Cardrona’s Ski Patrol & Slope Safety team are out & about to keep you safe every day on Cardrona's slopes. Check out our safety tips, signage & backcountry advisory information to have a great day on the mountain.
Emergency Contact
Put the Medical Centre phone number in your mobile – +64 3 443 1576. Ring this number if you are involved in or witness an accident on the slopes & require medical assistance. Ski Patrol will come & assess any injuries & organise transfers to the Medical Centre.
Ski Patrol are located at the top of Whitestar Express & Captain’s Express. If you witness an accident, have any safety questions or concerns, flag down a patroller at one of these locations & they’ll be more than happy to help!
Slope Safety
Our Slope Safety team assist Ski Patrol with ensuring the day to day safety of all our guests. They’re also responsible for ensuring all guests abide by the Snow Code.
You may get pulled up by Slope Safety if you are:
- Speeding
- Skiing/riding dangerously
- Riding in a closed area
- Colliding with another guest
Any of the above offences can result in a loss of pass – the length of which will be determined by how serious the incident was & how many times the skier/snowboarder has been pulled up.
Terrain & Trails
At Cardrona we have 4 tiers of trails:
- Beginner – Green circle
- Intermediate – Blue square
- Advanced – Red rectangle
- Expert – Black diamond
Check out our Trail Map to see where all our different trail levels are.
Signage
Our signage is in a "traffic light" coded system:
Green – good to go! If you see a green sign at Cardrona, it generally means a feature or trail is open & ready for you to charge!
Orange – slow down! Orange is the colour we use for all our Slow Zones, including the new extended for Westons Trail & Footrot Flats under the McDougall’s Express Chondola.
Yellow – information. All our general information signage like the Snow Safety Code are in yellow.
Red – stop! Red signs often indicate closed areas, or things like winch cats in operation.
Safety tips for guests
1. Plan your trip
Check out our Weather Forecast a week in advance of your trip so you know what gear to bring. Our daily Snow Report is updated from 6.30am daily & will let you know what the weather & road conditions for that specific day will be so you can pack accordingly.
2. Be prepared
Weather & road conditions can change rapidly in an alpine environment. Even if the Snow Report says the road is clear & chain-free, throw a set in your boot just in case. Bring clothing layers so you have more to put on if the temperature drops, & waterproof layers in case of snow. Sunscreen is always a useful item to pack!
Warm up & stretch – the best way to avoid injury on a ski resort is to make sure your body is warmed up before you start charging hard!
3. Wear protective gear
Helmets, body armour & eye protection (goggles or sunglasses) are very good ideas to keep you safe on the mountain! We especially recommend helmets if you’re skiing or snowboarding through any of our terrain parks, & some form of eye protection is essential to avoid snow blinding.
4. Tips for kids
Put your phone number in your children’s pocket, so if they get separated from you Ski Patrol have your contact details. Read our Lift Safety for Families blog, & check out our new lift safety guards!
Babies in Backpacks Policy
It's a guest's choice to bring their young family to Cardrona for an alpine experience. A few guests each year choose to ski or snowboard with their young children in backpacks. If a guest chooses to do this, both the parent & the child require a Cardrona lift pass to accept our policies, procedure & Snow Code.
- Child must be secure in a commercial ‘For Purpose’ solid frame baby carrier
- General back packs or soft sling type carriers are not sufficient
- The baby carrier is positioned BESIDE the adult on the chair and held securely, not worn
- However, if your baby is secured in a front pack & you can get the safety bar down around them, you don't need to sit the baby separately
- The child is counted as one person on the chair
- To be able to board a lift, a child must have conventional snow equipment on, OR be in a backpack. We do not encourage children free-riding on an adult's skis/snowboard between their legs
- If you're going sightseeing with your family, you're more than welcome to take your infant inside a gondola cabin – just make sure they wrap up warm!
- If you have any questions, pop in & see the Ski Patrol team!
This policy is to make sure our littlest guests are safe on the lifts – on the snow all slope users must follow the SAANZ Snow Safety Code.
- Check out the Tai Poutini Polytechnic website to find out how you can become a Ski Patroller!
