Dream run as skifields score big time

Budget-conscious families took to the slopes during the holidays instead of travelling overseas.

North Island ski field owners are reporting the busiest ski season on record, with numbers up 25 per cent on last year.

"It's the best we've done by a long way," said Mt Ruapehu marketing manager Mike Smith.

Demand for Mt Ruapehu season passes was also at a record high, he said, with 25,000 sales this year compared to 18,000 last year.

"I don't think anyone in their wildest dreams would have picked that coming into 2009," said Smith.

The increases were mostly driven by domestic demand, as budget-conscious families took to the slopes during the July school holidays as an alternative to overseas travel, he said.

The increases were also because of consistent snow conditions and a good number of blue-sky days.

Domestic numbers had also increased significantly in the South Island. Mt Hutt marketing manager James Urquhart said it had been a good season, with demand driven by good domestic tourism packages.

"We're bargain hunters, us Kiwis. And I think the doom and gloom out there ... people are getting sick of hearing about it."

People were holidaying closer to home, and more people drove to skifields than previous years, said Urquhart.

"We've had a few from the North Island who've actually driven their cars across the ferries and down here, where in the past they probably would have flown to Christchurch."

The good season has also benefited accommodation providers.

- NZPA