The start of the snow season has been a mixed bag across the country.
Queenstown visitor numbers are reportedly higher than the early 2018 and 2019 snow seasons, following the start of direct flights from Sydney in late May and Melbourne and Brisbane on June 24.
Despite the trans-Tasman border opening at the same time last year, the number of New Zealanders and Australians on the slopes during the last week of June is about 30 per cent higher than last year, according to Horwath HTL.
Visitor numbers to Mt Cardrona reflect this.
“We can’t divulge specific visitor numbers due to their commercial sensitivity, but we can tell you that numbers are very strong this year with the borders reopening and decent early snowfalls,” says a Cardrona spokesperson.
The North Island snow season is off to a slower start.
While Ruapehu’s beginner slope, Happy Valley, has been open since July 3, the first section of its southwestern slope, T≈´roa, only opened on Sunday – nine days later than planned.
Mt Ruapehu’s third ski area, Whakapapa, remains closed.
A Mt Ruapehu ski resort spokesperson says there have been limited windows for snowmaking guns to operate due to high temperatures and humidity levels.
Natural snowfall levels have been low due to warm weather and rain.
“Our unique volcanic terrain, different to most other ski areas, requires more snow,” says a Mt Ruapehu ski resort spokesperson.
“It takes longer and requires more snow to cover the jagged rocks and fill the deep valleys, and generally requires multiple storms from different directions.”
