Skiers enjoy Treble Cone skifield’s opening day, held 10 days later than expected. PHOTO: BELLE GRACE Wānaka’s skifield operators and users were able to breathe a sigh of relief last week, as snow arrived just in time for the school holidays. A testing start to winter had resulted in the opening of Cardrona Alpine Resort being delayed by almost two weeks and Treble Cone’s opening delayed by 10 days. Cardrona resort manager Heath Richmond said a timely 30cm snowfall made a huge difference. ‘‘We were worried, but it’s pretty normal. ‘‘Sometimes winter’s a bit late to arrive. ‘‘It’s not anything new, but it can get stressful,’’ he said. Cardrona had significant snow-making capability, but it was never the same as natural fallen snow, Mr Richmond said. ‘‘It’s a really good base and together they make a great combination. ‘‘We are really excited to welcome everyone and will have more terrain open over the next few days so we ask that people are patient before we are full-bore with everything running.’’ Cardrona and Treble Cone chief mountains officer Laura Hedley said the fresh snow had arrived just in time. ‘‘This is the dump we’ve been waiting for — 30cm at Cardrona and 25cm at Treble Cone in a couple of days. ‘‘Treble Cone is open and more terrain will come online at Cardrona as the snow keeps falling and snowmaking continues. ‘‘We’re stoked and the timing couldn’t be better with the New Zealand school holidays just kicking off,’’ Ms Hedley said. Cardrona had been set to open on June 13 but that was delayed until June 26, while Treble Cone’s opening was pushed back from June 27 to July 7. Wānaka local Toby Roberts bought a season pass this year for the first time in seven years and was delighted by the snowfall. ‘‘My partner and I were both watching the webcams on Sunday trying to figure out how much snow was falling and it was great to finally see some cold weather create the right conditions for making snow. ‘‘It’s a bit of a relief to see the snow up there and now I’m just frothing to get up the hill for a ski. ‘‘Hopefully the cold weather continues and we can get some more,’’ he said. Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism chief executive Mat Woods said the excitement around town and on the mountains could be felt. ‘‘Our skifields have made significant investments in snowmaking technology, but there’s nothing quite like that first big snowfall of the season to get everyone stoked.’’ With the snowfall comes increased risk on the roads up to the skifields. Mr Richmond asked that customers heed warnings about the need for chains when driving to both Cardrona and Treble Cone. ‘‘A lot of people are coming up without chains — and slide off the road and clog it up for everyone else. ‘‘We want people to listen ... and get your chains.’’ Mr Richmond said earlier this week the bus service brought about 1000 people up the mountain because chains were a requirement. evie.sinclair@alliedmedia.co.nz
