Posts Tagged ‘ski New Zealand’

All 4 fields at Lake Wanaka are now open and it’s not only Kiwis who are taking advantage of the fantastic snow the area has received:

Gabrielle Vance from Alaska, Lisa Christensen from Prince Edward Island, Canada, Lexis Sion from Mt Manganui amongst many others were there to christen the new season, the new snow.

Snow Farm, New Zealand’s only Nordic ski area, was the first field to open at the beginning of June offering first rate conditions on the many kilometres of world class cross country trails. Treble Cone opened last week with perfect conditions, great snow and no queues. Skiers and boarders enjoyed outstanding conditions with spectacular powder and all lifts operating.

The opening day at Treble Cone also featured New Zealand’s on-snow launch of The AirBag, a supersized, air-filled stunt cushion that provides a soft landing for aerial skiers and snowboarders.

This is New Zealand, whatever you want to try out on snow you can try it out here…

The ideal weather conditions and excellent snow base produced plenty of smiles at Cardrona Alpine Resort’s opening. A new 40 metre tunnel, providing a unique access route across the ski area proved popular with skiers and boarders. Cardrona now boasts the largest number of chair lifts in the South Island with the installation of the Valley View Quad, opening up even more terrain. Thank you to Salomon Freeski TV ep6 for this opening day video:

The roll-out of Lake Wanaka’s ski areas continued as the freestyle action got undweray at Snow Park NZ on Saturday. New for the terrain park is a learner tow rope and designated area for beginners as well as a new transport service to take passengers to and from the mountain every day with extra frequency for night riding sessions Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights. This season Snow Park NZ will launch its 22ft halpipe and quarter pipe as well as many new rails and boxes.

James Helmore, general manager of Lake Wanaka Tourism (LakeWanakaNZ) said it was great to get the snow sports action underway for the season, “We are thrilled to welcome skiers and boarders from around the globe to enjoy the world class facilities and unique alpine town. We are looking forward to another fantastic season,” he said.

More snow is forecasted tonight…

Once again Lake Wanaka’s resorts will stage many national and international events this winter.

The FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Junior World Championships (19-31 August), Burton New Zealand Open (10-14 August) and The World Heli Challenge (30 July-9 August) will attract world class athletes and provide stunning action for spectators.

And to end on a lighter note, have you heard this one?

Two Skiers were on their way out on piste, one said, “Where did you get your new skis?”
The second skier replied, “Well, I was skiing along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman came up on these skis. She unclipped them from her bindings and threw them to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, “Take what you want.”
The second skier nodded approvingly, “Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn’t have fit…”

New Zealand here we come, because not only can we do every single crazy extreme sport under the sun, but check out the snow at Treble Cone? This photo was taken on 8th June and the resort doesn’t even open until the 24th!

and this one…

25cm fell in the Home Basin, it’s currently -8C and the snow guns are pumping!

It’s looking good to be a bumper season.

The season hasn’t even begun yet and have an eyeful of this pre-season snow…

Wow. Not bad. Leith Huffadine getting powder turns on Treble Cone’s famous summit slopes this morning.

With 35cm already on the upper mountain and sub zero temperatures providing perfect snowmaking conditions, opening day on 24 June is looking good! To keep up to date on the latest conditions check out the web cam at the new www.treblecone.com

You might be wondering whether it’s worth going all the way out to New Zealand to ski. Why bother? But, if you love ski-ing and you’re not into beach holidays, then why not? It’s a great place, great ski-ing, many world class events are now held there during the winter months, famous names and faces can be seen on the slopes getting ready for the northern hemisphere season and…. well read on and see for yourselves what’s on offer.

The New Zealand ski season generally runs from June through to late October. Conditions permitting, the major commercial ski areas usually begin opening in early June, with the smaller ski areas opening in late June or early July.

June and July are still comparatively mild months, but getting colder and can offer some good powder skiing. August is the peak month in which to ski, and September and October offer a variety of skiing, from spring ski-ing conditions to wintery powder – depending on the weather.

In a good season Whakapapa will open at Christmas (because of its higher altitude) for summer skiing, while some other areas open for mountain biking.

Commercial New Zealand ski areas, such as The Remarkables or Coronet Peak, all have their own distinct character. Most offer world class facilities including snowmaking, state-of-the-art snow grooming, and comprehensive base and dining facilities.

The smaller resorts  – like Temple Basin or Mt Cheeseman – are often run by a group of enthusiasts and have simple facilities such as rope tow or T-bar lifts, generally no snow grooming, but good day lodges and often a more social atmosphere.

Snowboarding in New Zealand is a popular winter activity. All New Zealand ski areas cater for snowboarding to some extent (in some cases better than skiers) and you’ll find good riding at them all.

Ohau in the central South Island, and Wanaka – near Queenstown – are both known as top snowboarding areas. In Wanaka, Cardrona is one of the most popular snowboarding fields, with a number of pipes and parks specifically for boarders of all levels. Across the valley, Snow Park has purpose-built facilities.

And being New Zealand, once there why not try your hand at any one of the extreme pastimes that they have to offer?

You’re spoilt for choice….