Chapter VI - Cardrona

After eventful days in Wanaka, we head into the Cardrona Valley, where the next ski resort awaits. Cardrona hosted the 'New Zealand Winter Games' earlier this year, a perfect opportunity for those who still want to qualify for the Olympics in all skiing and snowboarding disciplines. Therefore, the slopes and the park are still well prepared and in unusually good condition for New Zealand.

The park, with two super pipes, pro-jump line, and many rails, has everything to offer that makes a freeskier's heart beat faster. Many professionals are currently preparing for the Olympics there before heading to winter training camps in Europe, where the new World Cup season is already underway.

Cardrona still has a lot of snow in general, as all the slopes are on the sunward-facing side. And not just on and off the slopes, but also in the backcountry area, which is accessible through so-called 'control gates.' With some luck, we can still go skiing on firn snow there.

With the 'chondola' - a combination lift with gondolas and chairs on the same cable - and other new facilities, Cardrona is certainly one of the most innovative and modern ski resorts in New Zealand. The sponsors Audi and Co. definitely have a small share in this, as they test their cars in snow conditions in the same valley while Germany is in the middle of summer.

As it is currently school holidays, there is a lot going on on the slopes, but fortunately there are no long queues. The lifts access a huge area and there are numerous variations to ride that are really fun and also require some skill.

Since the weather forecast looks very good for the next day as well, we decide to go skiing in Cardrona again because we liked it very much.

Thanks to state-of-the-art snowmaking systems, skiing here is possible for the longest time on the South Island - closing day is scheduled in just under 2 weeks.