What's Happening in Winter 2020

• Opening Dates & Hours

  We're planning to open Cardrona from June 26 till October 18, and Treble Cone from June 27 till September 6. The plan is to have both mountains open 7 days a week (weather-dependent).

  Cardrona's opening hours will stay as normal - 8.30am to 4pm daily.

  Treble Cone’s opening hours will now also be 8.30am to 4pm daily.

  This opening time for both resorts refers to the main basins - the rest of each resort will open up as control and safety work is complete. As normal, expect delays on snow days so we can keep everyone safe.

• Lifts & Terrain

  Across both mountains, the plan is to open all chairlifts apart from Valley View Quad at Cardrona. Due to COVID-19 (the lockdown putting us behind maintenance schedules and the forecasted loss of business), we were unable to complete the maintenance required to get Valley View up and running this year - it'll be back next year! When conditions and snow coverage permit, Ski Patrol are going to look at access down Goldrush to the bottom of Valley View at the end of each day... just to finish with a wee thigh-burner.

  Learner facilities at both mountains will be operating. At Treble Cone the learners' facilities will be dependent on natural snow fall.

  At Cardrona, the Pringles boundary line will be moved up to Comeback trail - the Pringles zone will be considered backcountry for the season and won't be patrolled so please talk to the team at the top of Captain's for conditions information before you head down there.

• Rentals/Storage/Workshop

  Ski Concierge for rental gear at Cardrona will be run through the Rental department (not the on-snow option). Overnight storage will still be available at Cardrona in the lockers above the ski and snowboard school guest services. The workshop at Cardrona will run as normal.

  Over at Treble Cone, there won't be an on-mountain workshop or overnight storage. There will be day lockers available to hire. Ski Concierge at Treble Cone will also be available for rental gear only and also run within Rentals.

• Food & Beverage

  This year at Cardrona we'll be running 7 of our 8 food and beverage outlets, with Little Meg closed for the season:

  • Noodle Bar - with signature dishes of ramen, and poke bowls
  • Base Cafe - your grab and go favourites, fish & chips, sammies, slow-cooked mountain meals and more
  • Base Bar - hot drinks, beer, wine, spirits, smoothies, and grab and go sweet treats
  • Mezz - our table service restaurant with a focus on local ingredients and amazing food!
  • Captain's - has a new bar with beer taps upcycled from old snowmaking equipment! Grab a slice of pizza and wash it down with a local craft beer or delicious coffee
  • The Lounge - will have barista coffee, wine and beer
  • Vista Bar - the usual suspects at the top of McDougall's; Mumm, mulled wine, luxury hot chocolate and more!

  Over at Treble Cone, we'll have:

  • Altitude Cafe - Coffee & Pizza with the best views in the Southern Lakes
  • The Bar - all the bevvies, all the time
  • Grab and Go - snacks and quick meals to keep you going
  • Southern BBQ - delicious slow-cooked meals to make your mouth water

  This year we're proud that our food and beverage outlets will:

  • Have zero plastic bottles
  • Brew organic coffee
  • Have all free-range produce
  • Use local suppliers for all food, wine and beer
  • Make our own fries using Canterbury potatoes
  • Have new water stations for BYO water bottles
  • Sport a limited edition Cardrona 40th Anniversary Hazy Pale Ale thanks to the team at Canyon Brewery

• Transport

  We will be running transport from Queenstown to Cardrona relatively as per previous years. This year we won't be running the late rider option and there will be limited buses, so please book your spot early. 

  The Wanaka transport to Cardrona and Treble Cone will be operated by our friends at Yello this year - it'll start on July 3rd, and finish at TC on August 2 and Cardrona on September 27. Please get in touch with us if you'd like transport up the mountain outside of those dates.

  We're currently confirming the schedules for the Pine Trees at Cardrona/TC Mountain Shuttle buses. These will be a reduced service and as soon as they're confirmed they'll be listed on our transport page.

  There will be no chain hire available this year - please make sure you have your chains in your boot and you know how to fit them.

• Lessons & High Performance

  Cardrona's lessons and programmes are all running as normal this season, including the Ski Kindy and Kids' Club. At Treble Cone, we will be delivering pre-booked private lessons. This is a great opportunity for our guests to decide where they want to ski or ride with their instructor. We will also have a limited number of instructors available for walk-up private bookings but we won't be offering any group lessons (apart from local kids' programmes etc.). There are a few new opportunities being developed so keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information.

  The Wanaka Ski Team, Cardrona Parks Squad and TC Freeride Programme will all be running this year.

• Terrain Parks

  Like most years, the terrain park team at Cardrona are starting small and working their way up. In order, they'll build Lil' Bucks, Stag Lane and Antlers Alley. Additional features throughout the season, including Big Bucks, are dependent on a few factors (including snow), and we'll keep you updated on the Cardrona Parks NZ Instagram.

• Events

  Because of border restrictions, we've removed all international events from our 2020 Events Calendar, and this year we've got an exciting calendar full of fun local events for all skiers and snowboarders. These include the TC Banked Slalom, Junior Nationals, Park Attack Slopestyle, Winter Pride and more. 

• Wanaka and Queenstown Shops

  Our Wanaka shop (Cardrona Corner, 20 Helwick St) will run as normal - during the winter season it will be open from 7am to 7pm and you can pick up lift passes, rental gear, and do your Christmas shopping there before heading up the mountain.

  The Queenstown shop at 37 Camp St will also be open from 7am to 7pm. This year the Queenstown shop won't be doing hotel deliveries for rental gear, and will have a scaled-back retail offering.

  Once you're up at Cardrona, make sure you check out the retail shop - it's had a bit of a makeover!

• Instructor Training Cardrona

  ITC will operate at both Cardrona and Treble Cone this season. Weekend Warriors are back, and there are heaps of different course options if you've decided this is the year you make the mountains your office. The ITC team are also looking at launching a webinar series!

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