New Zealand’s Mt. Hutt Ends Ski Season 2 Days Earlier Than Planned

The ski season at New Zealand’s Mt. Hutt was scheduled to go until October 12, however, sometimes things just don’t go according to plan and this time the weather gods forced the South Island resort to shut early.

• Related: Mt Hutt, New Zealand, Reverts Back to June 13 Opening Day Due to Too Much Snow

The ski field shared the news on its social media channels on Friday, October 10.

It’s with great disappointment that, after this week’s challenging weather and looking ahead to the forecast for the weekend, we’ve made the difficult decision to close for the 2025 season.

It’s been a massive and thoroughly enjoyable season, and we’ve loved having you all visit us. We completely understand your disappointment as we feel it too! But with the windy days set to continue, we simply won’t be able to reopen this closing weekend.

Yep, it’s a real bummer! But there are only 246 days until we open for Winter 2026!

A huge thank you to all our amazing guests and staff for making this season such a memorable one.

See you next winter!

Mt. Hutt is about a 90-minute drive from Christchurch. The resort boasts 365 hectares of skiable terrain, catering to all skill levels with 20% beginner, 50% intermediate, and 30% advanced slopes. Its lift system comprises five lifts: an 8-seater high-speed chairlift, a 6-seater high-speed chairlift, a fixed-grip 3-seater chairlift, and two surface conveyor lifts, ensuring efficient access across the mountain. With a summit elevation of 2,086 meters (6,843 feet) and a vertical drop of 683 meters (2,241 feet), Mt. Hutt offers expansive views over the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean on clear days. While there is no on-mountain accommodation, the nearby town of Methven, a 35-minute drive away, provides a range of lodging and après-ski options.

The ski field can look back on a great 2025 season, with 419 centimeters (165 inches) of snowfall during the season. While the resort still has a base of around 100-118 centimeters (40-47 inches), the forecast is calling for warm winds for the next couple of days, eroding the snow cover quickly and making it unsafe to operate the ski area.