Skiing & snowboarding in New Zealand doesn’t get much better than at Cardrona – check out why here!
With wide open trails, challenging chutes, world-class beginner facilities & the Southern Hemisphere’s most extensive terrain park facilities, there’s something for every snow enthusiast skiing & snowboarding at Cardrona! Cardrona is open daily from 9am – 4pm. In Spring we’re open till 5pm to make the most out of the daylight hours. We have 1 chondola (combined gondola cabin chairlift), 4 chairlifts, 3 surface conveyors & 1 platter tow at Cardrona, servicing a variety of NZ skiing & snowboarding terrain:
McDougall's Express Chondola
McDougall’s Express Chondola is the ultimate access point for the entire mountain! It is a combined lift of 8-person gondola cabins & 6-seater chairs. The bottom of the lift is right beside our Base area, & it will get you to the top of the mountain in under 4mins. It’s the NZ ski industry’s first gondola-style lift, & also accesses Cardrona’s extensive network of wide, open beginner trails. You can explore the whole mountain from McDougall’s Express Chondola!
Whitestar Express Quad
Whitestar Express is the home of freestyle snowboarding & skiing in New Zealand, providing the main access point to the Southern Hemisphere’s most extensive terrain park facilities. When you ride Whitestar, you can watch some of the world’s best riding through the terrain parks! Whitestar also has a network of blue trails, some of which are FIS race-certified, & can be used to access the freeride terrain in Arcadia Chutes.
Captain's Express Quad
Captain’s Express services the freeride terrain out at Captain’s Basin. There are wide, open green & blue on-piste trails in Captain’s Basin, as well as some incredible off-piste terrain. On a powder day, you’ll find some of the best snow & terrain in New Zealand in Captain’s! The basin is also home to the famous Captain’s Pizzeria, where a freshly-made pizza & a craft beer can be enjoyed on the big sun deck outside.
Valley View Quad
If you’re looking for the Queenstown & Wanaka locals, chances are you’ll find them down at Valley View Quad at some point each day... Valley View is below Cardrona’s Base area, so if you already have your lift ticket or season pass you can park down there & be first on the lifts in the morning! The Valley has a network of fun intermediate on-piste trails, & fun, challenging off-piste between. You can also grab a coffee or a snack down at Little Meg Café – it’s the perfect spot for a bite on the go.
Wells Pipe Platter
If you’re headed to a winter in New Zealand of halfpipe riding, you’ll be spending a lot of time at the Wells Pipe Platter. Named after the infamous Wells family of freeskiers, the platter services our 2 halfpipes & the Big Air jump!
Conveyors
If you’ve come for a New Zealand ski holiday to learn to ski or snowboard, you’ll make use of our 3 learner conveyors! We’ve got a specialized kids’ conveyor right next to our base buildings to get the littlest members of your family confident on the snow. On our main Beginners’ Area we have 2 conveyors including our long Learner Conveyor which is covered by a see-through tunnel to keep you warm & dry.
If you’d like a more in-depth introduction to skiing & snowboarding in New Zealand, grab one of our Mountain Hosts (bright orange jackets) – they’re more than happy to point you in the right direction & also run free mountain tours daily from the top of Whitestar!
