Resort Comparisons

There are dramatic differences between the ski resorts and ski fields of New Zealand. There are broadly three types of ski areas in NZ:

Large commercial ski resorts that have great infrastructure and facilities - this includes the high profile ski resorts of Treble Cone, Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Whakapapa.
Small commercial ski resorts with reasonable infrastructure and facilities and uncrowded slopes. Examples include Porters Ski Area and Mt Dobson.
NZ club fields that are owned and operated by ski club members, but are open to the public. Examples include Craigieburn ski field, Broken River and Mt Olympus. The club fields generally have very limited facilities and services but have the advantage of providing on-mountain accommodation, uncrowded slopes and very inexpensive skiing.

The size of the ski resorts varies significantly, as does the terrain and snowfall. The table below provides a summary of the statistics for some of the ski resorts in New Zealand, but for a detailed comparison of mountain statistics see our NZ resort statistics comparison page. This comparison includes the proportion of beginner, intermediate and advanced runs, and lift ticket prices.

Resort	Annual Average Snowfall (m)	Vertical Rise (m)	Skiable Terrain (Hectares)	Elevation (m)
Treble Cone	5.5	700	550	1,960
Coronet Peak	2.0	462	280	1,649
Cardrona	2.7	600	345	1,860
Mt Hutt	4.0	683	356	2,086
Remarkables	3.7	357	220	1,943
Craigieburn	*	500	400	1,811
Broken River	*	420	300	1,820
Porters	*	670	230	1,980
Mt Olympus	*	450	60	1,880
Temple Basin	*	430	320	1,923
Mt Cheeseman	*	293	*	1,847
Hanmer Springs	1.5	310	52	1,769
Mt Lyford	*	450	180	1,750
Ohau	*	400	125	1,825
Round Hill	2.3	783	500	2,133
Mt Dobson	*	430	400	2,030

* Not available or information unreliable

See our Powerhounds resort ratings document to see how New Zealand resorts compare on various factors including the terrain, powder, apres and family-friendliness.

To see how the costs of lift tickets, ski school, equipment rental and child care compare between the resorts, see our NZ ski resort cost comparison document.

Terrain and Snow Conditions The New Zealand Alps are rugged, exposed and in places, very steep. Most commercial resorts cater well for all levels of skier from the absolute beginner through to the expert skier. Conditions for powderhounds and extreme skiers vary from resort to resort.

Generally New Zealand powder has a high moisture content considering the proximity of the resorts to the coast. The snow quality can vary substantially. The ski areas don't have any trees for protection and are exposed to windy conditions. Consequently there can be a lot of wind affected and packed snow. Add a little bit of southern hemisphere sun and you can get some horrifically icy (and dangerous) conditions at times. At other times the snow in the South Island can remain in good condition due to the low angle of the sun and short days, and the melt-freeze cycles might not occur until after mid-August.

Facilities and Infrastructure Generally the resorts in New Zealand do not have a wide variety of facilities such as ski hire, ski school, shops or on-mountain dining. Most of the resorts only have the choice of one equipment rental shop, one retail shop selling the basics, and one to two cafes or restaurants.

The lift infrastructure varies between resorts. At the most primitive end the club fields have nutcracker ropetows. Some of the ski resorts still have surface tows, but the high profile resorts have commenced infrastructure upgrades over the past several years. As an example, Treble Cone has installed a 6-person high-speed detachable lift that whisks you up the mountain in only a few minutes. Coronet Peak also has a very efficient lift system.

New Zealand Snow and Climate To give you a rough idea regarding climate and how it compares to Australia, Mount Ruapehu is the same latitude as Bass Strait. Christchurch is further south than Hobart, whilst the rest of the South Island is a similar latitude to Patagonia. These southern latitudes equate to strong westerly winds and frequent cold fronts. Occasionally the freezing level drops to sea level on the east coast of the South Island, but generally the winter snowline is around 1,200-1,400 metres. There is a lot of rainfall particularly on the west coast of the south island, which falls as snow on the central mountains. Ski areas tend to be on the eastern side of the mountains, sheltered from some of the precipitation but still exposed to the westerly winds.

In the south of the South Island (e.g. around Queenstown), it is somewhat drier than other parts, so there is generally less snowfall but because it’s colder it tends to stay in good condition.

The resorts are incredibly varied in their climate and the wind direction from which most of the snow comes, so one ski field may have a bad season whilst another may get reasonable snowfall.

Lift Tickets The cost of lift tickets varies significantly from about $NZ45 to $95 for a one day adult ticket. The mainstream large resorts are generally around the high 80s or 90s, whilst the club resorts are much cheaper.

There are multi-mountain season passes available. Nzski.com have combined season passes and multi-day lift tickets for The Remarkables, Mount Hutt, and Coronet Peak. The NZ Superpass provides coupons that can either be redeemed for lift passes or for non-skiing activities. Whakapapa and Turoa are owned by the same company and their combined season passes are quite cheap.

Chill sells season passes to 11 mountains, many of which are NZ club fields. They have lots of different combinations of multi-day passes that don’t have to be consecutive, so it’s a very economical way to explore lots of different mountains. The passes are supposed to be picked up at the Chill office in Springfield (8-2pm weekdays; 4-7pm Fridays; 7:30am-2pm on weekends) on your way to the mountain. Alternatively organise for them to post it to your accommodation.