This week in the Snow - July 3, 2020
(Photo. Mt Hutt, July 2!)
Its July, ski areas are opening, it’s COLD, and there’s plenty of snow falling!
Anyway, welcome, our first newsletter on Snow.NZ for about … years really! As you might, or might not know, Snow.NZ was an amalgamation last year of snow.co.nz and SnowHQ.com. So let’s say 2019 was a new beginning, and 2020 is an even newer beginning!
Our goal is to help you have your best day(s) on the snow, by finding the right place, with the right weather, and the best snow!
This week we’ve got a quick roundup of the ski areas, the weather ahead for the week, a deal, and where we reckon the best place is to ski. Read on!
OK, so who's open?
Because it’s the school holidays, starting now!
In the north, Whakapapa opened Happy Valley today for beginners, carpets only this season however, no chair. The rest of the mountain has a good recent cover, but more is required despite over 20cm of snow in the last 24 hours.
Down south, lots going on!
- Rainbow. Still a while away, opening day is Friday 24 July
- My Lyford. Opening Saturday the 4th with a 30-70cm base
- Porters. Open today after a weeks delay. Snow making in action with a 20-30cm base
- Mt Hutt. Open for some time now, and just moved to 7 days opening. Looking very sweet. Our pick for the best snow in NZ currently with a 40-120cm base!
- Dobson. Open today, Friday the 3rd for winter! And we hear it’s riding well with a 78cm upper base and 30cm of snow in the last 7 days!
- Roundhill. Open with a base of around 50cm. More than enough for most of the area, except the Heritage. Those lines can wait!
- Ohau. Open with a 30-50cm base.
- Treble Cone. After an open/closed episode, TC is now open again as of Friday 3 July! The Home Basin will have grooming on Easy Rider only and the Saddle Basin will be ungroomed, advanced terrain only.
- Cardrona. Open, of course (so damn reliable!), and it’s looking pretty tidy. 60cm at the top. Excellent conditions on trail with cold temps and snowmaking in action.
- Coronet. Open. 20 - 64cm base with 6 of 8 lifts open. We hear there’s been good local crowds, fab to hear!
- Remarkables. Opening Saturday the 4th with a 30 - 50cm base.
The Forecast
- Ruapehu. Whakapapa and Turoa have a lot of weather ahead, with up to 95cm of snow in the forecast! That’s great news and hopefully will see the areas open later next week. Check the Whakapapa forecast.
- Canterbury. We might have a fine day here in Canterbury today (the first for a while) but it’s back to snow and showers on and off over the next few days. Watch the weather, Tuesday and maybe Thursday look like the picks.
- The Mackenzie. Snow ahead for the weekend, with Ohau bagging the biggest fall, up to 1 metre in the next 7 days! Mid-week next week should be all time. Get on down there! Yep, Ohau amazing is this forecast!
- Wanaka and Queenstown. Similar to the Mackenzie with snow through until Monday at least then gradually clearing. And can we believe it, Treble Cone with up to 149cm in the next 10 days, can it happen?! Oh Treble Cone, we're begging for this forecast to be true. Please!
Industry Happenings
Some interesting developments this week. Porters rebranded as “Porters Alpine Resort”. New brand, new website, which by the way broke all the feeds. We’re working with them to resurrect their reports. Most interesting possibly was RALs announcement of a new parking booking system for Whakapapa and Turoa, launching next week. As expected, there were howls of protest so we’ll wait and see how this all plays out.
Deal of the week?
Ever been heliskiing? If not, now’s the time because you probably won’t see a better deal again! The helicopters are parked up at Mt Cook (and we hear it’s beautiful day down there today with fresh snow!) so to get people on the snow Mt Cook Heli have dropped the price of a 5 run day to $895 (from $1190). Sure, that’s still a bit of coin, but, you can’t ski overseas next season, so treat yourself. Years ago I had the chance, and it was epic! Ski The Tasman is also only $699, ideal for intermediates. Do it, you've earned it ;-)
And lastly, this weeks pick for skiing?
Probably has to be Mt Hutt, with all the fresh snow. Perfect timing for the holidays! But by mid-next week if all this snow comes through, Ohau and Treble Cone might be hard to beat!
Enjoy the week ahead in the snow!
