Current Conditions & Opening Dates

The larger commercial ski fields on the South Island of New Zealand are scheduled to burst into life next Saturday, the 14th June. This includes Cardrona, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables. Treble Cone is expected to open a couple of weeks later on the 27th of June. All these ski fields lie within the Southern Lakes region. Currently, just a thin, patchy coat of snow is all that covers them, with plenty of tussock still showing, although the groomed trails have a slightly more solid covering thanks to the snow-making crews.

Mt Hutt in Canterbury is scheduled to open a day earlier on Friday, the 13th of June. They were hoping to sneak in a couple of early weekend sessions after a massive 1.2m of snow fell at the start of May. However, the weather hasn't played ball, and a lot of it has disappeared. You can see on the webcams that the base area and exposed terrain have been stripped bare, with a rather spring-like covering elsewhere. The official report gives a depth of 0-50cm.

Turoa and Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu in the North Island now have facilities open for sightseeing and snow-based activities, but plan to open for skiing from late June, subject to conditions allowing. Other smaller club fields scattered throughout the country will also open as conditions allow, typically from late June through early July.

Forecast for Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th June: Wild Tasman Storm

An intense storm out of the north Tasman Sea will cross the country during this period, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to much of the country. Fortunately, the storm centre is expected to pass over the upper South Island, which will allow cold air to sneak up from the south over the Southern Lakes and Canterbury mid-storm, turning rain to snow from late Wednesday.

Canterbury in particular will be in the firing line, with both heavier rain and snow (and stronger winds) than the Southern Lakes. By dawn Thursday morning, the storm will have cleared Canterbury and should have left a solid dump of fresh snow. For Mt Hutt and nearby club fields, model accumulations range between about 15cm and 40cm. The large spread highlights the complexity of the situation, with temperatures initially appearing marginal - some models call it snow, while others call it rain. I'd expect the high end of that range about the upper slopes and the lower end about base levels. Snow ratios are also not expected to reach high levels, reflecting a lower grade of snow. Still, we'll take what we can get, and it'll be great for building a base.

The Southern Lakes will likely receive up to 5-10cm after the storm clears Wednesday night, although the lower slopes may receive less. Cold temperatures through Thursday should allow ski fields to add to their groomed runs with some snowmaking.

Forecast for Friday 6th to Sunday 8th June: Winter Storm Targets Canterbury

The Tasman storm will pave the way for a much colder storm from the south to hit the country on Friday and Saturday, before clearing out Sunday. It'll be a proper winter Antarctic blast, with Canterbury once again in the firing line.

For Canterbury, the heaviest snowfall will likely come during the latter half of Friday and early Saturday, with snow levels down around 400m affecting nearby towns and roads. Snow levels may then sink even further on Saturday, possibly to around 200m, while lighter snowfall gradually clears early Sunday. For the three days, snowfall accumulations are likely to be around 40 to 70cm, with Mt Hutt well positioned to maximise this. They were hoping to open for the weekend, but this storm has put that idea to bed.

For the Southern Lakes, snow accumulations won't be as impressive, with around 5-15cm on the cards. However, it'll be high quality, and the ski fields will be able to make snow to their heart's content. The bulk of this snow is expected to fall Friday afternoon into the evening, with skies then starting to clear on Saturday.

The storm will also hit the North Island, where resorts on Mt Ruapehu will also score a nice pre-season dump of around 30 to 40cm.

Thanks for reading. The next forecast will be out Friday, and I should be able to provide more accuracy around those snowfall accumulations.

Mike