New 150ha ski basin opens
Cardrona is officially home to the largest skifield in the country after the grand opening of a new basin.
Cardrona Alpine Resort held the opening ceremony for the long-awaited Soho Basin on Sunday.
The event was attended by local iwi, dignitaries and Cardrona staff.
The 150ha of new terrain has taken over a decade to complete, and includes a new chairlift and retail building.
Cardrona declined to say how much was spent in total on the project, other than to say $50 million had been spent on upgrading it in the past year.
A view of the Soho Basin terrain from the new Soho Express lift.
The basin was celebrated yesterday with a karakia from representatives of Ngāi Tahu and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Real NZ chief executive Dave Beeche said it was a big milestone in Cardrona's history.
"[This is] an important turning of the page in its new chapter, making it New Zealand's largest skifield."
Other speakers said the extended field presented a myriad of benefits for the local economy, tourism and athletic development.
The basin's slopes will include both groomed runs and off-piste areas, making it appealing to both intermediate and advanced skiers.
Queenstown Lakes District deputy mayor Quentin Smith is eager to celebrate the new basin.
Wānaka Snow Sports Club committee member Bonny Teat said the new terrain would bring more opportunities for the club's athletes and spread the load evenly across the mountain.
"It means that our athletes get so much more terrain that they can have for themselves," she said.
"The alpine racers have their own pistes, the freeskiers have their jumps and now the freeriders have got more stuff to go for," she said.
Tourism Minister Louise Upton said the efforts of everyone involved in the project meant the field would become even more of a destination for thousands of New Zealanders and would ensure the area would attract more visitors from across the globe.
After the ribbon was cut, the new Soho Express chairlift was open for attendees to take a ride and get a bird's eye view of the new terrain.
Despite the weekend's snow, the basin still required a further 10cm-15cm on its base before it could open to the public, a spokeswoman said.
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