Regardless of how professional and well drilled it is, a popular ski resort like Cardrona is always going to struggle on a 'powder day' Sunday when it was essentially closed the day before. And struggle it did, but admirably so.

Despite low visibility and falling snow all day (but no wind!!), Cardrona was awash with humanity on our early September visit. Even the combination of a lift system that would be the envy of some great European ski resorts plus highly motivated, professional lift staff keeping lines flowing couldn't stop waiting times of up to 30min on some lifts (the Whitestar Express being the main offender). But what saves the day here is the newer 'backside' lifts of Soho & Willows.

Having checked out all the off-piste possibilities on the frontside, which included a mix of short fun challenges amongst the rocks (Tulips was the pick), plus low-angle mediocrity, the day vastly improved when Soho opened after 10.30am. Along with the McDougall's Chondola, the Soho chair is absolute world-class. Reminded me of what one expects in a top European resort so kudos to Cardrona. Zero lift lines make everything better. And a crowd sticking to the groomers is even better in our book. AND the snow depth & quality in Soho was easily the best on the mountain. The off-piste terrain in this sector is playful without being too serious, but serious enough to present a few challenges if you want them. With low viz we were limited from anything too adventurous, but we got the feeling that this was our place!

Exiting via the fabulous beginner run the 'Queenstown Return' we noted the various gates to the skiers right leading back into Soho. The gates were closed, but the terrain looked luscious and ends with easy exits onto the groomed Showtime & Pioneers trails. If we come again, this will be our go to....

Despite the lift status boards in the morning showing Willows as 'Closed' for the day (rather than on hold), to our delight when we slid toward the first entry gate it was open. Low to moderately angled, untracked powder may not elicit the whoops & yips of steeper terrain, but it was better than the alternative. Staying wide on the first run we found the Big Willows terrain to be great fun and approachable for anyone finding their feet skiing powder for the first time. A cat track (that requires snowboarders to point it!) winds itself a long way around to the spartan chairlift base where we found zero people waiting. Seems we were in another world. A lack of grooming and the faint whiff of adventure perhaps keeping the ravaging horde safely ensconced in the relative safety of the frontside. Good for them ..... and for us!!

A few lonely, untracked laps in Willows reminded us why we love skiing. Thanks Cardrona for such a saliant lesson - seek and you shall find.

Cardrona may have its faults, but it has a fair few positives as well. The positives include:
1. Fantastic lift system covering multi-aspect terrain.
2. A park set-up that blew me away (and I have seen ones in places like Laax & Livigno so know a thing or two about it).
3. Professional staff that are all doing their job well.
4. Excellent learn-to-ski facilities, plus nice piste trails for beginners & intermediates.
5. Good quality road access and parking.

Of its faults, the major ones are:
A. Too popular - too many people.
B. Expensive lift pass - but let’s face it, you get what you pay for and those high-end lifts & facilities plus great staff don't come cheap.
C. Relative lack of challenging pistes & expert terrain (but we would like to come back in better viz and snow cover down low to test that theory properly.
D. Given my proclivities for all things European, another on-mountain eatery/bar would be nice - perhaps in the Soho area near the lift base.

We also wonder whether the Valley View chair terrain (which despite being only 280m vert looks good by the way) ever has enough snow cover in this warming world. Would like to ski it when it does.

Driving up to the mountain from Queenstown, we ended parking in Car Park B. If we'd already had a lift pass, parking in the small area at the end of 'Short Black' located between the Valley View car park and the upper car parks - not sure what it’s called, but you can go straight onto the 'All Nations' run from it.

With snow falling all day, the dust on the road on the way up was well covered on the way down. Chains were required for vehicles. By New Zealand standards the road is one of the better ones up to a ski resort that we have driven.

Oh..... and another 2 things. There is a new bakery in the valley at Cardrona village in the historic McDougall's Post & Telegraph building next to the Cardrona Hotel. Stunningly delicious baked goods. Mandatory stop on the way up, or down if leaving early. And there is a new distillery doing vodka gin & whiskey just opposite the resort entry road. Check it out after skiing and pay homage to the bizarre bra fence on the way out.

Cardrona may not be perfect, but it is one of the best (if not the best) all-round ski resorts in New Zealand and worth checking out. Despite our very picky attitude, we enjoyed skiing here, but it was Soho & Willows that saved what might otherwise have been a different outcome.
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It was a Sunday, hadn't been fully open for a few days and had snowed. So despite being early, it was busy but well organised from parking, defined walking areas, signage, lift queue management. The infrastructure is fantastic but the start of the day was hectic with big waits to get on a chair. Be also aware that if you are buying a ticket on the day it can take time. While the staff were awesome and there was good management near the lift gates, the queue races could do with some improvements to minimise the crush and help alternating.

It was hard to get enthusiastic at the start, but once Soho opened and we got across to Willows it was a complete change. Big open spaces, hardly any people and heaps of fresh lines - yee har!
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Cardrona is the least well kept secret in the QT/Wanaka area, especially as a hot spot first time and beginner riders. The top of the McDougalls Chondola is consistently mayhem during busy times, with the slippery 90 degree turn required straight after the lift wreaking havoc. You are going to have to ride McDougalls at least once a day, so it does get a bit annoying.

There are strong snow making facilities on the mountain but these are concentrated where you'd suspect. Some of the best and most interesting terrain (Soho and Willow's) is prone to be closed due to the conditions, the main area (yawn) and Captains more reliable. Most hounds (sans the powder) towards the aforementioned areas but especially the Arcadia chutes area for advanced and expert riders.

The staff are great at this mountain and I actually learnt to snowboard here originally. Shout out to Tony/Teun who tutored my brother and I on a rare with 8+ cm day. Lifties are good at their job and very friendly.
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We went to Wanaka after the school holidays to try to escape the crowds, but so much for that. Some days, we just went down the mountain after lunch because of 30+ minute waits at every chairlift. The new Willow's expansion opened during our final days here, and it helped take the pressure off somewhat, because if the queues were too much, you could do a few laps there. However, Willows wasn't the lifesaver it might have been, because there was no snow. Yeah, we got 10cm one night, but that still left the Valley View Chair unopened, and with it, the best terrain on the mountain. Everywhere else, the snow was either icy or grassy, and the one 'powder day' we had was super wet. Add to this all of NZ skiing's usual issues like zero off-piste, no on mountain sleeping and overpriced sausage rolls, and I was pretty disappointed by Cardrona.

However, it's not all bad, this is probably NZ's best resort for young families and beginners, and when it snows, it's fine, I guess.

Bottom line, if you're not a beginner, just go to Treble Cone.
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An excellent operation which ticks all the boxes for families. It is the leading option for beginners in New Zealand.
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The Cardrona ski resort has undergone a lot of improvements since our last visit 7 years ago, with a good revamp of some of the base buildings and the addition of a couple of fast lifts. This, combined with its strengths (which are outlined on the Cardrona overview page) make it easy to see why it’s become the most popular ski resort in New Zealand, and why lots of Queenstown holiday makers travel a little bit further to Cardrona rather than visiting Coronet Peak or The Remarkables. Despite the additional lift capacity, its popularity has resulted in major problems with lift queues. We visited on a Monday and standing in 15-20 lift lines became tiresome very quickly.

The Pringles lift will enhance the ingress and egress to some good lines but it’s not likely to make a dint in the lift queues. Conversely the upcoming Soho lift should certainly spread the crowds, but it’s also likely that Cardrona will take further market share from Coronet Peak and The Remarkables which will increase the crowds.

It seemed that some improvements had also been made to the Cardrona road with the addition of more drainage and safety barriers, however unlike some other NZ ski field roads, it doesn’t have a lot of rocky/stony surface so it was still muddy and slippery. The resort also needs to do some work on its car park shuttles as we found them to be very inefficient.

Essentially Cardrona is a good all-rounder as far as NZ ski resorts go. You can see our New Zealand Ski Resort ratings to see how it compares.
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If you're in Wanaka already- you no doubt know about this lil' beauty. But if you're based in Queenstown- it's definately worth the drive to visit.

Great snow, a lot more freedom and some great terrain to hit make this my favourite resort near Queenstown to visit.
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Like most New Zealand resorts there's an overall general lack of snow. Be prepared for days where the resort is closed due to: lack of snow, saturated snow packs, high winds, thunderstorms and more.

Pros:
Decent park setup (boxes, rails and kickers galore)
Nice natural features on piste (banks to jump off etc.)

Cons:
Poor Snow/Lack of snow (and poor snow making ability)
Unsealed road (but normal for ski "resorts" in NZ - still pretty shocking that you can pay several hundred dollars for a season pass and be expected to drive up a muddy/rough dirt track to get to the "resort")
Short runs
Small vertical drops
Crowds during NZ/AU school midterm break

It's probably wise to ignore any reviews on Cardrona where it's referred to as 'Cardies' - these are most likely from locals who don't know any better. If you're coming to New Zealand for snow then my advice is go somewhere else!
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I skied with the family at Cardrona last season and was very impressed. My wife and daughter (15 old) are beginner/intermediate and I consider myself to be intermediate skier.

The runs are well groomed and open with plenty of intermediate runs. Relatively uncrowded all week with great snow.

The road up is single lane dirt with no barriers. It gets very hairy on the way down one day in a white out. Other than that the Rav 4 handled it well.

I recommend staying at Wanaka (20mins drive) because it is simply beautiful. A quiet picturesque town with some night life. If you are looking to party, then stay at Queenstown. I would certainly return there again.
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Cardrona isn’t an ideal ski area for powderhounds considering the inadequate snowfall. Super gnarly terrain is limited, although advanced riders will find plenty of enjoyable off-piste action so long as the snow conditions are amenable.

Cardrona’s main strengths are the terrain for beginners and kids, and the intermediate slopes and the parks and pipes are pretty good too.

The strongest point of Cardrona is its family friendliness. Firstly you can stay in on-mountain accommodation at Cardrona (a rarity for a commercial NZ ski resort) so you don’t have to get the kids in the car every day. The licensed child care facilities are impressive and the ski school programs are very well set up for the wee ones. Bigger kids will be impressed with the terrain parks – these might not be as exciting as Snowpark but the huge advantage that Cardrona has is that it has terrain park features as well as slopes, runs and natural hits.

Many of the cons of Cardrona are the same as most other NZ ski resorts: limited on-mountain accommodation; limited snowfall and inconsistent snow conditions; treeless terrain so visibility can be an issue in foggy weather; and a scary access road.

Lift capacity can also be another shortcoming of Cardrona. When we visited in August 2012 (on a weekday) there were horrendous lift queues at the Whitestar and Captain’s chairs, whilst the Valley View quad wasn’t open.

For more detailed ratings of Cardrona and to see how it compares to other ski resorts around the world, see our powderhounds resort ratings.
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