Latest news with #NZSki
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
$100m ski area plans moving apace
An application for a $100 million-plus project that includes a 10-person gondola and extending The Remarkables ski area into the Doolans backblocks should be completed by the end of the year. NZSki, which also owns Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt, is setting aside finance for the venture, which has been selected for the government's new fast-track process. Once completed, its skiing and snowboarding terrain will likely more than double to about 900ha. The Fast-track Approvals Bill is expected to speed up the decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects considered to have strong regional or national benefits. NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson said detail studies for the project were being carried out with the goal to get the full application in by the end of this year. "We're on one of the schedules for the Fast-track Bill for an expansion to The Remarkables. So we are working very hard on that. Locally this area is known as the Doolans and that involves a gondola that will go all the way from the existing base facility up over a ridge and into the next basin, snowmaking, trails, and then, of course, we have to look at base building expansion because we will have more people coming up to enjoy that other valley as well." A start to construction would depend on the application process, he said. "All going well it will be the following summer when we would like to start to do the enabling work, which is starting to get the roads cut into so we can get up into over the next valley and perhaps doing some initial construction of the base station. "I would imagine a gondola of this scale, which is 2.3kmlong, would take two summers to construct." The Doolans' higher altitude to the southeast of the main runs would retain more snow for longer to provide insurance against climate change, he said. Within its existing scope, the project is expected to raise the mountain to an international ski destination, generate an estimated $350m in the regional economy and create more than 2500 new jobs. To proceed, the company needs to get a new concession agreement from the Department of Conservation, gain resource consents from the district and regional councils and carry out consultation with stakeholders including iwi. Mr Anderson said the fast-track process would provide the opportunity for all the consents to be processed simultaneously via the Environmental Protection Agency. It will be the company's largest project since $90m was spent on the last expansion at The Remarkables over the past 10 years. "This expansion will be upwards of $100m. We are owned by a local family and they are really ambitious to expand the ski areas and keep on doing what we can." Sir John Davies is the founder of NZSki under the parent company Trojan Holdings. Trojan's diversified businesses are mainly in the lower South and include the three ski areas, The Hermitage Hotel at Mount Cook Village, guided walks on the Milford and Routeburn Tracks as well as property and farming interests. He has built up the business since starting out with Whakatipu Transport, which merged into Northern Southland Transport Holdings. Mr Anderson said Sir John liked building businesses and making products better and was motivated by putting money back into them. Ongoing projects would continue at the other ski areas with a big focus on renewing or upgrading snowmaking equipment each summer. "The new technology for the new snowguns is far more efficient and produces more snow for lower cost, so that's a big push for us." Snowmaking at Mt Hutt was continuing under low humidity with temperatures at 5°C.
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Australian holidayers set to hit the slopes
Australian holidaymakers are about to swell numbers on the slopes to about 10,000 visitors daily across NZSki's alpine trio of southern ski areas next week. The Australian influx combined with the school holidays and plentiful snow is set to lift the skier and snowboarder count at Coronet Peak and The Remarkables in Queenstown as well as Mt Hutt near Methven. Early snow allowed Mt Hutt to open on June 14 after a couple of false starts, while the southern mountains, boosted by snowmaking, opened the lifts on the same day. The 3000 visitors arriving daily at the twin peaks this week are set to rise closer to 4000, while Mt Hutt would increase to between 2000 and 3000 a day. NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson said offshore dollars arriving at peak weeks in the ski season were important for the company, nearby centres and local economies. "It's when we finally get in the black as we spend a lot of money through summer in marketing and maintenance and we hang on for this period to get us into the black. "It's positive as Australian visitors coming across are strong spenders. The Aussies who come over are on holiday and have a budget for their holiday and are going to spend it in retail, on rent skis and buy their lunch." He said advance sales were locked in for snow sports lessons, transport and equipment hire from Australia with bookings continuing through the season. "We've got New Zealand and Queensland on holiday and next week we get New South Wales on top of that, so next week will be our biggest week. Pre-bookings out of Australia are very strong with double-digit growth, so 50% to 60% growth in Australian advance sales." He said softer advance sales from the North Island should turn around once news travelled about Mt Hutt's deep snow base. Next week's influx would be nearing capacity, but high-speed lifts were equipped to keep queues moving, he said. Early snowfall followed by further top-ups had created a 1.5m base at Mt Hutt. "We've got the most snow we've had for this time of the year for probably 15 to 20 years and just superb conditions." Queenstown's ski areas had a dry beginning to winter until snowmaking over eight days allowed them to start on schedule. Mr Anderson said season pass holders had initially made the most of the Queenstown skiing in the first few weeks and visitor numbers were now up on last year after 30cm of snow landed last weekend to fill the mountain's lower section. Another 6000 Australians due to arrive for Snow Machine, a music festival at The Remarkables and Coronet Peak in mid-September, are expected to boost spring skiing. Later that month there will be celebrations for The Remarkables' 40th anniversary. The ski areas are scheduled to close on October 12, with Coronet Peak usually closing the access gates earlier.
RNZ News
22-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Major Cardrona Alpine Resort expansion almost ready to open
Shimmering high on the Queenstown horizon, an expansive off-map ski basin that, for years, existed only in whispers and long-term plans is finally ready to be revealed. Skiers and snowboards were praying the snow gods delivered in time for Cardrona Alpine Resort's planned opening of Soho Basin on 28 June, marking the culmination of years of painstaking planning and tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure investment. Cardrona and Treble Cone chief mountains officer Laura Hedley said the project had involved technical backcountry building work, helicopter missions and meticulous tussock replanting. "We don't often get to open up new terrain in New Zealand, so we are so excited about being able to open this up to our guests, let them explore a bit more of these beautiful mountains," she said. Chief mountains officer for Cardrona and Treble Cone Laura Hedley. Photo: Supplied The basin was tucked over the ridge from Cardrona's main slopes, high on the Queenstown horizon on a south-facing aspect. Punctuated by rocks and ridgelines, Soho Basin expanded Cardrona's total footprint by a quarter, making it the biggest ski area in the country. Hedley said it would mostly cater to intermediate and advanced riders. "It's really rolly and playful," she said. "We tried to keep it as natural as possible, because the terrain itself is amazing. "People will have this experience where they go basin to basin. You can get from Soho Basin to Captain's Basin, then across to the main basin. "You'll be able to ski in different places, eat in different places - it's going to feel like a whole different resort." Soho Basin's new high-speed, six-seater, 1.2 km chairlift. Photo: Supplied Planning for Soho Basin began in 2015, followed by a 2018 agreement to use land owned by Land Information New Zealand. A new high-speed, six-seater, 1.2km chairlift called Soho Express took two years to build, with towers brought in by a Black Hawk helicopter, because there was no road access. As the area was landscaped, Hedley said staff tried to leave the smallest possible mark on the environment. "We made sure that every time we took out a tussock, we replanted it," she said. Soho Basin's new high-speed, six-seater, 1.2 km chairlift. Photo: Supplied The project had driven development across the rest of the mountain, including a new T-bar ski lift, retail store and noodle bar, Hedley said. "We needed to make sure we had enough carparks, enough food and beverage seating, that our rentals [facility] was upgraded, that our infrastructure was upgraded," she said. "We've had some challenges. We didn't get every consent we wanted in time and that's okay. "It's a multi-year project, so things like the water reservoir for snowmaking, we'll do next year, but we do have the infrastructure in place already and we do have snow guns on. "We haven't quite finished yet, but this is definitely the big one." Cardrona's main slopes opened on 14 June. Photo: Supplied Along with snow guns, signage and a new ski patrol hut, staff had settled on eight names for new runs, including Sunny Side, Snow Farmer and Showtime. Ski patroller Shane Adams said staff started preparing the area for public access last year. "The snow safety specialists got to come in, and did quite a lot of work to look for avalanche paths and build their avalanche atlas, and all those sorts of things, which is really cool," he said. Adams said he recalled a lot of talk about the ski area one day expanding over the mountain, when he worked at Cardrona in 2015. "To be back here again and actually have that happen is pretty cool. I'm pretty excited," he said. Soho Basin could open at the start of school holidays, if snow coverage improved. Skier Sam Redwood was already eyeing up the possibilities. "I don't want to give away too many secrets, but I know some spots," he said. "My mate's been scoping out some really good lines down it and I'm really keen to hit those." Long-time Cardrona skier Will Murrell was also looking forward to trying out Soho's slopes. "The thought of a bunch of new stuff here is just awesome," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Queenstown open for skiing action on Saturday
It is not too shabby for an opening day. NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson says both The Remarkables and Coronet Peak will open as scheduled from 9am on Saturday, with the latter opening from top to bottom. At Coronet, all the beginner conveyor lifts, the Meadows Chair and Coronet Express would be in action — Rocky Gully and Green gates would not be open, "but we'll be looking to add those in as soon as we can stitch that together". At The Remarkables, the learners' conveyors, Alta and Curvey Basin would be open for action, with Sugar Bowl and Shadow Basin still to come, Mr Anderson said. "Our whole objective in getting both mountains open on the same day is to send a really, really strong signal to the market that ... Queenstown's open for business, and hopefully you see that switch flipped and the town gets busy very quickly." Mr Anderson said last weekend's perfectly timed snowfall had been supplemented by a huge amount of snowmaking, which he believed had been the longest period of snowmaking in Queenstown for a decade. "And the new guns we've got up there, they are just incredible." At The Remarkables, for example, the whales of snow from the guns were higher than the conveyor covers. "It just gives you an idea of the amount of snow they were belting out." He estimated Coronet was opening with between 60cm and 120cm on trail, and about 60cm at The Remarkables. "We're kind of expecting the locals to come out in force once they hear how good the on-trail skiing is ... It'll be nice to get a bit of a dump before school holidays, but with or without it, we're going to have a good school holidays, I can see that." Cardrona, which along with Treble Cone is owned by Queenstown-based company RealNZ, will also open on Saturday. Chief mountains officer Laura Hedley said thanks to an "incredible effort" from the snowmaking team, and some help from Mother Nature, the McDougall's Chondola and the learner conveyors would be spinning. Skiers and boarders would be able to access McDougalls' trail and the beginners' area from Saturday, while the North Face Cardrona parks crew would also put in a few features in McPark, the temporary early-season terrain park under McDougalls. "Our new base area building is nearing completion, and we are aiming to get our new Cardrona Corner retail shop open on Saturday, too," Ms Hedley said. To reflect the early season offering, Cardies day passes will be at early season rates until Whitestar Express opens. Treble Cone is scheduled to open on June 28.
Otago Daily Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Open for skiing action on Saturday
It is not too shabby for an opening day. NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson says both The Remarkables and Coronet Peak will open as scheduled from 9am on Saturday, with the latter opening from top to bottom. At Coronet, all the beginner conveyor lifts, the Meadows Chair and Coronet Express would be in action — Rocky Gully and Green gates would not be open, "but we'll be looking to add those in as soon as we can stitch that together". At The Remarkables, the learners' conveyors, Alta and Curvey Basin would be open for action, with Sugar Bowl and Shadow Basin still to come, Mr Anderson said. "Our whole objective in getting both mountains open on the same day is to send a really, really strong signal to the market that ... Queenstown's open for business, and hopefully you see that switch flipped and the town gets busy very quickly." Mr Anderson said last weekend's perfectly timed snowfall had been supplemented by a huge amount of snowmaking, which he believed had been the longest period of snowmaking in Queenstown for a decade. "And the new guns we've got up there, they are just incredible." At The Remarkables, for example, the whales of snow from the guns were higher than the conveyor covers. "It just gives you an idea of the amount of snow they were belting out." He estimated Coronet was opening with between 60cm and 120cm on trail, and about 60cm at The Remarkables. "We're kind of expecting the locals to come out in force once they hear how good the on-trail skiing is ... It'll be nice to get a bit of a dump before school holidays, but with or without it, we're going to have a good school holidays, I can see that." Cardrona, which along with Treble Cone is owned by Queenstown-based company RealNZ, will also open on Saturday. Chief mountains officer Laura Hedley said thanks to an "incredible effort" from the snowmaking team, and some help from Mother Nature, the McDougall's Chondola and the learner conveyors would be spinning. Skiers and boarders would be able to access McDougalls' trail and the beginners' area from Saturday, while the North Face Cardrona parks crew would also put in a few features in McPark, the temporary early-season terrain park under McDougalls. "Our new base area building is nearing completion, and we are aiming to get our new Cardrona Corner retail shop open on Saturday, too," Ms Hedley said. To reflect the early season offering, Cardies day passes will be at early season rates until Whitestar Express opens. Treble Cone is scheduled to open on June 28.
