Snow

From high hopes to cruel reality, operators are forced to adjust again to life under Covid.

RAL aims to open lower mountain chairlifts next.

More snow is on the way for southern ski fields on Tuesday and Wednesday, says MetService.

There is no support connected to changes in the trans-Tasman travel arrangement, says Jacinda Ardern.

TIA boss says the Wellington Covid case serves as a reminder that Covid-19 is still very present.

Businesses are keeping a watchful eye as the important Australian school holiday period approaches.

Chief conservation officer to conservation and sustainability initiatives across the group.

Coronet Peak hopes to open on Sunday 20 June and Cardona is aiming for 21 June.

Cardrona Alpine Resorts has postponed its scheduled opening.

Ski field has around 18,000 visitors every winter.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts is set to open its Happy Valley beginner’s ski facility at Whakapapa on Saturday 5 June with the rest of the field and neighbouring Tūroa opening on 3 July.

Cardrona Alpine Resort, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Treble Cone all set to open in June.

Resorts are preparing for a season they hope will build on the strength of 2020’s domestic-only surge.

It’s promising to be a busy southern ski season, says the airline.

Enough quality service – or perhaps any kind of service at all – might be hard to find in some tourist destinations.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts says its Whakapapa and Tūroa ski slopes are nearly ready for the season with recent work undertaken on its High Noon Express chairlift and Sky Waka Gondola.

SAANZ wants the specialist staff in from June to help ski fields open and operate safely.

Two new winter music festivals are to hit southern ski slopes in the same week in September.

Snow Machine festival has sold out its inaugural festival in Queenstown. 

Young Kiwis are being urged to do a domestic OE in a ski region this winter.

Cardrona Alpine Resort will open its 65 hectare Willows Basin in time for this winter’s ski season following the installation of a chairlift.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts says it is now working with potential investors, who could end up buying half the business.

The ski field operator is offering up half its business for a strategic investor to help develop opportunities.

Mt Hutt has been named New Zealand’s best ski resort at the 2020 World Ski Awards. 

Operators are planning for a domestic-only 2021 and are growing warier of the effects of global warming.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts has cut the number of 2021 season passes for its Mt Ruapehu ski fields by 20%.

The second week of the school holidays is looking promising for Mt Ruapehu ski fields, says Ruapehu Alpine Lifts chief executive Jono Dean.

Ski destinations are leading the top 10 trending destinations ‘rediscovered’ by Kiwis, according to Booking.com. 

An increase in Sky Waka Gondola sightseeing guests was a saving grace for Ruapehu Alpine Lifts in a difficult ski season.

Construction on the multi-million dollar Nor’west Express lift at Mt Hutt will begin in October.

Campervan operator Travellers Autobarn has teamed with NZSki and other adventure operators to offer value packs to customers.

Mt Hutt is celebrating after a kea paid a visit to the mountain, the first to be seen at Mt Hutt in three years.

The Department of Conservation is asking snowmobile enthusiasts to keep to designated areas in the Old Man Range/Kopuwai conservation area in Otago.

Ohakune-based iwi Ngāti Rangi is calling on visitors to stay away from Ruapehu after a person who has tested positive for Covid-19 visited Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields.

NZSki and Wayfare’s ski fields close for the day while other large operators make adjustments or shut Auckland businesses.

Air New Zealand has partnered with Tourism New Zealand on the second phase of its Do something new, New Zealand winter campaign to encourage New Zealanders to hit the slopes.

The Sugar Bowl Express chairlift at The Remarkables will open this Saturday 1 August, giving visitors lift access to the Sugar Bowl Basin for the first time this season.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts chief executive Jono Dean said the new car park booking system helped ease the traffic congestion.

The new booking system would be free this season and would operate for the busiest 10 of the 17 weekends that the mountain is open in winter.

The Remarkables will continue its daily operations daily for a further one more week after a busier-than-expected school holiday period. 

The Do Something New This Winter campaign features winter activities across the country.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts have updated its new carpark booking system following an uproar from the public.

CEO Ian Jackson says forward bookings are good but Covid has halved staff numbers on the operator’s ski fields.

The Remarkables would be open daily for two weeks during the July school holidays until Sunday 19 July, then weekends only.

Mt Ruapehu has officially opened for the season, with snow arriving in time for the July school holidays.

Winter Games NZ has branded this year’s event ‘Obsidian’ and confirmed it will be on from 10-20 August.

Booking.com says Kiwis are showing a promising appetite for winter travel and recreation.

After years of international growth, operators are pinning hopes on the domestic market but losses appear inevitable.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts aims to limit ski field numbers to 4500 a day at Whakapapa and 3700 at Turoa, says RAL chief executive Jono Dean.

The first major snowfall of the season marks good news for the Southern Lakes ski areas, says Destination Queenstown.