Guns open up as temperatures fall on skifields

A snowgun at Treble Cone pumps out the artificial white stuff yesterday at dawn, as a layer of...
A snowgun at Treble Cone pumps out the artificial white stuff yesterday at dawn, as a layer of cloud inversion covers Lake Wanaka in the distance. Photo supplied.
Wanaka residents woke to the first inversion cloud layer of the year over the town yesterday, but the chilly temperatures on the mountains above were an early boon for snow-making at some skifields.

Treble Cone spokesman Sam Williams said the skifield's snow-making crew were in action for their first time on Monday night making snow for the approaching season.

"The guns were firing on Lower Easy Rider and the Nice and Easy Platter to add to the 25cm natural base that fell last week," he said.

An overnight low of -3.5degC meant conditions were ideal for making snow, Mr Williams said.

Snow Park brand manager Claire Jackson said the snowguns were scheduled to start  for the first time last night. .

The 60ha freestyle terrain park is scheduled to be the first Wanaka skifield to open this winter, on June 13.

Cardrona Alpine Resort spokesman Bruce McGeechan said the skifield was starting its snow-making programme next Tuesday.

"Traditionally, you can't make snow until June. But it's certainly cold enough to begin at the moment," he said.

Cardrona Alpine Resort says its new halfpipe, ready in time for the season opening next month, is the biggest in the southern hemisphere.

The Cardrona website said the new 160m-long halfpipe, with its 6.4m-high walls, was much bigger than anything else in New Zealand.

The halfpipe wall height makes it one of the few in the world to conform to new Olympic "22ft" specifications and the only one in the southern hemisphere built to this new dimension, the website states.

 

        Skifield opening dates

  • Snow Park: June 13
  • Cardrona: June 27
  • Treble Cone: June 30
  • Snow Farm: June 21 (to be confirmed)

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