Mt Hutt ski field in Canterbury opens for first time this year

The first major skifield in Canterbury has opened today.

Mt Hutt ski field opened on Friday after a fresh dumping of snow over the weekend.

A number of skiers have turned out for the opening.

Ski area manager James McKenzie said it has been a pretty good day so far.

"The lift is turning, there's snow on the ground, cars are pulling into the carpark and the cloud is just starting to clear away so we've had a pretty good start to 2022."

McKenzie said it has been quite windy recently and a lot of the snow fell horizontally.

Mt Hutt ski field opened after a fresh dumping of snow over the weekend. Photo / George Heard

"Certainly, at the top of the mountain, things got pretty stripped out. Quite unusually the lower snow mountain seems to have more snow than the upper mountain so we will get our lower terrain open later today which is pretty unusual really for the start of winter."

He said it has been more difficult to fill roles at the ski field this year but they have managed to do it.

Skiers and snowboarders up Mt Hutt are enjoying the first day of the season. Photo / George Heard

"We've pretty much got all of our roles filled now. It has been a bit harder this year for sure but we've managed to get most of the key roles squared away, with about 300 staff on board this year."

New snow-makers and a groomer were bought over the summer.

Mt Hutt ski area manager James McKenzie says it has been a pretty good day so far. Photo / George Heard

"We've done pretty well with our investment over the summer, now is the time to enjoy it and get out there and have fun."

McKenzie said it is "quite liberating" not having to operate under Covid-19 restrictions.

Skiers are keen to get up the slopes on Mt Hutt's first day of the season. Photo / George Heard

"It's fantastic, we're not standing here having to wear masks, we're not having to shout at guests to put their masks on.

"It certainly makes a big difference and I think we can give a much better experience to our guests who come up here."

The first ski field to open in Canterbury was the Hanmer Springs Ski Area on Saturday.

The first ski field to open in Canterbury was the Hanmer Springs Ski Area on Saturday. Photo / Supplied

A post on its Facebook page said 30-50cm of snow had fallen across the mountain with the "shirtfront tow" opening at 10am.

The Rainbow Ski Area near Nelson is expected to open on June 24.

The Rainbow Ski Area near Nelson is expected to open on June 24. Photo / Supplied

A spokesperson said after receiving 1-1.5m of snow on trails, they have made the call to try to open early.