New Zealand Ski Season - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

davidd · 04-07-2009, 08:43 PM

Hi, I was just wondering if we have any experts on the ski season here.

A couple of friends and I were going to go to New Zealand this winter to go snowboarding. They were looking to go late july or early August but because of my uni holidays I would have to go back by the 19th of July.

From what I can find out the season (we were thinking queenstown or wanaka) seems to start late June so we should hopefully be fine going the 8th-18th but I was just wondering what the odds are of finding none or limited snow their as I dont want to ruin the trip just because of my timetable.

Thanks alot

**aliz** · 04-10-2009, 05:56 AM

I haven't skied in New Zealand but I grew up in the Snowies here and from what I've heard the ski seasons are fairly similar, only new zealand usually gets more snow than australia! You should be ok going mid july, by then there should have been enough snowfalls to create a good base, so even if it doesn't snow the entire time you're there, there will at least be snow to ski on! you gotta remember that it's all dependant on weather, so you're never going to be able to predict what's going to happen this early.
the only thing I'd worry about is checking when NZ's school holidays are - that's when the resorts are at their busiest.

**The Sasquatch** · 04-11-2009, 06:18 AM

Ok, so I was just kinda trying to figure out when I was there in `07 and it looks like it would have been the very end of June, like the 28th I think. We were in Q`town and were there for the very beginning of the season. The snow wasn`t the greatest yet but it was quite rideable. Wasn`t so happy that I had my own board though as there were plenty of pebbles poking throught the snow trying to gouge my board. Don`t think i went again till august, this time in Wanaka, and the snow was much better.

Anyway, chances are you should have decent snow by the second week of July. Plus theres shitloads to do around Q`town. The lugeing up on the hill in town is actually great fun. Wish we would have purchased more goes at it before we went up. The Nevis bungy is freakin out of this world. Even my shit was scared. We wanted to be big heroes and just do the big one, but they have a sweet package to do the three that AJ Hackett runs in the area and I think I might have enjoyed the Nevis more if i had done a smaller one first and wasn`t so shit scared. Oh and theres plenty of booze to be drank in town as well. We jumped around hostels a ton because we didn`t book anything before hand and it gets quite busy, so i honestly barely remember most of them. Therefore no recc. there. Oh almost forgot to add that we never made it to coronet peak, only went to the remarkables.

On a side note, why is the quick reply not working for me?

**mooloo** · 04-14-2009, 02:39 PM

Im no expert but I do live in NZ and I dont think you'd have a problem coming late july early august, in fact last year people were still skiing/snowboarding until Nov/Dec (although that was an unusual year) at least in the north island you would be sweet, can't really comment on the south but it does tend to be colder down there so i imagine the snow would stay around for longer

davidd · 04-24-2009, 07:47 AM

Thanks for the replies everyone

**kiwichick** · 05-18-2009, 05:37 AM

heya
Im not 100 % on the south island but i board in the north and things are kicking off round june 20 up this way so i'd think u'd be fine, we've actually had a fair bit of snow recently right through (although not trusting it to stay) for better info u can actually check here

HTML Code:

http://www.cardrona.com/snow-report.html

or here

HTML Code:

http://www.snowreports.co.nz/new-zealand/coronet-peak/

davidd · 05-19-2009, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwichick

heya
Im not 100 % on the south island but i board in the north and things are kicking off round june 20 up this way so i'd think u'd be fine, we've actually had a fair bit of snow recently right through (although not trusting it to stay) for better info u can actually check here

HTML Code:

http://www.cardrona.com/snow-report.html

or here

HTML Code:

http://www.snowreports.co.nz/new-zealand/coronet-peak/

Thanks heaps kiwichick. For someone who has gone snowboarding once in his life back in highschool what sort of snow is decent? i.e on the snow report it says:

snow base lower: 30cm snow base upper: 60cm

what sort of numbers are good?

**kiwichick** · 05-19-2009, 01:46 PM

haha im not an expert but u'll want more than that! ruapehu had huge dumps last year and had a snow base of 4-4.5m which was awesome

but in terms of what is decent snow, even with a decent base it can change with rain etc and u can end up with dirty rough snow same as anywhere though really i guess

**kiwichick** · 05-21-2009, 04:26 PM

lol posting again but really amped about the up coming season! Mt hutt down south is aparently already open and NZs just had a major cold weep thats put snow on all the mountains from what i can gather and added something like 30-50cm to the remarkables/coronet peak from memory. Hopefully making it down to rainbow at the top of the south island in the first week of june (haha dont take that as a pointer though i hear its rubbish, just happen to be in the area) so happy to post and let u know if i hear anything bout the snow down that way