Snow fun: Which will be the first skifield to open?

NZ Herald

8 Jun, 2023 05:54 AM2 mins to read

Tom Campbell getting some fresh powder before opening day at Turoa in 2009. Which resort will be the first to open in 2023? Photo / Sarah Ivey

With recent snowfalls on the South Island, Te Wai Pounamu, there’s been a buzz around which skifield will be the first to open in 2023.

Apart from a three-day taster at the Manganui field in mid-May, which got a lot of North Islanders excited, the real snowfalls, and snow-making weather, have occurred in the south.

Coronet Peak has had a dose of the good stuff.

The Queenstown/Wanaka resorts have all recorded some decent snow for this time of year, with The Remarkables and Coronet Peak approaching the half-metre mark, about 75cm at Cardrona and an impressive 120cm in the upper reaches of Treble Cone.

Coronet Peak is on schedule to open on June 16, with The Remarkables and Cardrona the day after while, despite some great-looking statistics, Treble Cone won’t be skiing until June 24.

Cardrona Alpine Resort is looking good to open next week. Photo / Supplied

The Mackenzie Country fields are looking to open toward the end of June or the beginning of July, with most receiving a dusting recently. The Ohau webcam is showing a decent base, but that seems only to translate to about 15cm in reality.

Canterbury, as usual, is showing the most promise, with some great-looking webcams views. But the club fields are generally late to the winter party, so it’s first dibs to Mt Hutt, which is opening this Saturday.

Ohau skifield has top-to-bottom snow but it's not very deep. Photo / Supplied

“Mt Hutt will open this Saturday with a forecast of clear, sunny skies and light winds,” a message on their website says. “We’re definitely sitting at the lower end of our snow level thresholds for the start of the season but we hope the forecasted low temps from Thursday night will give our snowmakers the window we need to provide groomed terrain from the Summit down to the Base Area.”