The 2023 ski season has started, despite only minimal snowfalls. Photo / Nicole Hawke
The 2023 ski season has started, despite only minimal snowfalls. Photo / Nicole Hawke
Winter has arrived with a relatively dry start, in a marked change from the first half of this year, a blessing for many Kiwis looking for a respite from La Niña.
Clear skies make for fine days but cold nights, especially at altitude, allowing skifields to take advantage of the sub-zero temperatures to make snow.
The first skiers on the chair at Mt Hutt on Saturday. Photo / Nicole Hawke
“Our slopes team... worked 24/7 over the past week to build on a rather paltry snow base left after last weekend’s cold snap,” Mt Hutt ski area manager James Mackenzie said.
“Whilst snow cover was thin in many places, over 1700 guests were able to enjoy their first laps of the 2023 winter season under blue skies and virtually no wind.”
The mid-Canterbury skifield opened on Saturday, a day later than anticipated due to the lack of snow. But for most ski areas these days, investment and advances in snow-making equipment has allowed trails to open and encouraged skiers and boarders to get back on the slopes.
“Over the past two years, NZSki has invested $2 million in its snowmaking system and there is no doubt the season would have started considerably later without this,” Mackenzie said.
Investment in snow making has meant the field can open much earlier this season. Photo / Nicole Hawke
The sun shone all weekend, but its weaker influence meant the snow base could gradually build.
Mt Hutt’s Facebook page carried the message: “Our snow pack is thin both on- and off-trail, so please take care - particularly when venturing off-trail. Watch out for icy patches all over the mountain. A great day to dust the cobwebs off your older ski gear and get those first turns of the 2023 winter season under your belt, with blue skies and relatively light winds forecast all day!”
1700 skiers took to the slopes on Saturday, with more following on Sunday. Photo / Nicole Hawke
Mt Hutt is the only field to open so far, but the Queenstown resorts of The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Cardrona will open next weekend.
This weekend was really a taste of things to come.
“High-speed lifts ran smoothly throughout the day, complimented by live music, tasty food and all other services - including Snowsports School - up and running,” said Mackenzie.
And with the outlook for the settled, colder weather to continue, the whirr of lifts and swish of skis will be a welcome accompaniment.
