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    South Island, New Zealand

    Cardrona

    Ski 615 hectares across six basins in New Zealand's Southern Alps, with world-class terrain parks and runs from 1,260–1,860m.

    Season 2026
    Opens
    13 June 2026
    Closes
    11 Oct 2026
    Days open
    120
    Annual snow
    3m
    The Overview
    MF
    Michael Fulton
    Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

    Cardrona is New Zealand's largest ski area, spanning 615 hectares of lift-accessed terrain across six basins in the Southern Alps between Wānaka and Queenstown. The ski field rises from 1,260m to 1,860m with 600m of vertical drop and 38 marked runs split across a broad ability range — 25% beginner, 25% intermediate, 30% advanced and 20% expert.

    A major terrain expansion in 2025 opened Soho Basin, adding 150 hectares of intermediate and advanced terrain serviced by a new high-speed six-person chairlift. The resort also hosts the Southern Hemisphere's most extensive freestyle facilities, with four terrain parks, two halfpipes — including a 22-foot Olympic Superpipe — and a gravity cross course.

    Cardrona is the training base for the New Zealand Park & Pipe Team and has produced multiple Winter Olympic and X Games medallists. Beyond the parks, the terrain ranges from wide-open groomers ideal for families and learners through to the chutes and cliff drops of Arcadia for experienced riders.

    The resort's high elevation and predominantly south-facing aspect deliver some of the driest, most reliable snow in the region, and a combined lift pass with sister resort Treble Cone — acquired by parent company RealNZ in 2020 — gives access to a combined 850+ hectares of terrain across two distinct mountains.

    600m
    Vertical
    44
    Runs
    988 acres
    Skiable
    3m
    Annual snow
    The Terrain

    44 runs across 988 acres skiable

    Cardrona spreads 44 runs across 988 acres skiable of terrain. It leans advanced at 30%, with 11 beginner runs to find your feet and 22 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.

    Terrain split
    44
    runs
    44 runs across 4 grades
    Beginner11 runs · 25%
    Intermediate11 runs · 25%
    Advanced13 runs · 30%
    Expert9 runs · 20%
    Time it right

    When to visit Cardrona

    Cardrona operates from mid-June through to early October, with the 2026 season running from 13 June to 11 October. Average annual snowfall is 2.9 metres, supplemented by snowmaking on key trails across Main Basin and, from 2026, in the expanded Soho Basin zone.

    The resort's high elevation and south-facing orientation — the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of north-facing slopes in Europe — help preserve snow quality through the season, with the driest and most consistent conditions typically falling between late July and August.

    September and early October bring spring skiing with smaller crowds and softer afternoon snow, particularly on the sun-exposed faces. The season window positions Cardrona as a prime counter-seasonal destination for Northern Hemisphere skiers chasing midyear snow, with the resort regularly drawing international visitors from Australia, Asia and beyond.

    School holiday periods in July can see higher demand across the mountain, though the 2025 Soho Basin expansion has materially increased capacity and spread skier traffic across a broader area.

    Season 2026
    13 June 2026
    Opens
    11 Oct 2026
    Closes
    120
    Days open
    3 m
    Annual snow
    Getting there

    Getting to Cardrona, and where to stay

    Cardrona sits high in New Zealand's Southern Alps on the Crown Range between Wānaka and Queenstown, in the Southern Lakes district of the South Island. The resort is a 35-minute drive from Wānaka and approximately 60 minutes from Queenstown, with the approach from Queenstown crossing the Crown Range road — one of New Zealand's highest sealed roads and a spectacularly scenic alpine drive.

    The final 10km to the resort follows a gravel access road to the base area at 1,670m. Daily shuttle services operate from both Queenstown and Wānaka to the mountain, and chains may be required on the access road during heavy snowfall.

    Queenstown Airport is the nearest commercial gateway, 53km to the south, with direct flights from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Wānaka Airport sits 44km away with regional connections.

    At the base of the access road, the historic Cardrona Hotel — one of New Zealand's oldest and most photographed pubs — provides a natural après stop on the drive home. Accommodation in Wānaka and Queenstown offers a wide range of options, and the resort itself has 15 on-mountain apartments for those wanting slope-side access.

    Where to stay

    Search all stays →

    Hotels and lodges near Cardrona, powered by Stay22.

    Latest News

    From the SnowStash desk

    View all news →
    FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032

    FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032

    The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.

    4 Sept 2026
    Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026

    Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026

    Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.

    4 Sept 2026
    Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season

    Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season

    Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.

    2 Sept 2026
    Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6

    Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6

    We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.

    1 Sept 2026
    Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028

    Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028

    Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.

    31 Aug 2026
    Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured

    Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured

    An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.

    28 Aug 2026
    Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do

    Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do

    A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.

    27 Aug 2026
    Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September

    Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September

    Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.

    26 Aug 2026

    Cardrona Snow Report

    Snow Report
    Updated 7 Sept 2026
    1860m
    summit
    +0cm
    new snow · last 24 hours
    Partly Cloudy-8°C / -1°C · NE 6km/h
    Snowfall
    24 hours
    0cm
    48 hours
    4cm
    7 days
    87cm
    Base depth
    115cm
    Season total
    751cm
    Lifts open10 / 11
    13 June 2026 - 11 Oct 2026

    Hour by Hour

    Next 41 hours· Updated Sep 8, 2026 at 5:02 AM
    TueNow1p2p3p4p5p6p7p8p9p10p11pWed12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a12p1p2p3p4p5p6p7p8p9p10p11pThu12a1a2a3a4a
    Conditions
    Temp°C · feels
    -2-4
    -1-4
    -1-3
    -1-4
    -1-4
    -1-4
    -2-5
    -3-6
    -4-8
    -5-9
    -6-9
    -6-9
    -6-9
    -6-10
    -6-10
    -6-10
    -6-10
    -6-10
    -6-10
    -7-10
    -6-9
    -3-7
    -2-5
    -2-5
    -1-4
    -1-4
    -1-4
    -1-5
    -2-5
    -2-6
    -3-7
    -4-8
    -5-8
    -5-8
    -5-8
    -5-8
    -6-9
    -6-9
    -6-10
    -7-11
    -8-12
    Snowfallcm
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0.1
    1.5
    2.5
    1.8
    1.1
    0.6
    0.1
    0.1
    0.1
    Precip chance%
    6%
    5%
    3%
    2%
    1%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    0%
    12%
    29%
    47%
    66%
    84%
    98%
    100%
    100%
    100%
    95%
    87%
    75%
    55%
    Precipmm00000000000000000000000000000.10.20.20.10.42.13.52.61.60.80.10.20.2
    Wind / gustkm/h
    2G6
    1G8
    2G7
    3G10
    3G11
    1G10
    1G7
    0G6
    2G9
    1G10
    2G9
    2G12
    3G14
    3G15
    3G16
    2G16
    3G17
    3G18
    3G18
    2G18
    3G19
    3G21
    4G22
    4G25
    6G31
    7G35
    8G40
    9G45
    8G46
    8G45
    10G51
    7G51
    5G42
    3G37
    4G31
    3G25
    5G24
    6G32
    5G34
    6G34
    5G36

    Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo

    7-Day Outlook

    1,860 mUpdated Sep 8, 2026 at 5:02 AMOpen-Meteo

    Days 1–7

    7.9cm

    Days 8–14

    9.2cm

    Unlock days 8–14

    Free account required

    Tue, Sept 8

    Overcast
    Temp-1° / -8°°C
    Snow0.0cm(6%)
    Wind6 km/h NE

    Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.

    Understanding the Cardrona snow report

    Cardrona snow conditions, updated regularly: current snowfall, snow depth, temperatures, and the outlook for this South Island resort.

    Snow measurements

    Our snow reports measure snowfall in centimeters over multiple time windows — last 24 hours, last 7 days, and the season total. Base depth reflects accumulation at the 1260m base area, while summit depth captures conditions 600m higher at 1860m, where snow typically stays colder and lingers longer. Imperial conversions are shown alongside for convenience.

    Weather conditions

    Current weather conditions affect snow quality. Cold temperatures with low wind typically preserve snow quality, while warm temperatures or rain can impact conditions negatively — something worth watching closely at Cardrona's 1260m base elevation, where temperatures run milder than the summit.

    Data sources

    Cardrona snow data is collected through a combination of on-mountain reports and weather forecasting services, giving you both official resort updates and independent forecast data in one place. The mountain is served by 11 lifts, including 4 quad chairlifts and 2 6-person chairlifts.

    When to check

    Conditions can change overnight, so mornings and late afternoons are the best times to check back on Cardrona.