"Snow in May never stays, snow in June is a welcome boon, but
on snow in July you can rely" is the message from long-time
Queenstown resident Vance Boyd, who says the fuss over the
resort's snow drought is a byproduct of expectations raised
by snowmaking technology.
A record-breaking warm start to winter means none of the
country's major fields are open yet. This is leaving ski-area
bosses on edge waiting for a decent natural fall and
consistent below-zero temperatures cold enough to begin
snowmaking.
Mr Boyd is the managing director of ski tourism company Kiwi
Discoveries and has lived in the resort for 24 years.
"I think the investment in snowmaking has raised people's
expectations of skiing in June above realistic levels. Skiing
in June is a welcome bonus rather than a sure thing."
Despite many tourists - particularly Australians - coming to
the resort especially to ski, Mr Boyd said visitors had still
decided to come to Queenstown and had "gone away happy".
"I've been to a number of industry functions over the past
week and people are generally positive. And some have
commented that they actually have been doing better when snow
conditions have not been so good because visitors spend more
widely on activities they otherwise may not have done."
Mr Boyd said below-zero forecasts were expected for the
majority of the Southern Lakes skifields and predicted there
would be skiing within a week.
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