Cardrona Alpine Resort was in pristine order for opening day yesterday.
Southern Lakes skifield operators say opening conditions are the "best in a decade" - Cardrona boasts a snow base of more than a metre.
The skifield opened "fully operational", with 100% snow coverage across the mountain, Cardrona field manager Gary Husband said.
However, despite the great snow conditions, not all went well yesterday. A 28-year-old woman became the first skifield casualty when she fell while skiing before lunchtime and had to be flown by helicopter to Dunedin Hospital.
Cardrona ski patrol head Geoff Wayatt said the woman, understood to be from the United States and studying at the University of Otago, sustained head injuries.
"She took a nasty fall on her head," he said.
