The Remarkables
Ski 385 hectares across three alpine bowls from 1,475–1,943m, with the Southern Hemisphere's only Burton Stash, 45 min from Queenstown.
Season 2026
Opens
13 June 2026
Closes
11 Oct 2026
Days open
120
Annual snow
3m
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
The Remarkables is a big-mountain ski area set high in one of the world's most visually striking alpine ranges, rising sharply from the southeastern shore of Lake Wakatipu just 45 minutes from downtown Queenstown. The resort spans 385 hectares across three sheltered mountain bowls between 1,475m and 1,943m, with a 468m vertical drop and 46 runs graded 30% beginner, 40% intermediate and 30% advanced.
The Remarkables mountain range is one of only two in the world that runs directly north to south, and the ski area's horseshoe-shaped bowl layout provides natural protection from prevailing weather while catching generous afternoon sun on the base-area deck. Average annual snowfall of 3.67 metres — the highest of any resort in the Queenstown region — is supplemented by 158 snowmaking guns covering all key trails and terrain parks.
The resort hosts the Burton Stash, one of only six in the world and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere — a terrain feature designed in partnership with Burton Snowboards using natural materials integrated into the mountainside. Two additional terrain parks and a dedicated freestyle zone in Curvey Basin round out a strong freestyle offering. The Remarkables has also been selected to host the Freeride World Tour Academy, recognising the quality of its steep, natural big-mountain terrain.
The resort is operated by NZSki alongside Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt, with all three covered by the 3 Peak Season Pass. The Remarkables is also accessible on the Ikon Pass and Mountain Collective, and NZSki offers a unique Parent Pass — a shared day ticket for two parents to take turns on the mountain while the other stays with the family.
468m
Vertical
46
Runs
951 acres
Skiable
3m
Annual snow
Ikon / Mountain Collective
Pass
The Terrain
46 runs across 951 acres skiable
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Terrain split
46
runs
46 runs across 4 grades
Beginner14 runs · 30%
Intermediate18 runs · 40%
Advanced14 runs · 30%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit The Remarkables
The Remarkables operates from mid-June through to early October, with the 2026 season running from 13 June to 11 October. The resort's higher elevation relative to neighbouring Coronet Peak — base at 1,475m versus 1,187m — delivers both heavier natural snowfall and better snow preservation, with an average of 3.67 metres per season excluding snowmaking contributions.
The most reliable conditions fall between mid-July and September, with base depths at their peak through August and September. The resort's sheltered bowl terrain holds snow well even during warmer spells, and the extensive snowmaking system ensures key runs remain in good condition throughout the season window.
Spring skiing in September and early October offers warmer days, softer snow and thinner crowds. The afternoon sun that floods the base area and lower bowls makes late-season sessions particularly pleasant, with the deck outside the base lodge a popular spot for soaking up the views across to Coronet Peak and the Wakatipu Basin.
New Zealand school holidays in July typically bring the highest visitor numbers. The three-bowl layout helps distribute skier traffic, and the combination of covered learner conveyors at the base and high-capacity six-person chairs on the upper mountain keeps the system moving efficiently even on busy days.
Season 2026
13 June 2026
Opens
11 Oct 2026
Closes
120
Days open
3 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to The Remarkables, and where to stay
The Remarkables sits 24km from central Queenstown, accessed via the Remarkables Road — a route that begins on sealed highway before transitioning to an unsealed mountain road for the final kilometres up to the base area at 1,475m. The drive takes approximately 45 minutes from town, and chains may be required on the upper access road during and after snowfall. Several car parks are staggered along the approach, with a shuttle service running between them and the base building.
Daily ski bus services operate from Queenstown's Snow Centre at 25 Shotover Street, with hotel pick-ups available en route. Carpooling incentives give vehicles with three or more passengers access to priority parking closer to the base. MyPass kiosks are located at Queenstown Airport (beside baggage claim), the Snow Centre in town, and on the mountain.
Queenstown Airport is the nearest gateway, approximately 30 minutes from the base of the access road, with domestic connections from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and direct international flights from Australian east-coast cities. Wānaka is roughly one hour away, and Invercargill approximately two hours to the south.
The base building houses a fully licensed restaurant and bar, a café, a retail shop, rental department, snowsports school and the Skiwiland childcare centre. The striking visual backdrop of the Remarkables range — sheer rock faces, glacial cirques and the towering Double Cone summit at 2,319m above — makes the drive up and the views from the ski area among the most dramatic of any resort in Australasia.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near The Remarkables, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
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 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 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
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 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
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
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
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
The Remarkables Lift System
Eight lifts serve The Remarkables' 385 hectares, led by three high-speed six-person chairlifts. The Curvey Basin Express and Shadow Basin Express access the resort's upper intermediate and advanced terrain across the two main riding bowls, while a third six-seater services additional upper-mountain zones. The Alta quad chair handles progression terrain between the learner area and the main ski field, and the Sugar Bowl quad accesses the terrain park precinct.
Four surface conveyor lifts — three fitted with covered galleries for weather protection — serve the dedicated beginner zone immediately above the base building. The covered conveyors are a significant feature for learners, eliminating the need to negotiate chairlift loading during the early stages of progression and keeping first-timers comfortable in variable weather.
The snowmaking network comprises 158 automated guns covering the beginners' area, Alta Green, Casterway, Gotham City, Curvey, Cross Fall, Serpentine, Turquoise, Waterfall and all terrain parks. Combined uplift capacity sits at approximately 9,400 persons per hour, and the resort's bowl layout means traffic disperses naturally across the mountain rather than bottlenecking at a single summit point.
NZSki has signalled plans for a further major expansion into the adjacent Doolans Basin via a proposed 230-metre tunnel, which would approximately double the skiable area to around 900 hectares and open up significant new advanced and expert terrain on the mountain's southern aspect.
7lifts across 3 types
2
6-Person Chairs
2
Quad Chairs
3
Surface Lifts
The Remarkables lift system
The Remarkables is served by 7 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More The Remarkables intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.