Ski Areas in New Zealand
-The small country of New Zealand is a stunning and remarkable skier’s paradise in the Southern Hemisphere. The country boasts 4 Downhill ski areas on the North Island, and 19 on the South Island, plus 3 Cat-skiing / Heli-skiing operations, and one high altitude Cross-country specific ski area. A normal snow season here is June – October.
Cardrona (NZ)
Resort Classification: (Class 3) Medium
Cardrona Alpine Resort is a medium sized ski area located between Queenstown and Wanaka, New Zealand in the Southern Alps.
The base area for Cardrona is 3/4 of the way up the mountain road and has a lodge with rentals, lessons, restaurants and apartments for rent.
Cardrona is well known in the region for it’s large terrain parks and it’s vast backcountry terrain at the adjacent Cat Skiing operation called Soho Basin.
Famous For:
-Undoubtedly New Zealand’s best terrain park, with a huge half pipe and tons of other large features.
-The only slopeside lodging out of the commercial ski fields on New Zealand’s South Island.
-Adjacent to the Soho Basin Cat skiing area with epic backcountry skiing.
Infamous For:
-Cardona stretches their skiable terrain down to some very low elevations, close to the recordable snow line and the slopes can get fairly bony at any time of year when venturing to the lower slopes.
Closest town with lodging:
The closest town with lodging for this ski area is: Slopeside Lodging is available at Cardrona, and the Cardrona Hotel located at the base of the ski road has rooms for rent. Also, the towns of Wanaka (23km) and Queenstown (46km) have plentiful lodging options.
Closest City with An Airport:
The closest major city with a commercial airport for this ski area is: The city of Queenstown has an International Airport and is 46km to the Southwest.
Season Pass Reciprocation:
Cardrona sells a combined season pass with nearby Treble Cone ski area.
Mtn stats
$150
Adult
Base Elevation: 1,670m
Peak Elevation: 1,860m
Vertical Drop: 600m
Skiable Hectares: 465
Annual Snowfall: 270cm
Number of Trails: 24
Terrain Stats
$75
Youth
Beginner Terrain: 25%
Intermediate Terrain: 25%
Advanced Terrain: 30%
Expert Terrain: 20%
Av. Opening Date: Mid June
Av. Closing Date: Mid Oct
Chair Lifts
$105
Senior
Low Speed Doubles: 0
Low Speed Triples: 0
Low Speed Quads: 2
High Speed Quads: 2
High Speed 6 Packs: 0
High Speed 8 Packs: 0
Other Lifts
$105
Student
Rope Tows: 0
Magic Carpets: 2
T-Bar / Pomas: 1
Gondolas / Trams: 0
Chondolas: 1
Snow Cats: 0
Statistics
1,670
Meters, the base lodge area is 2/3 of the way up the Mtn
- Snow Making
- Night Skiing
- Snow Tubing
- Nordic Trails
- Backcountry Gates
- Uphill Traffic Allowed
Offerings
50%
Advanced and Expert terrain.
- Ski Lessons
- Snowboard Lessons
- Equipment Rentals
- Snowboarding Allowed
- Small Terrain Park
- Big Terrain Park
Amenities
#1
Place in New Zealand for Park terrain!
- Slopeside Lodging
- Free Parking
- Town Ski shuttle
- WiFi Available
- Cell Service
- Pass Reciprocation
This chart represents the amount of different difficulties of terrain.
Beginner Runs
25%
Intermediate Runs
25%
Advanced Runs
30%
Expert Runs
20%
Photos courtesy of:
The ski area photos above are provided courtesy of Snow Life LLC ©.
To connect with this ski area via their webpage or social media platforms, follow these links. >>>>
Click here for lift ticket deals!
SNow life ratings system.
Below is a series of ratings for this ski resort that is based upon the opinion of skiers and snowboarders directly associated with the Snow Life network of web pages. These ratings are based on personal experience from us actually going there and shredding it up. If an NR appears instead of the rating, it means we haven’t shred there yet, but rest assured, it’s on the list!!! Ratings are from 1-10, with 1 being poor, and 10 being the best. New Zealand ski areas exclude tree skiing stat, as all ski areas are “high alpine” and exist above the tree line. *Rated N/A.
sl rating: 7.3
9
Value for Day Ticket
8
Apres Scene
6
Snow Quantity
7
Snow Quality
7
Moguls
7
Groomer quantity
7
Groomer quality
8
Vibe
7
The Steeps
7
Lift Infrastructure
N/A
Glades / Tree skiing
7
Views / Scenery
A day on the slopes of Cardrona is not complete without a stop at the famous Cardona Hotel, which can be found at the ski road base, and has a legendary apres ski AMBIANCE.
*Insider Tip*
Resort hours and location
Below are the operating hours for the lift system during the Winter Season according to this ski resort.
Cardrona Valley Rd, Cardrona 9305, New Zealand
Weekdays: 9am – 4pm
Weekends: 9am – 4pm
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Snowboard company
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Ski and snowboard company
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