RealNZ limits skifields’ capacity

By Paul Taylor

Southern Lakes ski areas Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone are introducing daily capacity limits this season - a win for locals who buy season passes.

While the same number of season passes and Earlybird multi-day passes (purchased pre-winter) will be sold as previous years, in-season single day and multi-day passes will be limited.

Once the daily capacity is reached, there will be no more day passes available. And the skifields, owned by RealNZ, are introducing dynamic pricing for in-season passes, meaning the higher the demand, the higher the price.

The goal for Cardrona is to reduce the number of skiers and snowboarders on the mountain by approximately 1000 on the ski area’s busiest days, compared to peak days in 2020-2022.

GM of Cardrona and Treble Cone Experiences, Laura Hedley, says over the last few years increased demand has resulted in very busy days across NZ skifields during peak periods, particularly in July and August.

“Our guests have told us that over the last couple of years, their experience during those peak times hasn’t been where we want it to be,” Hedley says. “We know that people don’t enjoy struggling to get a carpark or standing in long lift queues.”

The daily allowance of in-season day passes and multi-day passes reflects the average number of other pass types the resorts expect to ski on any given day.

“There will still be busy days on the mountains – if it’s a bluebird powder day and we have more season pass and Earlybird multi-day pass holders than average, we may have more people on the mountain than what we’re aiming for,” says Hedley.

“But we’re serious about making our on-mountain experience better, and we hope this change can help achieve that for our guests and staff.”

Guests who purchase in-season day and multi-day passes will be asked to choose which days and which mountains they will be visiting.

Those who buy their passes early in the pre-winter Unlimited season pass and Earlybird multi-day sales will lock in the greatest flexibility – able to ski and snowboard at both mountains, and not needing to commit to fixed days.

Cardrona and Treble Cone are also introducing a new 5-day “Flexi” pass at a higher per day rate, which can be used on any day of the season, at either mountain.

Pricing for all in-season passes will change depending on demand. Guests are encouraged to buy online and early to secure the best per day pricing.

“We appreciate this is a big shift in approach, and a New Zealand first,” says Hedley. “However, dynamic pricing is widely used overseas to manage numbers on the mountains, and we’ve heard great feedback on the positive impact this approach has on guest experience.

“As with any big change, we’re expecting a few teething issues. So, we’re asking for feedback, patience and support from our mountain communities as we get this right this winter.”

Season passes are on sale now from the Cardrona website.

Zoi takes another win

By Paul Taylor

She did just that, dropping a backflip and hunting down airs as she attacked the now-familiar technical terrain to earn a 79.2, the second-highest score of the day after her 80 in semi-finals, which also earned her the Run Of The Day. Sadowski-Synnott is coming off a series of slopestyle and big air podium finishes this winter.

“I feel super honoured and privileged to be able to compete in this competition because it’s the best backcountry riders in the world, riding the best snow in the most psycho terrain. To be part of it is pretty insane. Coming from a slopestyle and big air background, it’s so different but kind of the same in the sense where you’re just trying to ride your best and perform on the day.”

She adds: “I haven’t ridden a lot of pillows in my life, so to come here and ride this definitely was a learning curve and I’m super stoked—I feel like I pushed myself and everyone rode some insanely sick lines!”

This win marks Sadowski-Synnott’s 24th consecutive podium finish across all disciplines, all achieved over the last three years.

Watch Sadowski-Synnott’s winning run on the Lakes Weekly Bulletin website.

Snowboard sensation Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has won the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke.

The competition was held in the most dynamic and challenging terrain in snowboard competition history located in the Selkirk Mountains, 15 miles from Revelstoke, BC.

Sadowski-Synnott was up against Hailey Langland (USA) in the semi-finals, taking the win and advancing to the finals against Big Mountain shredder Elena Hight (USA).

The Wānaka 22-year-old Olympic gold medallist, whose home mountain is Cardrona, said: “I knew Elena was going do some crazy lines, so I wanted to stick to what I knew and go where the take-offs were to spin off and try to find little pillow lines that were still untracked and soft and make it to the bottom in one piece.”

SH6/6A intersection night closure

Detour route from Tuesday 21 March to Thursday 23 March 2023

10pm to 6am

Questions?

If you have any questions, please email: info@wtpa.co.nz or call 0800 482 684 or 0800 HUANUI.

Please note these channels will only be monitored during business hours.

Detour routes

Between Frankton Road (SH6A) and Frankton-Ladies Mile Highway (SH6):

•To Cromwell from SH6A: detour via McBride Street, Gray Street, Kawarau Road, Lucas Place and Hawthorne Drive, then rejoin SH6.

•To Queenstown from SH6: detour via Hawthorne Drive, Lucas Place, Kawarau Road, Gray Street and McBride Street, then re-join SH6A.

Between Frankton-Ladies Mile Highway (SH6) and Kawarau Road (SH6):

•To Invercargill: detour via Hawthorne Drive and Lucas Place, then re-join SH6.

•To Cromwell: detour via Lucas Place and Hawthorne Drive, then re-join SH6.

Between Frankton Road (SH6A) and Kawarau Road (SH6):

•To Invercargill from SH6A: detour via McBride Street and Gray Street, then re-join SH6.

•To Queenstown from SH6: detour via Gray Street and McBride Street, then re-join SH6A.

Parking

There’ll be no on-road parking in parts of Gray Street and McBride Street.

More information

For more information visit us online using the following QR code.

Heart Kids Central Otago AGM

Tuesday 28 March 2023, 7.00pm Five Stags Bar & Restaurant, Cromwell

All current members & prospective members welcome RSVP Cate 021 1133877 by 17 March 2023

Glendhu Golf Course to be championship standard

By Tony O’Regan / Wānaka App

Darby Partners, the proponents of the new Glendhu Golf Course, say it will be an 18-hole championship course designed and constructed to championship standards.

Responding to questions from the Wānaka App, Darby Partners said the course will cover approximately 100 hectares and be around 6,000 metres in length.

The Wānaka Golf Course is 5,770 metres.

Darby Partners has played a lead role in a number of high-profile golf courses in the Wakatipu basin including Jack’s Point, The Hills, and Millbrook. Director John Darby says the course will be ready to play in two years (2025). “Glendhu is well advanced, such that 18 months construction period is very achievable and we are aiming for an opening date for play six months post construction, given there are no unforeseen weather events,” he said.

“Darby Partners has built the majority of new golf courses in New Zealand recently and each construction period has on average been 18 months.”

John said renowned New Zealand golfer Sir Bob Charles has been involved in reviewing the golf course design layout and recently visited the site to review the latest design, providing positive feedback.

A spokesperson for Darby Partners said the course is designed to leave as much of the existing terrain as “untouched” as possible and that all holes will have views of the lake, mountains, and aspects of Glendhu Bay.

The golf course has been a 15-year project.

The original land use consent was lodged in January 2007 and the consent was granted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council in May 2008, but was appealed to the Environment Court, which conferred approval in May 2012. Consents required to commence construction were granted in September 2022.

Since acquiring 200 hectares of land for the golf course development in 2013, Darby Partners commenced native revegetation of over 150,000 native plants around the property, and areas of land have been retired from grazing to allow native vegetation to regenerate.

The golf course consent includes a club house, visitor accommodation, and 42 residences. The spokesperson said designs for onsite facilities and the surrounding residential development are underway, with further announcements on this stage of the project to come.