Cardrona Alpine Resort

Welcome to the site of wide open easy skiing for family! Nestled beautifully in the heart of the southern lakes district in South Island of New Zealand, Cardona is a ski resort with a clear natural setting and an encouraging environment for friends and family where they can be unfettered from the daily life stress. With its three basins boasting a variety of skiing and snowboarding claiming itself as cozy and welcoming, Cardrona is famous for its good amount of natural snow across its 320 skiing hectares of wide slopes. Located at a height of 1,670 m above the sea level, the ideal snow called as the ‘hero’ snow for its softness on the base is the major attraction that has pulled many families and skiers of all levels. The Cardrona Ski Resort, in fact, possesses some best and driest snow in the country.

However, the secret here is that the ski slopes here are actually excellent for the intermediate skiers. However, for the advanced enthusiasts, there are some challenges drawing the national ski teams from the northern hemisphere for training. This ski destination is really unique in the sense that it boasts a few on-mountain accommodations as compared to the other commercial ski areas in the country. Feel the liberty of the roller coaster runs at the Captain’s basin, the untracked powder in Arcadia, or heli-skiing with back bowls. Explore its learner’s slopes, long runs for cruising, fast runs, and the Arcadia shafts for some memorable thrill. Expect ideal skiing and snowboarding at each level. So, from beginner to expert, Cardrona has some run to offer.

The base elevation is 1,670 m, while the peak elevation is 1,894 m. Despite the fact that its vertical drop is 390 m, its base elevation is unexpectedly high that indicates consistent and quality snow until the base area. On the ski field, the distribution allocation of the slopes is 25% for beginner, 55% for intermediate, and 20% for the experts. On its 320 ha of skiing area, there are 2 removable quad fixed chairlifts, 2 quad express chairlifts, 1 fixed-grip quad chairlift, 3 magic carpet learner lifts, and 1 platter lift for beginners. With the average snowfall being 104 inch, you can also see some snowmaking amenities too. For snowboarding, four half pipes and a terrain park is well maintained here.

Season

Late June to early October

Opening Hours

9 am – 4 pm daily

Facilities

• Snow shop
• Full rental services
• Alpine accommodation
• Snowfoto – mountain photography of your family
• Guest services
• Medical Centre offering medical facilities, equipment, 24-hours registered doctor, physiotherapist
• A trained patrol staff on the slope
• Lockers on rent for $4
• A card phone at the Base cafeteria
• Public email on the mountain (Wow!)
• Ski & Snowboard School (5 – 14 years) with indoor facilities in the Archway Building (Eastside & Westside)
• High Performance Centre for more advanced skiers and snow
• kids@cardrona
• Nursery & Kindy (3 months – 3 years)
• Ski Kindy (3 –4 years)
• Beginner’s lifts school
• Alpine development centre
• Cafes
• Restaurants

Attractions

For the advanced, real challenges on sites such as Arcadia Chutes, the Whitestar Express quad, and the close by runs such as White Star, Irish Pipes, and Powder Keg offer real steep, long, and narrow zones. The intermediates need not search at all for their own areas. One of the ways to find out is to be a part of the annual Cardrona Games.

The MacDougall’s quad has some easy terrain, especially the relaxed Skyline trail for the new skiers for some achievement by falling all the way down of the lift. While, make yourself a bit courageous and take you eyes up to have some breathtaking views towards Queenstown en route.

Reaching Cardrona

As it is nestled off the Cardrona Valley road linking Wanaka and Queenstown, it takes only 35 minutes to drive from Wanaka (34km) and 60 minutes from Queenstown (58 km). From Arrowtown, it is at a distance of 37 km, which takes 45 minutes to drive. Some closest airports are:

• Wanaka – 10 km – 10 minutes (Air NZ only)
• Queenstown – 60 km – 1 hour drive
• Dunedin – 280 km – 3 hours drive
• Christchurch – 420 km – 5 hours drive

Accommodations

The Whare Kea Lodge (‘House of the Kea’ in Maori) is located on the waterfront and 7 km from Wanaka. The Edgewater Resort Hotel Wanaka is a 4 star hotel located in a calm lake setting and accessible within a walk of few minutes from the centre of Wanaka. Here, all the rooms offer superb views of Lake Wanaka and the mountains.

The Riverrun Lodge, claiming to friendly rather than stylish, is situated on a 500 acre riverside land accessible via a six-minute drive from the Wanaka town. Each of its window offer beautiful views of the Southern Alps. Expect riverside walks, stillness, and lavish stay here.

The Wanaka Lodge, in the middle of the town, is where you can experience the B&B and cottage accommodation. It is situated at a walking distance from the lake and restaurants. The lavish Lakeside Apartments in central Wanaka with private balconies and lake and mountain views is also recommended.