After Weeks of Delays, New Zealand Resorts See Opening Window in New Snow Forecast New Zealand’s long-awaited winter weather pattern may finally be turning in favor of ski resorts across the South Island, with several mountains now tentatively targeting opening dates after weeks of warm temperatures, rain, and frustrating snowmaking conditions. A cold southerly change forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, June 24 and 25, is expected to bring natural snowfall and improved snowmaking opportunities, […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | June 22, 2026 0 Comments
New Zealand’s Slow Start to Winter Continues as Several Resorts Delay Opening Again New Zealand’s challenging start to the 2026 ski season is continuing, with three of the country’s most famous ski areas near Queenstown and in the Canterbury region on the South Island announcing further opening delays as warm temperatures, rain, and strong winds continue to frustrate snowmaking efforts. Just days after several resorts postponed their planned opening weekends to June 20, […] Weather Kiwi Brains | June 19, 2026 0 Comments
New Snow Brings Welcome Boost to New Zealand Ski Resorts After a challenging start to winter, snow has finally returned to parts of New Zealand’s ski country over the past 24 hours, providing a timely boost for resorts preparing for the heart of the 2026 season. The latest cold front delivered fresh snowfall across several North and South Island mountains on Monday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 16, coating upper […] Weather Kiwi Brains | June 15, 2026 0 Comments
New Zealand’s Ski Season Off to a Slow Start as Resorts Delay Openings Amid Lack of Snow Winter has been slow to arrive in New Zealand, forcing several South Island ski resorts to delay their planned opening dates as unusually warm temperatures and limited snowfall continue to plague the start of the 2026 season. The delays come after one of the driest Mays on record across parts of the South Island and a warm start to winter […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | June 11, 2026 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Coronet Peak Opens Early as New Zealand Ski Season Kicks Off Queenstown’s ski season is getting an unusually early start this year, with Coronet Peak leading the charge as New Zealand’s winter operations kick off from May 29 under a new “Early Winter: WINTER MADE EARLY” rollout powered by the resort’s Snow Factory technology. This makes Coronet Peak the first resort to start the 2026 season in the Southern Hemisphere — […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | May 29, 2026 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Early-Season Snowfall Hits New Zealand’s Ski Areas It is mid-April and technically just the start of fall in the Southern Hemisphere, but the last few days have made Kiwis wonder if they skipped ahead and straight into winter. The Canterbury region woke up to the coldest day of the year so far, with windchill making residents wonder if it’s time to turn on the heating and bring […] Weather Kiwi Brains | April 21, 2026 0 Comments
2025 Opening Dates for Ski Resorts in New Zealand New Zealand’s ski season typically begins in mid-June and extends into early October, though specific opening dates vary significantly by resort. Currently, Mt. Hutt is aiming to be the first resort in New Zealand to open for skiing and snowboarding, after receiving a nice 1.2-meter early May snowfall. Here are the opening dates for New Zealand’s ski resorts in chronological […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 13, 2025 0 Comments
Winter Games New Zealand: Local Kiwi Ski Racer Piera Hudson Takes Win in Slalom The fast-paced action of the Winter Games NZ alpine ski racing program continued at Coronet Peak on Friday, August 30, with the first of two FIS Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) Slalom races. Spectators passing over the top of the course on the Coronet Express chairlift were treated to prime viewing including a winning performance by New Zealand’s Piera Hudson. […] Industry News Nathaniel Lewis | August 31, 2024 0 Comments
Marcel Hirscher Skips FIS Races at Coronet Peak, New Zealand Marcel Hirscher and his team have shared that they have left New Zealand and that Hirscher will not compete in the FIS races at Coronet Peak from August 27-31. Originally, the Dutch-Austrian ski racer was planning to start in four FIS races at Coronet Peak, but the Hirscher is now traveling back to Europe without having competed at any FIS […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | August 26, 2024 0 Comments
Slow Start For Ski Resorts in New Zealand Over the last seven days, various ski fields have opened around New Zealand. As it is early season, limited terrain is open with currently still minimal snow coverage. There was a large gap in cold weather systems bringing snow to New Zealand’s resorts between May and June which has caused a slower start. As the season moves forward from here, […] Industry News Nathaniel Lewis | June 21, 2024 1 Comment
New Zealand Ski Area Owner Fined $600,000 For Fence Post Death of Woman Skier NZSki, the operator of Coronet Peak Ski Area in New Zealand, has been fined $600,000 NZD ($362,000 USD) following the tragic death of skier Anita Graf in 2019. The maximum fine possible was $1.5 million. The company has been fined $440,000, and must pay emotional harm reparation of $130,000 to the victim’s family, and prosecution costs of $28,000. NZSki was […] Kiwi Brains | October 10, 2023 0 Comments
New Zealand Ski Area Owner Convicted For Fence Post Death of Woman Skier NZSki, the operator of Coronet Peak Ski Area in New Zealand, has been found guilty of health and safety violations following the tragic death of skier Anita Graf in 2019. According to a report by the New Zealand Herald, Graf tragically lost her life after colliding with an unpadded wooden fence post that guarded a reservoir at the base of Sugar’s […] Industry News SnowBrains | August 18, 2023 0 Comments
Slow Start for the Corporate New Zealand Ski Fields So far this winter, snow has been hard to come by in New Zealand for the corporate ski fields. Coronet Peak, one of the ‘Three Peaks’ run by NZ Ski and based in Queenstown, opened on the 16th of June but only several days later had to close due to a lack of snow. Mt Hutt (Three Peaks) which is […] Industry News Nathaniel Lewis | July 5, 2023 0 Comments
Skyline Gondola in Queenstown, New Zealand, Triples Capacity The Skyline Gondola in Queenstown, New Zealand, received an upgrade during the autumn, resulting in a tripling of capacity, from previously 1,000 passengers an hour to 3,000 passengers an hour. The upgrade also included 10 new towers, a new cableway and new bottom and top gondola terminals, and tree-felling on the hillside. The gondola is located in Queenstown on the South […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 2, 2023 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Winter Arrives Early in New Zealand Heavy snow falls reached the south island of New Zealand, with snow falling to around 400m (1312ft) on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. State Highway 94 was closed on Wednesday evening at Mount Hamilton, between The Key and Centre Hill, but reopened again at 10:15 p.m. It is still recommended to carry snow chains in the area. Related: Manganui Ski Area Will Be […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | May 10, 2023 1 Comment
25 Skiers and Boarders Rescued from Chairlift at Coronet Peak, New Zealand Twenty-five skiers and boarders had to be rescued on Monday from Queenstown’s Coronet Peak skifield after the Greengates chairlift came to a grinding halt. Visitors had an unexpected interruption to their snowsports day this week when the six-chair stopped due to a technical failure. Coronet Peak is located on the South Island of New Zealand about 25 minutes from Queenstown, […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | September 2, 2022 2 Comments
Over 150 Dogs Compete in 47th Annual ‘Dog Derby’ at New Zealand Ski Area Ski areas don’t just have to be for skiing—they can host dog races, too. On Saturday, 150-plus dogs and their humans showed up at Coronet Peak Ski Area in New Zealand to compete in the resort’s 47th annual Meadow Fresh Dog Derby. Before the derby started, participants were given a safety briefing. The dogs and their owners then loaded the […] Industry News SnowBrains | August 18, 2021 0 Comments
Travel to Australia and New Zealand is Officially a No-Go For Americans This Winter If you have a U.S. passport that means you’re probably not going to make ski season in New Zealand and Australia happen this year. This will mark two southern winters in a row where skiing & snowboarding will be off-limits to foreigners down under. Related: Ski Season in South America Likely Off-Limits to U.S. Citizens This Year: Chile and Argentina […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | July 13, 2021 1 Comment
New Zealand Ski Resorts Left Struggling After Warmest June On Record The 2021 ski season in New Zealand was supposed to be a comeback after last winter’s challenges, but the industry is not having much luck so far. Firstly, fears amidst the corona pandemic led to extended shutdowns of international travel. These restrictions forced last-minute cancellations from Australian–school holidaymakers. This year’s June vacation time would be a major boost in morale […] Industry News Hannah | July 7, 2021 0 Comments
New Zealand Ski Areas Closing Tomorrow Because of Resurgence in COVID-19 Cases New Zealand was COVID-free for 102 days. That was, until four new cases of the deadly respiratory illness were reported this week in Auckland, prompting several ski areas to close so that they can prepare to operate under Level 2 COVID restrictions. Related: Against All Odds, New Zealand Ski Resorts See Record Number of Visitors New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | August 11, 2020 2 Comments
Industry News
Weather
