NZSki Ltd chief executive James Coddington said school holiday visitor numbers were the "best ever" at Coronet Peak and The Remarkables.
A combination of factors, over and above New Zealand and Australian school holidays falling on the same dates this year, have contributed to the record numbers heading to the slopes above Queenstown, he said.
"There's a multitude of reasons why our numbers are peaking.
"We've had good early snow and a targeted early-season campaign to Australian markets has paid dividends," he said.
An increase in flights to Queenstown and a favourable exchange rate for Australians had also helped attract visitors wanting a skiing holiday, Mr Coddington said.
Improvements at Coronet Peak, particularly an investment in snow-making operations to enable greater coverage of the mountain, meant there was plenty of terrain and space to accommodate the surge in skifield visitor numbers, Mr Coddington said.
Visitors to NZSki's two Queenstown fields got good value for their lift pass purchases, he said.
Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wanaka has also recorded massive visitor numbers, as holidaymakers flock to its learner and intermediate-friendly slopes.
Cardrona spokeswoman Nadia Ellis said the resort had experienced "near-record" visitor numbers this school holidays, with the slopes "packed" with skiers and snowboarders.
The increased numbers had meant a wait for visitors queuing for chairlift rides and the skifield's five cafes were often full, she said.
The resort's carparks had often been full by early afternoon and the skifield's rental shop had also struggled to cope with the huge demand, Ms Ellis said.
"All these numbers prove we are on the right track with our plans for expansion," she said.
Cardrona completed the first stage of its Valley View upgrade this winter, installing a new chairlift to open up more terrain at the skifield.
Snow-making operations are to be installed this summer.
Low natural snow levels had meant the new area could not be used yet, Ms Ellis said.
Treble Cone spokesman Nigel Kerr said visitor numbers through the holiday season were "generally pretty good".
"We've had some good business, but not record numbers," he said.
Treble Cone's car parks were full "most days," and waiting times in chairlift queues were negligible, Mr Kerr said.
Holiday statistics
- Peak of 167 ski and snowboarding instructors working during one day, last week.
- A record 477 slices of pizza sold in five hours at Captains Cafe.
- Baristas made 1623 coffees in a single day last week.
- 900 litres of milk and 100kg of chips ordered every second day.
- 21 nationalities working at Cardrona's ski and snowboard school.
