This weekend, the moment that avid New Zealand skiers and riders have been waiting for arrived. Thanks to recent snowfall, Cardrona Alpine Resort was able to open more terrain. This included Soho Basin, a project the New Zealand ski resort has been working on for many years.
On June 29th, Cardrona held an opening ceremony for the new Soho Basin chairlift. The ceremony included speeches from members of the Ngāi Tahu (the most prominent Māori iwi tribe), Komene Cassidy (owner of Tēnei Te Ruru Ltd.) , Dave Beeche (RealNZ CEO), Garreth Hayman (Doppelmayr), and Louise Upston (New Zealand’s Tourism Minister). While guest were allowed to ride the chairlift for the first time, this didn’t include the opening of the terrain to the public.
On July 5th, Soho Basin made its official debut. Conditions were characterized as thin cover and there was only a minimal amount of grooming. Due to this, Cardrona recommended that only experienced skiers and riders take on this terrain at this time.
“This is such a huge milestone for the Aotearoa ski industry,” said Laura Hedley, who’s the Chief Marketing Officer of Cardrona and Treble Cone. “To get this lift and terrain open, after decades of dreaming of what could be… it’s a pretty emotional moment for our entire team.”
Cardrona’s expansion features 150 hectares (371 acres) of new inbounds terrain. This includes intermediate, advanced, and expert trails and chutes. It’s serviced by a Doppelmayr detachable high-speed six-pack chairlift. The chairlift’s 75 carriers can haul up 3000 people per hour. It has a length of 1,237 meters (4,058 feet) and a vertical rise of 379 meters (1,243 feet). With this expansion, Cardrona now features 615 hectares (approximately 1,520 acres) of skiable terrain, making it the largest ski resort in New Zealand.
Image/Video Credits: Cardrona Alpine Resort, Alex Parsons
