Blizzard conditions dumps snow on South Island Ski Areas
New Zealand - Dumping snow and freezing conditions at Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables is bringing smiles to the faces of skiers and snowboarders – particularly those taking a winter break in the mountains during the school holidays.
A series of winter storms bringing snow and the coldest temperatures of the season has so far dropped 25 centimetres (10 inches) of snow at the top of The Remarkables, 15 centimetres(6 inches) on Coronet Peak and 10 (4 inches) at Mt Hutt.
The premier ski areas are all closed today (Saturday) because of the arctic conditions but are expecting powder days when the weather clears. The forecast for all three ski areas predicts weather to begin to clear later today bringing the chance of a powder day tomorrow and continuing great conditions for the school holidays.
“It’s a buzz to see Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Queenstown and the entire Wakatipu Basin just blanketed in a thick covering of snow,” says NZSki CEO James Coddington. “These intense storms really help to set the ski areas up for the season. It’s great news for us, for the local community as well as those who will come to ski and board in Queenstown this year.”
Methven too is enjoying snow around the town and ski area manager Dave Wilson says Mt Hutt has hit a one metre base and there’s good skiing and riding across the entire mountain.
“We are enjoying a great early season. There’s clear, sunny weather in the forecast, a positive vibe around the town and everyone’s looking forward to a fantastic day on the hill tomorrow.”