Queenstown Ski ski resort

About Queenstown Ski

Location:

Queenstown is located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in the Southern Alps, within the Otago province of New Zealand's South Island. The nearest ski areas, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, are situated 18km (11 miles) and 26km (16 miles) from town respectively.

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Slopes

On the slopes

The ski season in Coronet Peak usually starts before that of The Remarkables resort, running from early June until early October as opposed to late June until mid-October.

Coronet Peak has had a complete makeover in the last couple of years. A recently built NZ$32m base lodge is one of the best in the world and compliments one of the Southern Hemisphere's most extensive automated snowmaking systems, made up of more than 200 snow guns covering all trails on the mountain.

There's a nicely graded beginners' area at the base, served by three carpet conveyor lifts. An express quad chairlift takes skiers and boarders to the top of the M1 run – a 2.4km (1.5-mile) blue trail popular with intermediates. Advanced skiers, meanwhile, can drop into the more challenging back bowls.

Across the valley, north-facing The Remarkables is a great place to learn to ski. The beginners' area is separate from the main slopes, beneath the day lodge, with three easy-to-ride magic carpet lifts.

The Sugar Bowl is a popular hangout for intermediates and snowboarders, with its blue runs, super-pipe and three terrain parks, including the Southern Hemisphere's only Burton Stash park (a natural terrain park maintained by hand rather than machine). Advanced skiers and riders can hike from the Shadow chairlift to some great chutes.