New Zealand's Southern Alps have returned to winter conditions following an icy blast sweeping the South Island earlier this week.

Mt Hutt near Christchurch opened on Monday with 20cm of fresh snow. A base of over half a metre means there is superb skiing and riding on packed winter snow with some great pockets of powder to be found off-piste.

In Queenstown, conditions are equally good. Coronet Peak has received 10-15cm of new snow and plummeting temperatures means extensive snowmaking is supplementing the natural snowfall. There¹s plenty of fun to be had all over the mountain on the 50-70cm base and all lifts and runs are open.

On the other side of the valley, The Remarkables is enjoying 15cm of new snow on top of a substantial one-metre base. 100% of the terrain is open including the legendary Homeward Bound, New Zealand¹s best open run.

"This is a great development for the season," said Duncan Smith, nzski.com's general manager. "We've enjoyed a superb season so far and the fresh snow on a good base means all three areas are looking fantastic right now. Low temperatures have returned us to mid-winter and we¹re looking forward to enjoying the rest of the season."

Mail this page to a friend
What do you think? Tell us on the Message Boards