On the southern slopes

Head south for your ski holiday and it's likely to set a family of four back several thousand dollars. Despite this, increasing numbers of North Islanders are doing so.

The weather is more reliable than Mt Ruapehu, the snow is usually good and for the extra bucks you get more bang. There's heaps to do, the scenery is killer quality and though Queenstown is a party town, Wanaka offers family atmosphere and sophisticated night life.

Cheaper air fares, package deals through the likes of Ski Express (see website link below) and car rental snow-drive schemes can help to soften the back pocket pain for North Islanders.

There has been heavy re-investment in the five main southern commercial fields - around $35 million over three years - and skiers and snowboarders should notice a significantly improved experience.

Many start their southern sojourn at Mt Hutt and that's where one of the biggest changes has occurred this year.

Mt Hutt - part of Southern Alpine Recreation, which also owns Coronet Peak and the Remarkables skifields - has ripped out its seven surface lifts and installed a six-seater detachable chairlift that goes from the base to the top.

Total lift capacity is down 10 per cent but the new lift can whisk you to the top in less than five minutes, as opposed to 15 on the old T-bars. People may wait longer in the queue but will get in more skiing, says marketing manager David Wilson.

"The mountain used to be dissected by T-bars and platter lines. Now, we have opened the mountain up to a lot more access and a lot better skiing lines."

More trails into the advanced ski areas to Virgin Mile have been opened. "Even the regulars who come here often will have to ski the mountain quite differently," Wilson says. "They'll be very surprised and impressed with the openness from what it used to be like."

The existing quad chair has been relocated and made into a dedicated novice chair for the easy runs mid-mountain. A 1.2km, 30m-wide novice trail has been created for those who have had a few days' experience, while a "magic carpet" travellator-type lift has been installed for the beginners' fields.

More snow-making capacity has been installed on the intermediate trail and a 4m wind fence has been put in near the top.

Mt Hutt's daily adult pass has risen $2 in price to $74. A season pass could be had for $499 if it was bought before March 10. That gives skiers a 50 per cent discount on a daily pass at Southern Alpine's other two fields. The three-field season pass costs $649 if bought early enough, but Wilson says most people prefer the new Mt Hutt-only ticket.

Around 15 per cent of Mt Hutt skiers come from the North Island and 30 per cent from Australia.

Mt Hutt is working with the Ski Tourism Marketing Network - jointly funded by all the skifields - and making a big push in Brisbane, where people can get competitively priced, five-day packages of fares, accommodation, passes and ski/board rentals for around $1000.

With such deals available Wilson reckons in the peak season it's cheaper for the Aussies to go to New Zealand than to Australian fields.

Mt Hutt's main service town of Methven offers a different experience, according to Wilson. "It's not up there from a party town point of view but people feel really welcome and it's got a good atmosphere."

Mt Hutt plans to open on June 7.

Further south, Coronet Peak, minutes out of Queenstown, is another field where skiers will notice big change. It decided in October to put in a $6 million detachable six-seater chairlift, replacing the old triple Greengates chairlift. It goes higher and has increased the field's skiing terrain by 30 per cent. Some 4 1/2km of new trail has been carved through the Sarasue area and $2 million worth of new snow-making equipment has been installed.

As well as the big new lift, Coronet has the Coronet Express (a four-seater detachable), a double chair in the Meadows to service the learner terrain, a magic carpet and T-bar at Rocky Gully.

The new lift is still being installed but the field is hoping to open on June 11. An adult day pass sets you back $79 against $77 last year.

Operations manager Russell Hall says numbers depend much on getting early snow. "If we have good early snow, it gives confidence to the Australian market and they all start to come over in planeloads."

While the Anzac weekend snow has mostly melted, the early cold spell augurs well for the season, Hall says. The high New Zealand dollar has not hurt so far and early bookings are strong.

Treble Cone, owned by 35 Kiwis and an Australian, has invested $12 million in the past three years and claims to be the fastest-growing skifield. Its daily pass has gone up to from $75 to a steep $89, although it has a number of more reasonably priced, three-day ($199), five-day ($299) and 10-day deals ($499).

"We are aiming for a premium product and are pushing service standards, which we feel have been a bit lacking in the ski industry," says marketing manager Anna Yeates.

Treble Cone has spent $5 million on a new quad chairlift, which has opened up new slopes, bringing the skiable terrain to 550ha, the largest in the South Island.

Yeates says Treble Coners are a different breed. Many shell out $999 for the early-bird season pass, or even $1299 for a full-price pass. The average season pass-holder skis 30 days at Treble Cone against eight at Cardrona and just five at Mt Ruapehu.

Last year, the field had the best snow in more than 30 years and although it closed in mid-October like other fields, it wasn't from lack of snow - people were simply switching to the region's many other attractions.

Yeates, a former northerner, says Australians and North Islanders are only now beginning to appreciate how good the skiing is down south.

"Mt Ruapehu has unreliable weather and a lot of people get impatient with that. If they book a two-week holiday down south, they know they can ski five mountains and get guaranteed good weather. People are cottoning on to that up north."

Around a quarter of the field's customers come from the North Island, mostly from Auckland. Treble Cone aims to open on June 23.

Wanaka's other field, Cardrona, is for more laid-back skiers and boarders - it has gentler slopes that suit many families.

Cardrona last year spent $5 million on a new quad lift with detachable chairs and has tentative plans to reposition the old quad lift.

This year, it spent $2 million on its customer service building. It has also added another on-field apartment to the seven it had.

You can rent a studio for two for $180 a night or a three-bedroom unit sleeping eight for $475 a night. Or rather, you could - all were booked out by January.

Cardrona also boasts two fixed quads and has a big beginners' area with three magic carpet learner lifts and a platter. Its 1km of terrain park is an added attraction.

Cardrona's position and height gives it good snow and it does best when other fields are struggling.

"It's hard to beat a bad snow year because we do so well out of it," says sales and marketing manager Bruce McGechan.

"I've lived for the past 10 years in Auckland and everyone here knows about Cardrona and knows how truly special it is, but it has advantages I never knew about - the childcare facilities, the terrain park with its half pipes, the beginner and intermediate slopes, and last, but not least, the snow," he says.

Possibly the field that has had least recent investment is the Remarkables. It has contented itself this year with expanding its terrain park and upgrading snow-making and grooming equipment. Two years ago, it replaced a double chairlift with a quad and now has four quads and a magic carpet beginners' lift.

The Remarkables has excellent beginner slopes and is marketing itself as a youth action field, this year appointing a youth action co-ordinator.

As well as doubling the size of its terrain park it has installed a beginner terrain park with little jumps and pipes.

Information about South Alpine Recreation's skifields - Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak and the Remarkables visit the NZ Ski website (see link below).