It’s a battle of the South Island ski fields to see who will open first this weekend as Mother Nature has put operators to the test.
All eyes have been on snowfall, or lack of, for the popular slopes across Cardrona, The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and in particular Mt Hutt.
The Canterbury ski field was due to open Thursday morning but the weather did not work in its favour.
Ski area manager James McKenzie told 1News yesterday: “We had a bit of rain overnight, which meant that we’ve decided to delay our opening by a day.”
The team at Mt Hutt have their fingers crossed that 10cm of snow will settle before Saturday morning.
McKenzie said: “We’ll be opening our Northwest Express chairlift with our main trails coming down from there, and our beginners area.”
“The good news is that things are cooling down, forecasts are pretty encouraging for the next five or six days,” he said.
Mother Nature seems to have got the memo for Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wānaka.
But a lot of work has happened over the last few weeks to make the scheduled opening.
General manager Laura Hedley said: “We had a really cold May, and then a really warm start to June, and then it got cold again.”
“We got to turn our snow guns on… and the team have worked like 24/7 to get this place ready.”
Cardrona confirmed on Thursday that it would open this Saturday, with close to 1000 skiers and snowboarders up on the mountain early.
NZSki confirmed The Remarkables would open but just the lower terrain with conveyors.
Nearby Coronet Peak has pushed out its start date to at least early next week.
Man-made snowmaking has become even more vital to get the slopes ready for visitors.
“It is quite normal to be lean on snow in June but that’s why we invest in snow making,” Hedley said.
“I can only remember two winters in the last 18 [years] where we’ve had the opportunity to pull the opening date forward,” McKenzie said.
“Some people feel like it gets more touch and go, whether the season can start when you plan it to,” he said.
While the snowfall expectations vary every year, the ski sector is aware of other pressures.
“We’re definitely concerned about climate change and the impact on our industry, which is why we’re doing everything we can to mitigate that.”