Coronet Peak has opened early this season thanks to a $2 million snow-making machine — the first of its kind in the South Island — that has been running nearly 24 hours a day for the past month pumping out massive piles of ice crystals.
The machine, installed by the Queenstown ski field ahead of this winter, has given the area enough snow to open weeks ahead of schedule and tie in with a new winter festival in the resort town.
Coronet Peak ski area manager Nigel Kerr said the technology had been transformative.
"It's given us real resilience, it's given us the ability to extend the season by a couple of weeks, it's given the ability to turn Queenstown on for winter early, it's given us the ability to train 40-odd staff early and give them more work — and that's just the top line," he said.
The field already has more snow guns than any other ski area in the Southern Hemisphere — around 230 — and Kerr said snowmaking had been critical to Coronet Peak's survival for decades.
"This ski field without snowmaking — that was decided 30 or 40 years ago — snowmaking created the ski field. Without it, this wasn't a viable business," he said.
"We've turned Coronet Peak from a four to six week a year option into a 20 week a year option."
NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson said the technology was also becoming more efficient and cheaper to run.
"The snow guns we're now installing are about five times more efficient than the ones we installed 10 to 15 years ago — and that's just getting better and better and more reliable, cheaper to run, using less water," he said.
The early opening has coincided with a new Queenstown winter festival, with the snow factory giving organisers the confidence to commit to outdoor events including a rail jam in the town centre.
Whakapapa ski area on the North Island also opened today, with ski area representative Travis Donoghue saying technology would be key to the industry's future.
"I think it's going to really go some way to offsetting that climate variability," he said.
Skiers out on the slopes on Saturday were making the most of the early season conditions, with one describing it as a bluebird day well worth the trip.
"I'm stoked to be here," one skier said. "They do say the snow in May never stays — but baby, this is staying."
The southern ski fields are hoping to open fully next month, with natural snowfall still to come.
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