Coronet Peak has been hit hardest by temperatures which have made snow-making impossible.
The Queenstown skifield announced yesterday it would remain closed until Monday and has stood down all of its "non-core" staff.
Coronet Peak and Remarkables parent company NZSki.com chief executive James Coddington said staff were informed of the decision yesterday.
A "significant" number were affected by the closure.
Mr Coddington said the skifield was organising other activities for staff, including day trips to Milford Sound a luge day, football and touch rugby tournaments.
The activities were labelled "token gestures" by an Arrowtown woman who works in Coronet Peak's rentals department.
Claire Wilson said she was lucky she lived with her parents and did not pay rent, unlike many of her fellow workers who would struggle with the loss of a week's wages.
She originally thought her employers would offer a hardship fund for those affected by the closure.
This had not happened and she blamed the skifield's "ambitious" early opening date.
"Anyone from New Zealand knows that winter doesn't kick in properly until after the shortest day [June 21].
They should have been more realistic in their opening dates."
Snow Park, on the Pisa Range, is the latest false start casualty.
It was forced to cancel its Black Friday opening last week and its bad luck continued when mild weather forcing a further postponement of today's re-scheduled opening.
The Remarkables Ski Area confirmed yesterday it would not open on Saturday, making it the third Southern Lakes skifield to depart from its scheduled opening day.
