Early days: ski industry not writing season off yet

Coronet Peak ski area’s Meadow Base yesterday afternoon. Photo by NZSki.
Coronet Peak ski area’s Meadow Base yesterday afternoon. Photo by NZSki.

Queenstown ski gear retail and hire operators are taking a glass half full approach to the ski season's disrupted start.

Coronet Peak ski area closed for skiing last Thursday after nearly a week of warm rain wiped out its snow base.

Business owners say it is too soon to write off the season, but admit they will become concerned if unseasonably warm temperatures extend through to the start of the New Zealand school holidays next weekend.

Outside Sports owner John Knight said he had noticed a dip in the retail side of his business, as Coronet Peak tended to be popular with older locals who splashed out on new gear.

But it was "early days'', and he had experienced similarly slow starts to the season in the past 20 years.

In 2011, snow did not arrive until July, but it ended up being a "reasonable'' season.

School holidays had begun in Victoria and Queensland and would start in New South Wales tomorrow, but it was lucky the domestic school holidays did not begin for another week, he said.

Snowrentals managing director Stefan Crawford said there had been no impact on trading so far because the Remarkables and Cardrona ski areas were still operating.

"People have already booked their holidays and they're still coming.''

Small Planets Sports owner Darryl Tatom said trading dipped about 30% on last year during the recent week of warm rain, but he was unconcerned.

He praised NZSki for the way it was coping with high visitor numbers at the Remarkables.

"Everybody's working a bit harder to accommodate the multitudes of people coming into town.''

NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson said Coronet Peak needed about 72 hours of continuous snowmaking at very cold temperatures to reopen.

It had made snow for the past three nights and throughout yesterday, but the air had been too warm to make enough.

The weather forecast was looking promising for snow from the middle of next week, Mr Anderson said.

"We're doing everything we can to get open for the New Zealand school holidays.''

The company would continue sharing work hours between its staff, but was operating "day by day''.

"It's only been a week. That's not unusual in the ski industry - you'd expect to be prepared for that. But obviously, if it went on for much longer, then we'd start to get worried.''

The company's other Queenstown ski area, the Remarkables, was busy.

Its higher altitude meant it could make snow for longer than Coronet Peak, allowing it to retain good coverage.

Coronet Peak remained opened for sightseers, and he had been surprised by the popularity of snow tubing on two lanes accessed by the Greengates chairlift.

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