Industry News
Temple Basin ski area in New Zealand’s Southern Alps has announced it will not open for the 2025 winter season, citing insufficient snowfall. The club snow field made the announcement on its social media channels on Wednesday, August 20. While the lodge at Temple Basin has been open for accommodation since mid-July, operators said there has not been enough snow to safely run the rope tows. A recent storm this week failed to bring enough snow to change this situation, “There has simply not been enough snow to safely operate our rope tows and yesterday’s storm has not changed this,” the ski area wrote on its Facebook account.
Despite the closure of ski operations, the lodge will remain open for several weekends: August 23–24, September 13–14, and September 27–28, offering accommodation, hiking, and ski touring opportunities. The New Zealand Snow Safety Institute (NZSSI) will also continue to run its training courses at the venue.
“We are hugely grateful to those who have supported Temple Basin by joining us for one of our fantastic event weekends—it’s always wonderful to see people enjoying this special place.”
Temple Basin noted that if a significant snowstorm were to arrive in the coming weeks, there remains a possibility of limited operations with a “pop-up” weekend, depending on volunteer and staff availability.
Temple Basin season pass holders are being contacted directly with details on their options.
Temple Basin is located on the Main Divide of the Southern Alps within Arthur’s Pass National Park, on New Zealand’s South Island. The ski area is one of New Zealand’s oldest and most adventurous ski areas, dating back to 1929. Operated by the Temple Basin Ski Club and Canterbury University Snow Sports Club, the field covers 320 hectares (790 acres) of terrain, ranging from 1,326 to 1,753 meters (4,350–5,750 feet).
Access to the ski area is part of the adventure: skiers hike 45–50 minutes from the car park, while a goods lift ferries equipment and bags to the two on-site lodges, which together provide 120 bunks for a true ski-in, ski-out experience. The ski field is served by three rope tows across four distinct basins—Cassidy, Temple, Downhill, and Bills—offering everything from beginner slopes to steep chutes, rock faces, and wide-open bowls beneath peaks like Blimit and Mount Temple. Temple Basin’s location on the wetter western side of the Alps means it typically benefits from heavier snowfall than ski areas further east, and its mix of lift-accessed runs and hike-to terrain has earned it a cult reputation among New Zealand’s adventure skiers and snowboarders.
Unfortunately this year, the weather gods have failed to deliver the goods at Temple Basin. Overall, New Zealand has been experiencing a mixed season, with some big ski areas, like The Remarkables and Coronet Peak experiencing difficult conditions marked by below average snow depth. Recent snowfalls have improved the situation at some resorts and there is hope for more snowfall in the next five days.
