Aug4 10th Sept - 16th Sept
rd th
FIRST ON THE STREET
No No 434 717 27 Jan - 3 Feb 201
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN BULLETIN
2 J IN O 41 SI BS D E
www.lwb.co.nz ⢠buy ⢠accommodation ⢠sell ⢠information ⢠jobs ⢠enquiries@lwb.co.nz
2019- THE TALE OF TWO VERY DIFFERENT SKI FIELDS Every season in the ski industry is different and the 2019 season sure hasnât disappointed in this regard. A warm wet May followed by a cold dry June made for some tough early operating conditions for both Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, with historically low snowfalls to start the season. The positive aspect of these early-season conditions is that they gave us a chance to demonstrate the benefits of the huge investment weâve made in our grooming and snowmaking systems. Coronet Peak has the largest automated snowmaking installation in the Southern Hemisphere with 215 snow guns and The Remarkables has an arsenal of 97 snow guns with a further 37 to be deployed on new trails in Sugar Basin this coming summer. Add to this the capability of satellite snow depth measurement in our groomers and youâve got the very best slopes management possible. Iâve got to take my hat off to our snowmaking and grooming teams, who were our heroes delivering fantastic conditions at the beginning of the season in very trying circumstances. One of the biggest issues was the gossip in town about whether or not Coronet Peak in particular was going to remain open in late July. However, we truly demonstrated what we can achieve even when mother nature doesnât quite play ball. It was a tale of two mountains in the first half of the season with Coronet Peakâs visitor numbers down overall offset by growth at The Remarkables with guests chasing the snow at higher altitudes. In the past month with good natural snowfall on both mountains, weâve seen decent growth in visitor numbers compared to last year. Throughout the season, guests who pre-booked their holidays have come and enjoyed all that Queenstown has to offer however thereâs no doubt that we lacked some of the early-season epic snow photos that attract more casual visitors; some of these visitors may have opted to head to the islands whereas some Aussies might have chosen to ski closer to home. As a result of this, weâre likely to see overall visitor numbers down on the record set in 2018. The investment weâve made in Coronet Peak and The Remarkables has provided some insulation from what could have been a tough winter for the wider business community, and weâre committed to continuing to invest in our ski areas for the benefit of both our business as well as the wider community.
Editorial continued on page 11.
New Winter Pride event ASB Pride in the Park was a hit with locals who flocked to Marine Parade last Friday. (Picture supplied by Winter Pride)
presents:
Winter Masquerade Ball $12 BESPOKE COCKTAIL MENU Live music from Danny Atkinson + Friends.
MULTIPLE GIVEAWAYS
Including prizes for best mask, best dressed male + female. Every ticket includes bubbles or house beer on arrival, cheese + meat platters to share, create memories at our photobooth & entry into prize raffle.
06 OCT
From 6pm - LATE
$20
ON SALE 10 SEPT Steamer Wharf, Queenstown | littleblackwood.com | @littleblackwood
Available to purchase from Little Blackwood.