New Zealand is one of the most popular ski and snow boarding destinations in the Southern Hemisphere with some fantastic skiing opportunities available for both novice as well as expert skiers. Here you can enjoy downhill or alpine skiing, snow boarding, cross country skiing, ski tours and ski mountaineering. Heli-skiing and glacier skiing are also growing in popularity out here. Heli-skiing involves a helicopter ride to the summit of a mountain from where you are dropped off mid-air onto the slopes. Glacier skiing involves skiing on a glacier such as Fox or Franz Josef.

Unlike the ski resorts on hand in Europe or the US, skiing in New Zealand is more authentic with no resorts or chalets built near the ski area. Rather most accommodations are often in the towns surrounding the mountain, with daily bus shuttles on hand to take skiers up to the main ski zones.

Commercial or public ski fields are more crowded than club ski areas, so it is advisable that you take up a short ski club membership and also enjoy the facilities offered by the club as well. If you are planning on coming to ski or snow board in New Zealand during the winter months of June through August, it would be wise to make advance reservations and bookings, as the ski areas here tend to fill up very quickly particularly on the weekends.

There are numerous places to go skiing and snowboarding in New Zealand with a wide variety of conditions on hand. The younger ski crowd usually heads to Queenstown and its party atmosphere, while if you prefer some more expert slopes head to Mount Hutt. Rainbow Valley is ideal if you want to avoid the crowds.

If you are interested in enjoying a skiing or snowboarding vacation in New Zealand you will find plenty of ski resorts, where you can stay at and enjoy the slopes. These areas are also packed with equipment rental stores which offer ski gear at reasonable prices. Ski tours are also available for those who want to go skiing or snow boarding in more than one place. Ski season runs from June to October, though in some higher altitude places you can ski up till November.

Top New Zealand Ski Areas

You can find plenty of excellent skiing on the North Island at Mt Ruapehu, the island’s premier ski spot. Whakapapa and Turoa form New Zealand’s largest ski area with a wide range of runs on hand for skiers and snowboarders. You can also find some excellent skiing at Tukino on the eastern side of Mt Ruapehu. The Manganui Ski Area sits on the eastern slopes of Mt Taranaki in the Egmont National Park with some top notch ski conditions right from the summit.

Most of New Zealand’s top ski destinations are on the South Island. Coronet Peak is one of the oldest places to ski in the region and is easily accessible from Queenstown. Also nearby is the Remarkables ski area with runs for beginners as well as experts. Treble Cone, Cardrona and Waiorau also offer some great skiing and snow boarding along with the South Canterbury area.

Mt Hutt near Christchurch is the best ski destination in the country with a wide range of slopes for all skill levels. Arthur’s Pass and Craigieburn regions also offer some top notch skiing along with the Nelson region, where you can find the ever popular Rainbow Valley.