Industry News
Ski season is still roughly 100 days away for the northern hemisphere but the southern hemisphere ski zones of South America, Australia, and New Zealand are still right in the thick of theirs. Patagonian ski areas in Argentina and Chile are reporting a below-average winter, with Australia seeing far below-average snowfall for most of its winter as well. But New Zealand is having a great one.
After the operator went into liquidation in June 2023, it was unclear if New Zealand’s Mt. Ruapehu would continue to operate. In a last-minute development, the New Zealand Government loaned up to NZD 5 million to ensure the ski season on Mt Ruapehu proceeded as planned this year. Fast forward to today, August 21, and Mt. Ruapehu is reporting a 102″ snow base—the deepest base on the planet right now.
“@mtruapehu in New Zealand reports the world’s current deepest base at 255cm (102″), with their groomer’s snow satellite data reporting snow pockets as deep as 8 metres (26 feet).” – Snow-forecast.com Facebook
Using a GPS system attached to snow groomers to map locations and snow depths on the mountain, Mt. Ruapehu confirmed that parts of the ski area are indeed holding up to 26 feet of snow right now. Mt. Ruapehu wrote in a Facebook post last Thursday:
“The upper mountain snow base is currently measuring in at 255cm! The team is planning to run top-to-bottom skiing and riding once extensive avalanche work can be completed. This will give you access to some of the best snow we have seen at Tūroa for years. At Whakapapa, our upper mountain snow base is sitting at 121cm. We have also been tracking the snow depth across the entirety of the ski area using SNOWSat; a GPS system attached to our snow groomers which maps machine locations and snow depth. The deepest pocket found so far is 8m up in the second waterfall.”
After a record-breaking season for North America this past winter, it seems as if New Zealand is having its turn. And it’s not over yet. Mt. Ruapehu plans to remain open through the month of September, bringing it plenty of opportunity to bury that snow depth even further and continue breaking records.
