Snow resorts around the world are in the business of stoke, they survive by the vibe and when snow is thin on the ground there’s only so many ways you can spin it.
You’ve got to feel for New Zealand this season. As we enter the last days of some Australian school holidays, the resorts across the ditch have been experiencing a less than stellar start with many South Island commercial resorts currently calling a 20cm snow base and the club fields yet to even open. Ouch.
Web cams look positively spring like and commercial field reports are peppered with “thin off-piste,” “stitching together runs” and “thin snowpack” and “lot of natural hazards” alongside “riding limited to main trails.”
But, as we know that could all change with one big storm (and there happens to be one forecast). Plus South Island resorts Treble Cone, Cardrona, Coronet Peak, Remarkables and Mt Hutt have been pumping out the snow making when weather allows and the groomers have been doing their best to keep the snow where it belongs. Which has meant lifts could keep turning. Yay!
In the words of NZ Ski CEO, Paul Anderson
“A few years ago, Rachael Oakes-Ash (Miss Snow It All) gave me a cap with “Pray for Snow” on the front. Suffice it to say I’ve been wearing that hat a lot since the start of this season!
It’s been a lean start to the season in terms of natural snowfall at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt. However, our ongoing investment in the latest snowmaking and grooming technology enabled us to get all three resorts operating on time and ready for the July school holidays.
The highlight of the season so far has been the commitment of the NZSki crew to do everything humanly possible get our resorts open and operating. They’ve taken every available opportunity to make snow, groom it, and move snow around to get lifts spinning and the resorts humming.
And we’ve been rewarded with a busy past three weeks with many visitors from Australia and other parts of New Zealand enjoying their ski holidays in Queenstown or Methven.”
Good news is, there is snow forecast this week!
So get your dancing boots on and sacrifice anything you can to Ullr because our friends deserve some big snow.
