Whakapapa Ski Area's 2025 ski season is over after challenging weather.
Ski season has wrapped up on Mt Ruapehu with mixed reports of success from operators and businesses.
Tūroa ski field’s last weekend of action was October 18-19 and Whakapapa’s last day was October 25.
Pure Tūroa Limited chief executive Jono Dean said the season was a “continuation of the challenging theme” that 2024 provided.
He described the season as a “middling season”.
“It was certainly warmer in the early stages during the July school holidays, which was disappointing but we made the most of what we could use,” Dean said.
“We had a really strong middle of the season and then a disappointing couple of weeks in the close out.”
In July, Dean told the Chronicle that he hoped the season would run until November.
The return of the North Island Secondary School Skiing Competition in September was a highlight, Dean said.
“It was something that we were really proud of and there were a number of other sanctioned events that we held that we were pleased with.”
Whakapapa experienced its first season under the new management of Whakapapa Holdings Limited.
Whakapapa Holdings chief executive Travis Donoghue said the ski field had a fantastic season despite the late arrival of snow and challenging weather.
“What a ride, this season was a story of new momentum... this season saw Whakapapa back in business, with a new energy,” Donoghue said.
“Winter 2025 at Whakapapa felt like a full-body embrace of what a mountain can give to its families, racers, clubbies, newcomers and experts.”
The heavy snow dump in the mid-season opened up the ability to ski in the western terrain for the first time since 2023.
Donoghue said the number of visitors grew by 10% in 2025.
He said being able to host the North Island Primary and Intermediate Schools Ski Championships in August after a six-year hiatus was a personal highlight for him.
The inaugural Whakapapa Adaptive Festival at the end of September was another event that he was proud of.
The disruptive season led to Ruapehu businesses struggling to maintain momentum.
Ben Wiggins, managing director of Ohakune’s TCB Ski Board & Bike, said the season was a “game of two halves”.
“We had a bit of a late start, but then we got the snow and we got some fantastic peak season skiing,” Wiggins said.
“We were elated when the base got up to 181cm [of snow], we just so excited to have an amazing spring and then we got hit with the atmospheric rivers and 60mm of snow which washed out the last part of the season.
“When we got into peak season, we had a broad spectrum of people coming in, a lot of domestic, a lot of young and old and a good amount of internationals coming through.”
Wiggins said the recent changes in management for both ski areas were always going to take time to adjust to.
Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton said the season did not go as expected but it was out of the ski fields’ control.
“We didn’t have huge success in terms of snow which put them on the back-foot but, nevertheless, they got up and running,” he said.
Kirton said it was too early to know what the season did for the local economy, but he is hopeful for the 2026 season.
“It is just a matter of things clicking over and making sure everything goes to plan, they are all getting themselves up for next season and looking forward to some of the summer activities,” Kirton said.
Mt Ruapehu has a number of summer activities available, with the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, the Whakapapa Sky Waka Gondola and the biking on Tūroa.
Early bird season passes for the 2026 ski season on Mt Ruapehu can be purchased online now.
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.