The dull thud of explosives penetrated my dreams, peeling away many layers of deep sleep. I floundered my way out of down duvets and pillows and stumbled to a window.
Illuminated by the glimmerings of dawn, horizontal sleet and strong winds lashed our cosy Wanaka abode. The mountains had vanished behind a grey shroud, so it was safe to assume that if sleet was falling to low levels, a full-on blizzard would be raging at high altitude.
Now fully awake, I realised the muffled blasts were echoing down the valley from Cardrona and across the lake from Treble Cone. High up in the mountains, specialist ski patrol teams were detonating the steep slopes and wind-blown cornices above the pistes, releasing controlled avalanches before declaring the fields safe to open — unseen heroes of our winter playgrounds.
It was early September and we had just arrived in Wanaka on our annual winter pilgrimage to my spiritual home amid the mountains, lakes and rivers of Central Otago. Right on cue, our good mate Sam turned up at the same time. The Southern Annular Mode (Sam) ushers in snow-laden storms in spring, and this year the snow had come in great abundance, with regular top-ups every few days. But the attendant winds were playing havoc with the big decisions of the day. To ski or not to ski, and if so, where to ski?
Next question: where to go — head to Cardrona, 34km southwest of Wanaka up the Cardrona Valley, or Treble Cone, 23km northwest of Wanaka up Mt Aspiring Rd? Since 2020, when the owners of Cardrona, RealNZ, purchased Treble Cone, both fields have been covered by the same lift pass. We had multi-day passes so could ski either resort ... which did not make the decision any easier. But it was our first day back on the skis and we were not yet fit enough to cope with TC’s steeper, more challenging terrain, so we opted for a cruisier experience at Cardrona.
Now in our early 70s, we’ve skied "Cardy" since it opened in 1980 and knew the terrain so well, we could ski in a white-out ... which has happened many times over the years.
But the big drawcard for us this season was the brand new six-seater, high-speed Soho Express chairlift opened to the public on July 5. The lift provides access to a massive 150ha of intermediate to advanced terrain previously accessible only by snowcat or ski touring.
The weather forecast was bang on. It turned out to be a classic bluebird day — fresh snow, bright sunshine, no wind, not a cloud in the sky. The entire resort was open and all the lifts were spinning for the first time in the 2025 season.
In the 45 years we’ve skied Cardrona, we’ve often fantasised about dropping over the edge into the vast southwesterly-facing slopes overlooking the Wakatipu Basin. The terrain accumulates a substantial depth of snow and holds it for longer, so it’s perfect for spring skiing.
The perspective on the landscape was so different from the Pisa Range, Cardrona Valley, Remarkables view we were used to. From the top of the new Soho Express, the panorama was breathtaking.
On a clear day you can see row-upon-row of the Southern Alps with Pikirakatahi/Mt Earnslaw and Aoraki/Mt Cook in the far distance and closer in, Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown Airport with a steady stream of jets landing and taking off.
At eye level, you get a side-on view of Coronet Peak and below, the outskirts of Arrowtown and a glimpse of the track to the historic gold mining ghost town of Macetown.
Long ago, my family had a crib in Arrowtown, so as kids we used to hike to Macetown in the summer and ski at Coronet Peak in the winter ... in the rope tow era.
The shiny new Dopplemayr Soho Express is light years away from my rope tow days. It has a conveyer belt or "magic carpet" that slowly moves six people at a time into exactly the right position to sit down on the chair at exactly the same time, automatic safety bars that operate without the need to manually yank a heavy piece of steel up and down, and it slows down at the top to deposit skiers and snowboarders gently on to the snow. The 1.2km ride up the mountain is swift, smooth and scenic — and the seats are padded.
The Soho Express uplifts 3000 skiers and snowboarders an hour, vastly increasing Cardrona’s lift capacity and significantly reducing congestion and queues.
The kids were fast and adventurous but we managed to keep up — we skied moguls, chutes, steep pistes, wide open slopes, traverses and mellow basins. The snow was in perfect condition without a hint of ice.
It was surreal and exciting to ski completely foreign terrain on a mountain we know and love so well. I was smitten ... and this is just the beginning of the development on the Soho side of the mountain. A new reservoir and snowmaking facilities are planned for next season, with many other facilities to follow.
As we skied down, we could see the cornices that had been dislodged in the early hours of the morning by the trusty ski patrollers who work hard in the most challenging conditions to ensure our safety. Thanks team!
Delighted to find relatively few skiers and snowboarders in Soho Basin and zero queues, we skied until our aged legs demanded a break.
Captains Cafe has been our usual port of call for lunch, but this time we decided to sample the menu at the all-new Noodle Bar. Pad Thai noodles and ice cold cider on a sunny balcony watching international skiers and snowboarders doing crazy aerial stuff on the Big Air just above us was an awesome way to spend an hour while the leg muscles recovered. And here’s a hint. Have lunch at 11.30 to avoid the noon rush and get back on your skis/board by 12.30 when everyone else is taking a break.
Sam delivers bountiful snow, it’s sunnier, warmer and less crowded, albeit a bit windier. But in Wanaka if you can’t ski/snowboard, there’s always plan B — biking, hiking, wine-tasting, cafe-cruising or just observing the dramatic weather fronts swoop across the mountains and the lake. It’s a mesmerising pastime.
We skied until the lifts closed, relishing being the last ones on the deserted slopes. As long shadows crept across the maunga and the temperatures began to plummet, we packed it in for the day, tired but incredibly exhilarated.
Ski patrollers were heading up the lifts to sweep the mountain for stragglers and the snow groomers were preparing to lay down more corduroy (a process which smooths the snow and creates a ribbed pattern that looks like the fabric of the same name). The skies were clear and no snow was forecast overnight, so hopefully the explosives team could take a break.
After the usual wrestling match to extract our aching feet from the vice grip of our ski boots, we made a beeline for the Cardrona Pub to consume our standard apres ski treat — piping hot gluhwein and loaded wedges. It’s part of a time-honoured tradition where rosy-cheeked skiers and snowboarders congregate to eat and drink around smoky outside fires in sub-zero temperatures, reliving the highlights of the day. Mine was discovering Soho, a new love ... late in life.
