.8 in) of new snow in the last 24 hours. The 14-day ensemble forecast across seven weather models (ECMWF, GFS, GEM, JMA, ICON, Météo-France, Met Norway) calls for ~30 cm (11.8 in) of new snow. Conditions last updated 2026-08-31 11:06 UTC.

Resort Guide

Porters is a ski resort located in the Craigieburn Range of New Zealand’s South Island, offering a variety of terrain suitable for beginners through advanced skiers and snowboarders. The resort features wide-open groomed trails, challenging steeps, and a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. Key amenities include a modern base area, equipment rentals, ski school, and on-mountain café, with the resort known for its accessible slopes and panoramic alpine views.

Resort Info

Summit1980m
Base1302m
Vertical678m
Lifts5/6
Runs21
Skiable Area1403.6 acres
Average snowfall43 inches / 109 cm
CountryNew Zealand
Visit Resort Website →Follow on Instagram →View Trail Map →

Season dates

OpenedJune 26, 2026
Projected closingOctober 4, 2026

Future dates are operator estimates and may change.

Ski passes

No ski pass found

Access tiers change by season — confirm benefits on the pass operator's site.

Top Après Ski

Porters Lodge – Renowned for its welcoming alpine atmosphere, Porters Lodge offers a cozy après-ski experience with hearty food, local craft beers, and regular live music, making it a favorite gathering spot for skiers to unwind after a day on the slopes.

SnowSure™ ScoreAI
37
Solid
→stable

Good conditions - book with confidence.

Porters is experiencing overcast conditions with a current temperature of -12°C and a snow depth of 50cm. In the past week, the resort received 26cm of fresh snow, contributing to a solid start to the season.

AI-generated summary
↓

Depth

50cm depth — upper mountain may be better.

—

Recent

In the last 7 days, 26cm of snow has fallen.

↓

Forecast

The 14-day snow outlook suggests an average of 30cm, with some forecasts indicating up to 47cm.

✓

Historic

This season-to-date total of 120cm is slightly above the 5-year average of 119cm.

Data updated Mon, Aug 31, 11:06 AM UTC

Snow Summary

1980mECMWF Model

Updated Aug 31, 2026 at 11:06 AM

26cm
24h
30cm
Past 10d
14-Day Forecast
26
Prev10d
1.6
Now31
0.2
T1
—
W2
—
T3
—
F4
—
S5
29.7
S6
Past
Today
Forecast

Snowfall Forecast Maps

New Zealand region

Current Conditions

Reported Mon, Aug 31, 11:06 AM UTC

Depth by source

every reading we have
  • Resort ReportedBase 50cm · Mid 110cm · Summit 170cm
  • Open-MeteoBase 2cm · Summit 2cm

The headline depth uses the most trusted available source. We show every reading so you can judge for yourself.

Freezing Level

71m

❄️ Below base - cold & dry snow expected

Base

1302m

Temp

-8°C

Wind

6.2km/h

Snow Depth

50cm

Resort reported (website)

Resort 50cm · Model 2cm

14-Day Forecast

20.1cm

Mid-Mountain

1641m

Temp

--°C

Wind

7km/h

Snow Depth

110cm

Resort reported (website)

14-Day Forecast

29.5cm

Summit

1980m

Temp

-12.4°C

Wind

6.2km/h

Snow Depth

170cm

Resort reported (website)

Resort 170cm · Model 2cm

14-Day Forecast

33.4cm

Ops signals

  • ●Freezing level below base — snowmaking window open
  • ●Cold summit temps — snow preservation favorable

Lifts Open

5/6
33%

open

El Niño Outlook · Winter 2026

Porters El Niño rank & forecast

Porters ranks #201 of 488 SnowSure resorts — Tier C, +1% in strong El Niño winters.

Tier C — ENSO-proof: Strong El Niño winters looked like a normal year here — within about ±3% of this resort’s own 30-year snowfall average. Not a jackpot, not a bust: a hedge if you’re planning around El Niño.

#201 of 488Tier C — ENSO-proof

Strong-event signal: +1% vs this resort's 30-yr avg

In the three strongest El Niño winters on record ('97-98, '15-16, '23-24), Porters averaged +1% versus its own 30-year snowfall baseline. El Niño has historically made little difference here — this is an ENSO-proof mountain, for winter 2026 as in past events. Analog winters: '97-98 -15%, '15-16 -7%, '23-24 +25%. A pattern, not a promise.

'97-98 −15%'15-16 −7%'23-24 +25%

In-season scorecard

Predicted signal

+1%

Measured to date

+29%

Season total

120 cm

Vs predicted

+28%

Predicted signal vs measured season-to-date against this resort's own climatology.

Signal = average snowfall in the three strongest El Niño winters since 1996 ('97-98, '15-16, '23-24) vs this resort's own 30-year ERA5 baseline. n=3 — a lean, not a law. Updated monthly against measured snowfall Dec–Mar.

Full El Niño report →

Live Conditions

Porters Webcams

All Webcams

Porters Alpine Resort

Porters Alpine Resort

Porters Alpine Resort

Porters Alpine Resort

4 webcams • Click to expand

Local Reports

0 reports
SnowSure™ Forecast Range

Daily Snowfall Forecast by Model

Black line = verified SnowSure™ blend (not a simple average). Weights update weekly from measured snowfall at SNOTEL stations and resort reports.

SnowSure™ blend — verified model weighting

The black line is not a simple average. For Porters (southern alps), we combine seven global weather models using weights learned from daily forecast verification — comparing each model's prediction to measured snowfall (SNOTEL, resort reports, ERA5).

  • 1.Horizon buckets: days 1–3, 4–7, and 8–14 each get separate weights — short-range skill differs from long-range.
  • 2.Regional calibration: weights come from verified error in this geography (Rockies, Alps, Japan, etc.), recalculated weekly.
  • 3.Ground truth only: we never grade a forecast against another model — only against measured snow.

Building verification history for this resort.

How we verify forecasts →

Hourly Forecast Detail

AM / PM / Night breakdown with wind and freezing level

NWP models refresh up to 4× daily · Last synced Aug 31, 11:06 AM

Hourly Forecast Detail
 
Today
0 / -121.6cm2.3mm
Tue, Sep 1
0 / -140.1cm0.1mm
Wed, Sep 2
2 / -51.8mm
Thu, Sep 3
6 / 12.3mm
Fri, Sep 4
2 / -62.2cm23.5mm
Sat, Sep 5
1 / -51.3cm1.9mm
PeriodAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Snow (cm)00.11.5000.10000001.70.50001.3
Precip (mm)00.22.1000.101.70.100.51.87.80.715001.9
Temp (°C)-3-2-7-9-1-9-21-135210-2-11-3
Wind (km/h)151494108172114122118221916142013
Gusts (km/h)8478613046467610076668690109101107908294

14-Day Snow Forecast by Model

Summit elevation (1980m)

ECMWF
46.5cm
GFS
40.7cm
GEM
1.5cm
JMA
18.7cm
ICON
0cm
Météo-Fr
2.5cm
SnowSure™
29.5cm

10-Day Forecast

Today

31

❄️

-0.1°

-12.4°

1.6cm

19 km/h

Tue

1

❄️

-0.5°

-14.4°

0.2cm

13 km/h

Wed

2

🌧️

1.9°

-4.6°

27 km/h

Thu

3

🌧️

5.9°

1°

24 km/h

Fri

4

🌧️

1.9°

-6°

24 km/h

Sat

5

🌧️

1.4°

-4.7°

22 km/h

Sun

6

❄️

0.5°

-2.8°

29.7cm

29 km/h

Mon

7

❄️

-2.2°

-6.8°

1.6cm

10 km/h

Tue

8

🌧️

2.3°

-11°

7 km/h

Wed

9

❄️

-0.1°

-7.4°

7.6cm

26 km/h

Summit elevation (1980m) • ECMWF model

Season vs Historic

Updated Mon, Aug 31, 11:06 AM UTC

119.9cm

Season Total

This Season to Date

+1%

vs 5-Year Avg

119cm avg by now

+26%

vs 30-Year Avg

95cm avg by now

119cm

5-Yr Avg by Now

This season is at 119.9 cm to date. The last completed season totaled ~120.2 cm. That's near the 5-year average (119 cm). Versus the 30-year baseline: 27% above the 30-year average (95 cm).

Porters Snow History

Average annual snowfall is 140cm with an average of 48 snowfall days per season. The table below shows monthly averages across 31 seasons of archive data (modeled snowpack at mid-elevation).

Average monthly snowfall history
MonthAvg SnowfallSnowfall DaysAvg Base DepthMax Base DepthBiggest Snowfall
June29.2cm8 days9cm21cm13.2cm
July36cm10 days17cm30cm12.7cm
August27.5cm10 days17cm28cm10.5cm
September20.5cm8 days7cm17cm9.5cm
October19.9cm8 days2cm12cm9.7cm

Source: SnowSure archive · Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis at mid-elevation. Depth is modeled, not resort-reported.

Season at a Glance

Current season(2026)

Opened Jun 26, 2026

Scheduled close: Oct 4, 2026

Multi-season averages will appear once SnowSure has tracked more than one full season.

ENSO seasonal analog

History · not a forecast

In 5 past El Niño winters at Porters, ERA5 season snowfall median was 124 cm (49 in), about 11% below this resort’s long-term median. This is a historical analog from reanalysis — not a prediction of this winter’s storm track.

Prevailing ONI

El Niño

MJJ 2026 · ANOM +1.39°C

Analog season median

124 cm

5 El Niño winters · 11% below median

All-season median

139 cm

Across 30 ERA5 seasons (2026)

PhaseSeasonsMedianp25–p75Recent analogs
El Niñocurrent5124 cm121 cm – 132 cm2023, 2015, 2009, 2002, 1997
La Niña4137 cm112 cm – 183 cm2022, 2010, 1999, 1998
ENSO-neutral21145 cm111 cm – 169 cm2025, 2024, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018

Season snowfall from Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (~9 km). ENSO phase from NOAA CPC Oceanic Niño Index. Relative phase differences are more trustworthy than absolute cm totals. Source: NOAA CPC Oceanic Niño Index + Open-Meteo ERA5 via SnowSure season archive.

Best Months to Visit

August

Peak Season

July

Peak Season

September

Good

June

Good

Note: Based on typical ski season patterns for this region.

Back to All Destinations

Frequently asked questions about Porters

Where is Porters?
Porters is a ski resort in New Zealand.
How high is Porters?
Porters runs from a base elevation of 1,302 m (4,272 ft) to a summit of 1,980 m (6,496 ft), giving a vertical drop of 678 m (2,224 ft).
How big is Porters?
Porters has 1,404 acres (568 hectares) of skiable terrain, 21 marked runs and 6 lifts.
Which ski pass covers Porters?
Porters is on the No ski pass found. Access terms such as blackout dates and day limits vary by pass tier, so check the pass operator for the current season.
When is ski season at Porters?
Porters typically operates from June to October. Exact opening and closing dates shift each year with snowfall — check the resort's current season dates before booking.
How much snow does Porters get in a typical season?
Porters averages 43 inches / 109 cm of snowfall in a typical season. Any individual season can run well above or below that.
How will El Niño affect Porters in winter 2026?
El Niño Signal Rank: #201 of 488 SnowSure resorts · Tier C · strong-event signal +1% vs its own 30-yr average. In the three strongest El Niño winters on record ('97-98, '15-16, '23-24), Porters averaged +1% versus its own 30-year snowfall baseline. El Niño has historically made little difference here — this is an ENSO-proof mountain, for winter 2026 as in past events. Analog winters: '97-98 -15%, '15-16 -7%, '23-24 +25%. A pattern, not a promise.

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