Mount Potts
Encyclopedia
Mount Potts is a specialist backcountry skiing
base in South Island
, New Zealand
. Unlike normal resorts, there are no fixed ski tows or chairlifts. Instead, vertical transport is provided by snowcats and helicopter. The ski area covers 660 hectares and includes, "steep faces, chutes, rocks to drop off, cornices, wide open powder bowls and gullies"
Mount Potts is an hour's drive from Methven
, and two hours' drive from Christchurch
; on site there is a modern lodge for accommodation.
Although Mount Potts is on private land, it has an easy access point from the Mount Somers
road. The area is becoming more popular with tourists, after the filming of the Lord Of The Rings
trilogy. Of special interest to these tourists, is the small hill in the centre of the plain, called Mount Sunday, which was the home of Edoras in the films. A recently added trek route has been put in so people can walk up to Mount Sunday and even climb it in relative safety.
Backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes, including skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas either within the ski resort's boundaries or in the backcountry, frequently amongst trees , usually in pursuit of fresh fallen powder...
base in South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Unlike normal resorts, there are no fixed ski tows or chairlifts. Instead, vertical transport is provided by snowcats and helicopter. The ski area covers 660 hectares and includes, "steep faces, chutes, rocks to drop off, cornices, wide open powder bowls and gullies"
Mount Potts is an hour's drive from Methven
Methven, New Zealand
Methven is a small town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located near the western edge of the Canterbury Plains, 35 kilometres north of Ashburton. It was originally the railhead of a short branch railway off the Main South Line...
, and two hours' drive from Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
; on site there is a modern lodge for accommodation.
Although Mount Potts is on private land, it has an easy access point from the Mount Somers
Mount Somers
Mount Somers is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand, nestled in the foothills of the Southern Alps. The population in the 2001 census was 2,307. Due to its scenic location, it has seen growth in the number of holiday homes....
road. The area is becoming more popular with tourists, after the filming of the Lord Of The Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
trilogy. Of special interest to these tourists, is the small hill in the centre of the plain, called Mount Sunday, which was the home of Edoras in the films. A recently added trek route has been put in so people can walk up to Mount Sunday and even climb it in relative safety.
External links
- http://www.mtpotts.co.nz/