Ski New Zealand
Ski NZ for a great all-round adventure! A New Zealand skiing holiday offers good skiing and snowboarding, great ski towns, fabulous NZ culture, and a huge range of adventure activities. Another drawcard is the awesome scenery. They didn't make the Lord of the Rings movies in New Zealand for nothing!
Lots of the NZ locals ski or snowboard, and the NZ ski fields are easily accessible for many Australians. New Zealand also makes a great snow destination for devotees from the Northern hemisphere who need a ski fix during summer because it's usually more affordable than
skiing in South America.
New Zealand skiing is relatively “cheap as chups”!
Ski NZ - Resorts
Broadly speaking, there are three types of NZ ski fields:
- Large commercial NZ ski resorts that have great infrastructure and facilities.
- Small commercial ski resorts that have mediocre infrastructure and facilities yet are reasonably priced. Examples include Ohau, Porters and Mt Dobson.
- NZ club ski fields that are owned and operated by club members but are open to the public. Examples include Craigieburn and Mt Olympus. The club fields generally have very limited facilities and services but have the advantage of providing on-mountain accommodation, uncrowded slopes, and super affordable skiing.
The major strengths of the small NZ ski resorts and the club fields are evident in the Powderhounds
New Zealand ski resorts ratings where many score full marks for some elements: no crowds; the freshies last a long time; and the skiing is really cheap.
Commercial Ski Resorts in NZ
The South Island of New Zealand has various high profile ski resorts on the eastern side of the Southern Alps.
Mt Hutt ski resort is located near the town of
Methven and only 1.5 hours drive from Christchurch International Airport, making it very accessible.
Treble Cone ski resort is further south near the town of
Wanaka. TC is blessed with more snowfall than many other NZ ski resorts and has great terrain for experienced skiers and boarders.
Cardrona ski resort is also in proximity to Wanaka and is a good all-rounder.
The town of
Queenstown is world famous for its tourist buzz, adventure activities, and vibrant nightlife. And as an added bonus, the ever popular
Coronet Peak ski resort and
The Remarkables ski field are close by. Cardrona is also easily accessible from Queenstown.
On the North Island of New Zealand is
Mount Ruapehu. On one side of the active volcano is the
Whakapapa (pronounced Fukkapuppa) resort, and on the other side is
Turoa. Both ski resorts attract large crowds from Auckland and Wellington. The North Island also “boasts” Snow Planet in Auckland which is an indoor snow resort – not really the best place to ski New Zealand for powder!
What’s Unique About New Zealand Skiing and Snowboarding?
Unlike North America and Australia, there is no (or very limited) tree skiing in New Zealand. This could be perceived as an advantage to those who have a habit of running into trees, but a disadvantage is that in bad weather there are generally no sheltered areas on the mountain, so storm skiing in New Zealand is not possible which is often a favourite pastime for powder hounds. Some of the resorts close during bad weather because it’s too windy for the lifts, or the road is closed for snow removal. You’ll need to keep your holiday itinerary pretty flexible and consider alternative activities such as bungy jumping!
On-mountain accommodation is very rare at the large commercial ski resorts in NZ so skiers and riders have to stay off-mountain. Whilst this might pose some inconvenience, the bonus is that the ski towns capture the essence of the New Zealand culture rather than providing a “resortified experience”. The
NZ club fields have the best of both worlds. Most club fields have ski-in ski-out accommodation as well as a traditional “skiwi” culture that features a back-to-basics adventure.
Another unique aspect of New Zealand skiing (unless you’ve been on a
Chile ski trip) is the daunting access roads. Many of them are narrow, unpaved, have harrowing drop-offs and a lack of safety rails, but this just adds to the adventure of skiing in New Zealand!
Ski New Zealand Versus Skiing in Australia
Everyone likes to compare skiing and snowboarding in New Zealand to that of
skiing in Australia. Firstly Australia has trees, sealed access roads and on-mountain villages with significantly more infrastructure than NZ, and even though the NZ ski fields vary dramatically from commercial to club fields, there are some other generalisations that can be made when comparing the two countries.
The first one is that advanced skiing in New Zealand is a little better than in Oz. Generally the NZ ski resorts have better advanced terrain and steeps. NZ also gets more snow, and the mountains are a little higher and further south, so the snow is more likely to stay in reasonable shape. Like Australia the seasons vary significantly, and they can have years that are pearlers or shockers. Most Australian ski resorts have lots of snowmaking, as do a few of the large commercial NZ ski resorts, whilst many NZ ski fields have to rely solely on Mother Nature.
Skiing in New Zealand is often more affordable than Australia, but it really depends on the currency exchange at the time. Lift tickets are comparable when considering the big commercial NZ ski resorts, whilst the little NZ ski fields are much cheaper than Australia (but you don’t get much infrastructure for your dollars), and the exorbitant resort entry fees (aka parking fees) can really add to the cost of skiing in Australia.
New Zealand Ski Season
The New Zealand ski season generally lasts a little longer than that in Australia. The South Island season generally runs from mid-June to early October, whilst in the North Island the ski season lasts until late October. See our
New Zealand ski resort stats comparison for information on the usual opening and closing dates for each NZ ski field.
NZ Heli Skiing
The South Island is renowned for great
New Zealand heli skiing. Heli skiing is definitely something that should be on your list of things to do on a NZ ski holiday. Being flown up high in the spectacular Southern Alps is an amazing experience in itself, but getting to ski or board virgin snow makes it an experience to remember forever. Heli skiing in NZ is not just for experts or rich folks. Most operators can tailor an experience to strong intermediate riders and above, and when considering
heli skiing in other parts of the world, NZ heli ski packages are comparatively cheap. Choice eh? See our
heli skiing New Zealand section for more information.
New Zealand Ski Holidays
Considering that New Zealand is not a complex country in which to travel, it’s very easy to organise your own itinerary. And by using our search engines to compare prices you can get great deals on
flights,
car hire,
ski insurance and NZ accommodation. Also see our
New Zealand travel information page for tips on driving around New Zealand, as well as travel information for flying to and around New Zealand.
There is a huge range of accommodation on Powderhounds. Just navigate to the resort or town you want to visit and then to the respective accommodation page where you can check availability, rates & book online.
More Ski NZ & Snowboard NZ Information
For more information on New Zealand ski resorts and how they compare to each other, see our
NZ Ski Resort Comparison page. This includes information on climate, club fields, and mountain statistics such as annual snowfall.
Don’t be sheepish – organise your New Zealand ski holiday now. You might even find yourself a baaaa….gain!