Camp Porters (July School Hols)

We are excited to have confirmation of lane bookings at Porters in the July School Holidays for our inaugural ski race camp – 12 days of ski race training, competition and fun!

While prior to Covid-19 we were planning towards a Mt Hutt camp for the July School Holidays, unfortunately the associated financial and logistical challenges made this camp difficult to proceed with.
With amazing support from the team at Porters, Smylies & Go Rental, we have been able to partner up and offer this camp that we are super excited for!

The duration of the camp will be coached by Justin Stoddard & Duane Barakat. There will be a combination of GS and Slalom training throughout  with training and drills tailored to the different levels of the athletes.

Camp Porters calendar:

• Wednesday 8th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Thursday 9th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Friday 10th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Saturday 11th July – Mt Hutt Junior Interfields Race
• Sunday 12th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Monday 13th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Tuesday 14th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Wednesday 15th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Thursday 16th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Friday 17th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Saturday 18th July – Training day (Porters Ski Area)
• Sunday 19th July – Porters Junior Interfields Race

Booking applications are open now!
For all athletes/families that put forward expressions of interest for the previously planned Mt Hutt camp, we will hold reserved places for these athletes until Sunday 7th June.
Spaces are limited for this camp. Once our maximum number of athletes has been reached, there will be a strict cutoff and we will not be able to accept any further registrations, no exceptions (we apologise in advance!).

Training Fees:

What’s included:

• Pre-camp objectives session for each individual athlete (and parents) with Justin or Duane. This 30-minute session is an opportunity to discuss expectations around the camp and to agree on training objectives (tailored to the age and ability of the athlete).
  
  
• Training day coaching, which will consist of 2-4 hours of training in a race lane each morning (dependent on weather and snow conditions), followed by a combination of on-snow and off-snow activities in the afternoons.
  Porters have given us permission to access the slopes prior to the general public for some ‘First Tracks’ training. To access this privilege, there will be an additional charge of $100/athlete payable directly to Porters on our first day of training.
  
  
• Race day representation and coaching, which will consist of: representation of Northern Ski Team athletes at official meetings; collection of race bibs; race day briefings with athletes; course inspection with athletes; and assistance and support at the start gate. Following prize-giving, we will head back on-snow for some free-skiing together as time and conditions allow.
  
  
• Off-snow activities for bad weather days, off-snow afternoons and evenings will be arranged for athletes and families. We have heaps of options, including hikes, trips (including Christchurch city centre & Hanmer Springs) and hireage of the local hall (80 metres from Smylies) for dryland training or fun and games.
  
  
• Post-camp debrief with each athlete individually, prior to departing Christchurch, will allow us to review progress against the athlete’s pre-camp objectives. Subsequently a written post-camp report will be prepared and shared with the athlete.

What’s Not Included:

• Lift Passes for Porters Ski Area can be purchased directly from the Porters website. Children aged 10 and under ski for free at Porters and for everyone else,
  
  
• Interfields race entry for the Mt Hutt Junior Interfields and Porters Junior Interfields race events. Athletes will be required to register and pay via the appropriate race entry link when it becomes available.
  
  
• Return flights to Christchurch. Air NZ appear to be flying up to 20 flights each way throughout the July School holidays, so there is currently plenty of availability and reasonable pricing. We strongly encourage you to purchase ‘flexidate’ flights to mitigate the risk of any external factors impacting the trip.
  
  
• Accommodation during the camp. The team will be based in Springfield while in the South Island, so we strongly encourage our families to find suitable accommodation close by, which will enable us to easily facilitate off-snow activities on such times as weather days, off-mountain afternoons and evenings. Also, we’re keen on everyone joining in for sociable activities in the evenings.
  We have partnered with the team at Smylies in Springfield and they have agreed to reserve their entire range of accommodation for us during the July School Holidays, to allow our families the first option on bookings until 7th June. Smylies are offering us special rates of between $75-$95 pp per night for a bed, breakfast and dinner combo deal!
  Please call Colin and the team on (03) 318 4740 or 027 471 8109 and state that you are a Northern Ski Team member and they will help you out with your booking. Please note that the accommodation will not show as available online because they have already reserved it for us.
  
  
• Meals throughout the camp. For those interested, we do encourage you to have a chat to Colin and the Smylies team about their bed, breakfast and dinner packages
  
  
• Transport throughout the camp. We know that a couple of you are planning to drive down, however for those not driving down, we have a couple of options:
  – For those wanting to hire a car, the awesome team at Go Rentals Christchurch are setting up a special promo code especially for our families. Use the promo code ‘NorthernSkiTeam10’ at checkout to receive a 10% discount.
  – For those not so keen on driving, Colin and the team at Smylies will also do us a special deal on transport at $20 pp per return journey, for trips such as:
  – Airport transfers
  – Return trips up to Porters Ski Area
  – Return trips into Christchurch city centre
  – and any other non-snow activities we do
  (we are destined for at least one trip to Hanmer Springs)

FAQs