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With the European season finished for another year, we have months before we can even dream of early season snow here in Europe.
The options for summer are varied: surfing in Hossegor, canoeing and rafting in the French valleys or downhill MTB in Les Arcs. Of course, if you’re serious about getting some more snow and want more runs than a glacier can give, you have only one option – the ski resorts of the Southern Hemisphere.
Now is the time we start booking our antipodean trip for the summer, and this year, we're off to New Zealand, and we're looking forward to it.
Booking a flight to New Zealand before the kids break up for summer will save you between £300 and £500; after mid-June, expect to pay about £1000 per person for flights from the UK.
There are plenty of choices when you arrive, from the developed and bustling Mt Ruapehu in the North island, with easy access from Auckland and Wellington, to the smaller resorts and club fields dotted all over the South Island, accessible from Queenstown, Wanaka and Christchurch.
Opening dates:
Coronet: 7th June
Turoa & Whakapapa:14th June
Remarkables: 21st June
Cardrona: 27th June
At Mt Ruapehu, an early-bird pass is a mere NZ$409, so about the price of a week’s pass in Val or Tignes. An Ultimate Season Pass is only NZ$719, still incredible value, giving you access to all of Mt Ruapehu and Cardrona for the whole season.
We spent most of a season in Turoa a few years back, and whilst the riding is good, there are some important points to remember. The cost of living is cheap, relatively (£1 gets you NZ$2.5 at time of writing), but kit and equipment is still expensive - so source your kit beforehand to keep costs under control.
The season often starts quite hard and icy, especially in the North on Ruapehu, where temperatures vary more than the Southern Alps. Helmets and body armour can be your saviour so remember to pack them. There is also generally less powder and deep snow than in Europe so shorter ski and boards are the call, and the terrain parks are well built and varied. For those with a little more cash, heli-skiing is a great option that whilst not cheap, is certainly affordable. NZ$750 should see you having one of the most memorable day’s skiing of your life.
The mountains in New Zealand are smaller than Europe - Cardrona's highest point is not quite 2000m and only has 400m of descent. Mt Ruapehu in the North reaches to just under 2800m, and has the largest descent in Australasia at 722m. That said, you can find some amazing skiing and boarding with relatively small crowds and when the snow and weather is good, there is nowhere else like it. Burton is also due open "The Stash", a freestyle park integrated into mountain using only naturally occurring obstacles, at the Remarkables.
In the South Island, Queenstown is the hub for all skiing, snowboarding and adventure sports, offering a huge array of adrenaline-based activities. Cardrona, Treble Cone, The Remarkable and Coronet are all accessible from Queenstown or Wanaka in under an hour.
Wherever you decide to go in New Zealand, you will find a good time, in a beautiful environment with friendly people.
See you there.
