Trip Report
Ever wonder what you’ll find skiing a day at Cardrona?
Cardrona, New Zealand – August 16th, 2016
As my family begins to pack for this year’s New Zealand adventure, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to catch up on some long form blogs in the present day of insta-EVERYTHING. If interested, you can find another Cardrona report from 2013 by clicking the link.
During a visit in mid-August of 2016, a father and son team had the opportunity to explore the fine terrain at Cardrona ski field. Even with pesky clouds blocking out the sun for the first half of the day, this team was able to enjoy wintery snow in varied terrain.
Whether in the Tulips zone of Captain’s Basin, the fine steeps of the Arcadia Chutes, impeccably groomed piste runs and perfectly manicured terrain parks, there are plenty of options for the seasoned skier.
We began the day cruising the piste runs off Captain’s and Valley View lifts respectively while waiting for the clouds to clear. Off the Captains Chair, we picked our way down various lines through the Tulips zone until our pizza and L&P filled lunch.
When the sun finally illuminated the mountain, leg burning laps down plentiful options in the Arcadia zone satisfied our itch. And finally, there is no better way to end a day at Cardrona then a little apres ski at the Cardrona Hotel. Enjoying mulled wine, hot chips and piping hot cocoa is pretty much the perfect way to end a ski day.
A proper ski day in New Zealand always begins with Kiwi style Hot Cocoa…
The anticipation increases as we head to the carpark…
Cardrona is happy to send you in the air…
It finally time to drop into the first run…
The Tulips zone has some fun natural features…
The Southern facing slopes in here keep the snow nice a chalky…
Perfect area if you have that technical itch…
Or if you enjoy aggressive alpine skiing…
Even the 8 year old was having a blast!
Dad found some carvetastic snow on Creekside…
Did I mention the VIEWS?
An unknown skier carves up Powder Keg…
Headed up Captain’s…so we can ski back down…obviously.
The boy finds some decent off-piste fun in Tulips…
Dad finds the straightline…
Its now time to explore the Arcadia Chutes…
The little man finds some of the best snow of the day…
Traverse views looking toward Wanaka…
The father and son team continue through the zone…
Dad searches for some spicy lines…
But also finds some stellar snow…
Our buddy Reese finds a pocket of fun in the Southern Hemisphere…
The grom finds a pocket of pow before traversing back to the lift…
Dad enjoys some protected terrain for the last run of the day…
Oh yeah, there’s also some rather spectacular views from the summit…
Time to head back down the access road after a day on the slopes…
Mandatory Apres Ski at the Cardrona Hotel…
The vibe is strong here…
Let the kids run while the parents enjoy some mulled wine…
Oh boy, I think we can handle this…
Insert token New Zealand sheep shot here…
Always good stuff from Slay-the-gnar.
More please