High in the Two Thumb Range, 30 minutes drive from Fairlie, is a family owned and operated commercial field that becomes more popular with every season. Mt Dobson has well groomed slopes for novices and intermediates, and soft, smooth powder up to 2,046 metres to challenge the die-hard powder-pumpers.
Watch the sunrise from your room, enjoy breakfast, clip on your skis and head for the lifts. Mt Cheeseman has to be the ultimate in user-friendly club fields. You can start the day in this way at the Snowline Lodge. Ski holiday packages include bed, 3 meals, lift pass and lessons at a reasonable daily tariff. Guests assist staff with light duties.
‘The Playground of the Gods’, lies on the western flank of the Craigieburn range, where it is ideally placed for trapping powder snow dumps. Mt Olympus is a small club ski field set in a wide south-facing basin, with 60 hectares of varied terrain providing challenging runs for skiers, boarders, novices and die-hards.
The closest commercial ski field to Christchurch also boasts the steepest downhill run in New Zealand. Porter Heights is a mecca for serious powder hounds who rave about the challenging steeps of Big Mama and Bluff Face, dropping an awesome 670 vertical metres.
The greatest variety of skiing in New Zealand is found in the Canterbury region, with four commercial and six club fields, including an area that is arguably the best ski field in the Southern Hemisphere. Mt Hutt is simply awesome, enjoying the longest and most consistent season in New Zealand - from early June to October.
Five club ski fields in the Arthur’s Pass and Craigieburn regions provide affordable alpine adventure; all within 2 hours drive from Christchurch. These are Broken River, Temple Basin, Craigieburn Valley, Mt Cheeseman and Mt Olympus.
A well kept secret in New Zealand skiing circles, is a remote ski field, which can be found midway between Christchurch and Queenstown. Ohau ski field is by-passed by winter sports enthusiasts dashing to the Southern Lakes, even though the field is clearly visible from the main Mackenzie Plains highway.
Mt Ruapehu is revered as the focus for fantastic winter fun on the expansive slopes of Whakapapa and Turoa - the largest snow sports area in New Zealand. Tukino, a club field on the remote eastern slopes, offers the chance to ski and snowboard on the ‘wild’ side of the mountain.
The broad white flanks of Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand’s largest active volcano, are an irresistible attraction for thousands of snow sport enthusiasts each winter. Whakapapa is the North Island’s premier ski field and lies within the magnificent Tongariro National Park, a World Heritage Area.
The Southern Lakes ski fields are superb. One in particular has wonderful, safe, open terrain that puts it in a category of the best family ski fields in the world. Cardrona is a top shelf skiing and boarding experience, and everyone can have a great time here. Introduce a beginner to these smooth rolling slopes and after several days of lessons.
Classic cross-country skiing is now firmly established in New Zealand with the advent of the Southern Hemisphere’s first all mountain terrain park. Waiorau Snow Farm on Otago’s Pisa Range lies directly across the valley from the Cardrona Ski Field.
