Massive amounts of fresh snow in Oceania has led to great conditions for the start of their ski season. Snowfall of over one meter(more than three feet) at most New Zealand ski resorts last weekend has made for all-time conditions to start their season out. On the downside, high avalanche danger and wind drifts, have limited the amount of open terrain for the time being. For opening days, please note that New Zealand ski areas are 18 hours ahead of EST in the United States, so when I refer to mountains that opened today, it is currently early Saturday morning for them.
Hanmer Springs Ski Area: Stuff reports that Hanmer Springs was the first to open in New Zealand. However, it is dealing with clearing its Poma of snow, meaning a large portion of its terrain has yet to open. This is the second straight season that Hanmer Springs has been the first ski area in New Zealand to open.
Cardrona: The South Island ski resort opened its beginner’s slopes last Saturday according to Stuff, but it was then closed for a couple of days afterward due to the massive winter storm that occurred last weekend. They reopened on Thursday with McDougall’s and Whitestar lifts.
Coronet Peak: Coronet Peak opened for the season on Thursday. They currently have a base of 60-120 cm and have six of their eight lifts open.
Mt. Hutt: They opened for the season on Friday, and have the following lifts open: Conveyer lifts, Nor’West Expres, and the triple chairlift. The Summit Six chair opened on Sunday, but it has minimal snow depth. After the major addition of the stunning Nor’West Express last season, Mt. Hutt bought a new groomer and added new snowmaking equipment.
The Remarkables:Â The Remarkables opens today (June 18th), as they got a meter and a half of snow from last weekend’s storm.
Image/Video Credits: Mt. Hutt, Cardrona Alpine Resort, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables
