New Zealand Ski Fields: Cardrona Review

Ideal for: Skiers, Snowboarders - Everybody!
Weather: Usually excellent
Snow: Natural snow and good quantities of it

Cardrona, situated on the Crown Range between Wanaka and Queenstown, is an all round field that boasts four half pipes for snowboarders.

For those who have the attitude, "I believe it when I ski it" - this is the place for you; three large open basins with all kinds of terrain and challenges for every ability.

It's far quicker to travel there from Wanaka than it is from Queenstown. Coming from Queenstown can be a tricky drive over the notorious Crown Range road if there's snow down that low. Ideally, take a bus from Queenstown for a no-hassle day.

Cardrona takes pride in the fact that it REALLY caters for snowboarders, and the thickest concentration of them in New Zealand is to be found there. The pipes and parks are unequalled in New Zealand.

Some mountains claim to have something for everyone - usually erroneously, but Cardrona's claim is bona fide! If you can't find something to suit you at Cardrona - you've got a big problem.

The excellent MacDougall's Quad chairlift services a huge and genuine learners area with many different lines available. Learners have the option of doing the "Grand Traverse" which entails skiing from one side of the mountain across all three basins and back again - all without scaring themselves!

Arcadia Basin, serviced by the very long La Franchi Double chair, provides some great chute skiing right off the chairlift! Advanced skiers and boarders could spend all day on this lift alone and not get bored.

Captain's Basin is the epitomy of NZ skiing, a wide open bowl with gently rolling terrain and hugely wide groomed trails with mostly green and blue designations. Lazy experts can slash this stuff apart at high speed for effortless cruising runs.

The combined lift capacity at Cardrona exceeds 6500 people per hour - almost double that of Coronet Peak! This equates to very little waiting and lots and lots of skiing.

The added altitude of Cardona over Coronet Peak means it receives good snow falls - and powder days are quite frequent. "Higher, Drier, and Naturally Better" says their slogan - and they just might be right! Powder days being murderously difficult because you never want to stop - even when your body gives up!

Cardrona is not as steep (on average) as Coronet Peak, and thus, the range of advanced skiing is a little more limited, but the quality and depth of difficulty in Arcadia basin makes up for it. Besides, if you want it more difficult - just ski faster - taking care not to violate Cardrona's designated Slow Zones at the bases of the lifts.

The views from the top take in both Wanaka and Queenstown as well as the Southern Alps. Make sure you take a camera for one of those 360 degree panoramas.

Unusual for commercial fields in New Zealand, Cardrona has on-field accommodation of very high quality - no bunkrooms here! Virtually new, the apartments are everything you'd expect them to be.

Base facilities are extensive, you won't want for anything in that department. Cardrona looks almost directly down onto Arrowtown - and every few years someone tries to jack up support for a giant gondola to access it easily from there - the expense would be prohibitive, but if Cardrona keeps piling on the expansions and improvements it could happen one day...

There are many scheduled bus services from both Wanaka and Queenstown throughout the season, and from Queenstown this option is preferable.

If holidaying in Queenstown, my personal recommdendation is at least two days of skiing at Cardrona. And I guarantee you'll say that two days isn't enough after spending two days there!