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NZ ski season go Level 1 at Mt Hutt this week! Others follow.

snow action team 08.06.2020

Great news out of NZ for snow lovers (and all Kiwis) with no cases of COVID-19 the government has moved swiftly to Level 1 restrictions – which are minimal. Mt Hutt ready to open at level 1 this week

Mt Hutt is ready to open with a little more normalcy this Friday 12 June after New Zealand moves into level 1 this week.

Mt Hutt Patroller checking The Towers over last weekend © NZski.com

NZSki CEO Paul Anderson says the team at Mt Hutt have welcomed the news and are stoked to be opening this weekend

“Level 1 looks like a little more of a normal season for us operationally. We won’t have to manage physical distancing in lift queues or on chairlifts, and it gives our food and beverage more flexibility in their offering.

“At Mt Hutt it means we can run at capacity with around 3500 people on the slopes, rather than half of that under Level 2. With this, we can now confirm we will be open daily from 1st July once we have increased our staff numbers to allow us to operate with more people on the mountain.”

At Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, planned opening days and hours will largely stay the same at level 1 unless demand increases. However, Anderson confirms The Remarkables season will be extended to open daily during the October school holidays, with a new scheduled closing date of Sunday 11 October. 

Couldn’t wait – out for a ski at the weekend at Coronet Peak © Alan Swann / NZski.com

“Australians make up 30-40% of our visitation in Queenstown so we’re still expecting a quieter season. If demand requires it or a trans-Tasman bubble opened up then we do have the ability to scale up our operations.

“Across all three mountains we will still be implementing enhanced hygiene standards, encouraging guests to check-in with the government Covid-19 app and have the ability to contact trace through our lift passes and RFID scanners,” Anderson says. 

To encourage more Kiwis to give snowsports a go this winter, the company is offering up a few new deals including extending their Earlybird multi-day lift pass sale,  10% off when you book online, upgrading day passes to a ‘Queenstown Superpass’ and extending the ‘Kids under 10 Ski Free’ deal to all three mountains. 

To celebrate moving to Level 1, the company is running their Earlybird multi-day pass sale through until Monday 15 June, giving people the opportunity to ski or board for less than $75 a day.

Snowmaking fired up at The Remarkables © NZski.com

Day lift passes will be automatically upgraded to a Queenstown Superpass, giving guests more flexibility on days they decide not so ski and the ability to use part of the cost of their lift pass as credit for activities or dining around Queenstown. 

To encourage guests to book online all lift passes and snowsports products will have 10% off.

Finally, the company has decided to extend their popular ‘Kids under 10 ski for free’ deal to both Queenstown mountains. This gives kids under the age of 10 years old a free day pass with each adult lift pass purchased.

“We know Kiwis are looking forward to exploring their own backyard this winter, so we hope to see them up on the slopes taking advantage of these deals,” Anderson concludes.

Ski area opening dates and hours are: 
Mt Hutt 
Scheduled opening: Friday 12 June 2020
Scheduled closing: Sunday 11 October 2020
Operating hours: Five days a week until 1st July, then daily for the rest of the season

The Remarkables 
Scheduled opening: Saturday 4 July 2020
Scheduled closing: Sunday 11 October 2020
Operating hours: Daily for the first two weeks during July school holidays then weekends at a minimum. Daily during last two weeks during October school holidays.

Coronet Peak 
Scheduled opening: Friday 26 June 2020
Scheduled closing: Sunday 27 September 2020
Operating hours: Daily, including First Tracks from 8am-9am, and Night Skis every Wednesday and Friday night in July and August.

Coronet Peak last weekend © Alan Swann / NZski.com