TL;DR
Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone have launched a new app that includes New Zealand's first phone-based lift pass - no RFID card required. Skiers can now walk from the car park to the lift gates with just their phone. The Mountains App also brings live snow reports, trail maps, webcams, run tracking, and seasonal leaderboard challenges.
Cardrona and Treble Cone are the first ski areas in New Zealand to let skiers use their phone as a lift pass.
The two Wānaka-based resorts have launched the Mountains App ahead of the 2026 season, bringing with it a suite of on-mountain tools and - its headline feature - a phone-based lift pass that replaces the physical RFID card entirely.
Skiers who purchase a pass through the app will receive an email with activation instructions. Once the pass is toggled on, lift gates will scan it automatically - no need to take the phone out of a pocket, provided it is kept at chest height on the left side.
"Having your phone get you through the gates is a genuine game-changer - it's something our guests have been asking for, and we're stoked to be the first ski area in New Zealand to make it happen," said Laura Hedley, Chief Mountains Officer at Cardrona and Treble Cone.
