Skiing in NZ

[smithcorp]

Hi all

The family wants to swap their beach holiday next Xmas for a ski holiday in NZ. This would be a pretty new experience for them, so looking for advice on where to go. I was figuring Queenstown but really have nothing to go on other than a trip 30 years ago!

Any advice appreciated.

[ysu]

TBH I'd also be interested, and also how they compare to Perisher?

We've been at Perisher a few times and it's awesome, huge, all-in-one-place, good services eg equipment hire, and track accommodations are plenty. I need all of these

[thornz]

Queenstown would definitely be the best option as there is 4 or 5 fields which are easily accessible from the one location, normally have the best consistent snow conditions as well.
Biggest downfall with Queenstown though is you pay a massive premium for everything as its such a popular tourist destination, but it is a pretty special part of New Zealand.

Here in Christchurch you have access to Mt Hutt (90 min drive) which is the main commerical field in Canterbury, and 10 or so club fields which are amazing, but more off the beaten track, basic facilities (rope tows) etc and more suited for intermediate to advanced skier/boarders, some do offer on field accomodation though, so that is something that might be your style?

But really for a tourist side of things Queenstown would be best bet, heaps to do other than the snow as well, mountain biking, jet boating, rafting, bungy jumping, motorbike tours, restaurants, bars, winerys etc etc.

[thornz]

Another option for something a bit different would be going to the central north Island and skiing Mt Ruapahu, two fields there to ski, Whakapapa and Turoa. If you were based in Taupo its probably a 90min drive to the nearest field (Whakapapa), but then you also have Rotorua not far away which is a quite a interesting spot to visit with all the geo thermal areas. Lots of touristy stuff to do there as well as a backup if you get terrible weather on the mountains. Taupo itself is a good spot as well with lots to do.

Possibly a cheaper option than Queenstown as well as it doesn't have quite the same tourist tax attached to it.

[pixelboy]

Beware: Skiing in NZ is quite a different experience than AUS.

Resorts are much smaller (5-6 lifts) and not as "family friendly" as Perisher's front Valley or Friday Flat at Thredbo. Roads into most resorts are quite tricky and shouldn't be attempted in bad conditions without a good 4WD. I've heard the Mt Hutt road near Christchurch is notorious.

Having said that, for intermediate or advanced skiers, the terrain in NZ is fantastic as is the views (see below Treble Cone).

I'm not trying to crap on NZ resorts and you can definitely have a great time for beginners, it's that they are quite different beasts. There are a lot of other benefits to skiing in NZ including all the other delights of NZ.

[macca]

Wow, that's a blast from the past for me, learnt to ski in NZ. Spent many winters in the snowfields there in the late '70's early '80's, my last ski season was in '94 at Perisher. So assuming that the places may have changed slightly in the intervening decades, I always found Coronet & Treble Cone / Cardrona more technically demanding, was also mostly rope tows / poma back then, but Mt Hutt had chair lifts & was easier & more family friendly from memory, great views over the southern alps if you climb up a bit higher.

When we used to ski Coronet we would always look over at the Remarkables & say that they would be a good area to ski, & now it is open, but I can't comment.

Club fields are really for the more experienced & dedicated skier, I would avoid, also not usually groomed, not back then anyway.

Ruapehu on the North Island I never really took too, but I always struck bad weather there, which didn't help, so may be a biased POV.

If you are all beginners it probably doesn't matter that much, might be better to start at Perisher or surrounds & work your way up. If you are experienced then there is the ultimate of course - heli skiing

Bloody expensive hobby from memory. I put my old Nevica ski jacket up for sale the other day, sold all my ski's & other gear years ago.

Good luck with it, lots of fun, I had a ball taking my eldest son around the slopes, he was only 4 at the time

[thornz]

Roads to the main fields are all pretty good these days, most are not sealed but still easy to access and chains are available at stations along the way for 2wd vehicles to hire. I think coronet peak is possibly the only one in NZ with a sealed road all the way to the main building. Coronet is also the easiest to access from Queenstown itself. Personally I prefer the Remarkables as its generally less crowded

Lift wise, most of the main fields are all chairlifts now apart from maybe a couple of pomas/tbars here or there, but 90% of the mountain is chairlift accessible, and I think a lot of the learner areas now have the magic carpets which are great for beginners. Learner areas are generally quite small, but most people find that half a day on the learner slopes with a lesson is enough to tackle the main green/beginner runs which are generally pretty wide open and really easy going.

[smithcorp]

Thanks all for the contributions. I haven't skied since the late 80s probably, and did a big trip to NZ (it was cheaper then than skiing in Oz). Not really my cup of tea anymore but the kids got a taste at Corrin Forest near Canberra and they also get to fly in an aeroplane for the first time (Bob) so it ticks a few boxes as a one-time thing.

I've worked in Queenstown and its an amazing place, so we will probably go there (direct flights help) and rely on shuttles to get around.

Cardrona markets itself as as a beginner's field, so the challenge now is finding some accommodation - family of 5 is not easy to accommodate.

[ysu]

Yeah, thanks guys, good infos!

I'd like to add; we did Perisher in the past few years because:
- cost: comparatively, NZ did not look cheaper for a few days trip, mostly due to the flight cost. I was trying to compare like-for-like, i.e. Jindabyne accommodation & equipment hire. It was a rough estimate.
Altho we did not use the Jindabyne option after all. And that's where the second part comes in:
- convenience: we can pack the car up and in half a day we're there, park the car and that's it, ski out in the morning, ski back in the evening.

Plus nearly all-day childcare & tuition is available.
I must say, my daughter picked it up very quickly too, so they did something right there.

Still, it'd be interesting to try NZ I think.

[thornz]

If you are think you may target Cardrona as your field of choice, could be worth checking out Wanaka as an alternative for accommodation, possibly a bit cheaper as well.

[smithcorp]

Thanks Thornz - looking at Wanaka, but would probably entail a hire car. Advantage of Q'town is plenty to do there without needing a car potentially.