Great ski field heaps of fun for a small field. Definitely Recommended
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I've only been here the one time and although I enjoyed my day I won't be in a hurry to return (except perhaps on a powder day) due to their staunch ban on back/side country access. They were actively policing this rule despite the seemingly low avalanche risk on the day. There is plenty of great terrain but unfortunately you are not allowed to touch it.
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Mt Lyford is an amazing place.

Definitely a little scary drive-up especially in a 2WD.. but the runs are good. No crowds, good snow, one of the first club mountains to open.

T-bar, Pomas and nutcracker might be a little hard to get used to for the beginners but once you get the hang of it, theyre easy.

One of the Chill 13 mountains :D yeeooww!
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I didn't really know what I was getting myself in for when I decided to start the Chill field drive one August or was it September? day. Anyway, the road trip for myself and a French dude began here of all places. You would've thought something in Arthur's Pass but no, here it was. I can't even remember why we came here but boy did my friend get the pants scared off him. And that was just on the drive up the skifield access road!!

There were probably only 10 cars that day. Spring like conditions and our first attempt at the infamous rope tows and nutcrackers. The staff here are super friendly and more than happy to get you set up on the ropetows...I think I pulled off pretty much every pulley that first run as I got the instructions mixed up.

Pretty obvious but the best runs are the longer black? runs that you see from the carpark. A few rocks here and there but pretty easy to avoid unless you choose not to. There's an interesting middle 'valley' where the shorter easier stuff are to be had if you come with family or non skiers.

I can only imagine that the addition of new infrastructure can only have made it a better place to visit now. Most importantly, some of those runs are now longer and better. A bit out of the way but on a good day it's worth it. It was the first club field I skied and definitely won't be the last.
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Mt Lyford is a great place to hit when the powder is going off. There are absolutely no crowds at Mt Lyford and thankfully the ski field completely flies under the radar. Many of the Christchurch powderhounds head to the likes of Craigieburn, Broken River and Mt Olympus, leaving Mt Lyford delightfully deserted.

Like anywhere in NZ, the weather and snow conditions are completely unpredictable. You have to take the good with the bad.

For more detailed ratings of Mt Lyford and to see how it compares to other ski resorts around the world, see our powderhounds resort ratings.
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