More than 600 staff members spread across Wanaka's three main skifields are preparing for the start of the winter season next week.
Treble Cone will be the first mountain in the Wanaka area to start up its chairlifts for visitors next Thursday and the skifield is ready for opening day, operation manager Rosco Davies says. The field will employ about 160 staff members for the winter.
A team of 12 snowmakers has been busy for the past month.
Conditions on the mountain were looking good nine days out from the season opening and it was "looking likely, if things stay as they are" Treble Cone's Saddle Basin would be open for the first day of the season, Mr Davies said.
"Snow conditions are definitely better than average for opening day, although not quite as spectacular as it was for last year."
Cardrona Alpine Resort operations manager Gary Husband said the field had 460 employees on its staff list for the winter.
Improvements to facilities, including an innovative tunnel run and a new chairlift installed to increase Cardrona's skiable area, were finished, he said.
Snow Park NZ general manager Sam Lee said about 50 people would be employed at the freestyle facility on the Pisa Range this winter.
Snow Park will open next Saturday.
The park's snowmaking guns had been "fully cranked" in preparation for next weekend's opening day, Mr Lee said.
Rails, boxes, and features were all being installed, and work was on track for the park to have a fully shaped and complete half-pipe ready for the first day of the season, he said.
OPENING DAYS
- Treble Cone: Thursday, June 24.
- Cardrona Alpine Resort: Friday, June 25.
- Snow Park NZ: Saturday, June 26.
- Snow Farm nordic trails: Open.
