Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt are preparing to open to guests this Wednesday when the South Island returns to alert level 2.
NZSki has welcomed today’s changes in alert levels by the Government, which will allow its ski areas in Queenstown and Canterbury to reopen, albeit with restrictions.
“We’re pleased all regions outside of Auckland are able to shift to level 2 and that people, businesses and schools can return to a sense of normality,” NZSki CEO Paul Anderson says.
“The past few weeks have been challenging for everyone throughout New Zealand, and we look forward to being able to welcome people back to the snow this week.”
Work to prepare the mountains has been underway since the move to alert level 3 and fresh snow is in the forecast for Coronet Peak and The Remarkables on Wednesday.
“The team have been working to ensure the mountains are ready for our guests to return and that we can operate safely following all public health advice. The snow’s in good shape with more forecast later this week so we expect some great spring skiing conditions for the remainder of the season,” Anderson adds.
All mountains will comply with the public health guidelines stipulated by the Government. A FAQ web page on each resorts website has been set up for mountain guests explaining these in detail.
All three mountains are introducing a scanning ‘gateway’ on the access road where guests will be asked to scan in using the Covid Tracer App on their way up.
Coronet Peak will open 8am on Wednesday with First Tracks and all lifts spinning.
With good snow conditions expected, night ski will also operate on Wednesday evening from 4pm until 9pm. The café and restaurant in the base building will limit capacity to 50 people per indoor area to adhere to level 2 requirements.
At The Remarkables, all chairlift facilities and conveyors will reopen. In the terrain parks, the beginner, intermediate and big lines will all reopen. Similar to Coronet Peak, spaces in the café and restaurant will be limited to 50 per area for indoor dining patrons.
At Mt Hutt, all facilities are expected to reopen with physical distancing and capacity limitations in the cafes and restaurants.
