A $480 taxi bill has left an Auckland adaptive skier and his family cold on the idea of a second day skiing at The Remarkables.

The man, who is a sit-skier, was in Queenstown for a long weekend with his mum and sister when they were charged $240 each way for a taxi ride to and from the skifield on Sunday.

Adaptive ski instructor Sheena Haywood says the trio had a great time and were keen to return the next day, but couldn’t stomach another $480 round trip.

So Haywood drove them herself.

“I was horrified,” she says, describing the taxi fare as a “rip-off”.

The family had booked a Queenstown Taxis cab to take them the 22km from Earnslaw Lodge on Frankton Rd to the skifield.

The $240 fare each way meant the family spent more on the taxi rides than their flight from Auckland.

Haywood, who coordinates adaptive skiing at both The Remarkables and Coronet Peak, says she’s concerned the cost could put the experience out of reach for visitors who already face additional challenges accessing the skifields.

But Queenstown Taxis managing director Andrew Clark says the price is the company’s advertised fixed fare, and displayed on a ski transport flyer at hotels and other accommodation providers throughout the resort town.

It charges a fixed fare of $200 from the town centre to The Remarkables, plus a $40 charge if chains are required.

In this case, the driver had to put chains on the vehicle on both trips, taking the total to $240 each way.

“This is the service and the price we offer — customers are welcome to use another service if they wish,” Clark says.

He says the fare is not simply based on the distance travelled — vehicles travelling to the skifields also need to be cleaned afterwards.

A trip to Coronet Peak is cheaper, costing $110 for a car or $125 for a van.