It may have been a slow start to the ski season, but the series of storms passing over the country is proving a blessing for the Mt Ruapehu skifields.
Both Whakapapa and Turoa fields have received big dumpings of snow in recent days and skifield operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts said the
snow base had been pushed well beyond last year's levels.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts general manager Dave Mazey said the growing snowbase meant both fields could remain open beyond their usual season's end at Labour Weekend.
Turoa's base is currently at 1.23 metres after getting another 10cm coating on Monday night. At the Whakapapa field on the mountain's western flank, the snow base was just over 1m, with 30cm falling there on Monday night.
Yesterday only the Alpine Meadow beginners area on Turoa was open for business. Strong winds kept all other facilities on both fields closed.
Mr Mazey said while both fields would certainly trade through until Labour Weekend, there was a possibility of Turoa staying open into mid-November,
"We could keep going longer but we tend to run out of skiers before we run out of snow," he told the Chronicle.
He said snow conditions had been good enough to keep Turoa open through to mid-November for the past three years and with the snow base that was building now, that was probably going to happen this season too.
"Turoa faces south, so unlike Whakapapa which gets more sun, the snow stays in better condition for longer on the south side of the mountain," Mr Mazey said.
He said snow at Knoll Ridge on Whakapapa had reached greater levels than during the entire month of July last year.
He said the snow base was expected to climb with a snowstorm forecast through until tomorrow.
"We've seen a huge amount of fresh snow setting us up for an even better season than last year. Best of all, the weather is predicted to clear later in the week and we expect a beautiful start to the school holidays."
Mr Mazey said long-term weather trends were on track to match the winter of 2008, the best snow season in a decade.
