Gearing up for a snowy winter

A drop in temperature and significant snowfalls have set up the South Island ski industry for the season.

Canterbury's Mt Hutt ski area has about 30cm of snow and, in Queenstown, Coronet Peak and the Remarkables received 10 to 15cm of snow.

A spokeswoman for the three skifields, Fiona Woodham, said the snowfall was timely as snowmaking teams at Mt Hutt and Coronet Peak had started gearing up for the season. These two fields were scheduled to open early next month.

Snowmaking will start at the Remarkables later this month, for opening in late June.

Hopes of a bumper ski season in the North Island were boosted by a fall of 10cm of fresh snow at Whakapapa skifield on Mt Ruapehu late last month.