Winter 2025 was a “game of two halves” for local ski areas Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone Skifield, with limited early-season snowfall giving way to powder days in spring.

“The second half of the season saw fantastic snowfall, particularly in September,” Cardrona and Treble Cone general manager Laura Hedley said. 

“Spring powder days are more and more common, and it was epic to see our guests able to enjoy great snow conditions to see out the winter.”

Cardrona’s last day was Sunday (October 5) while Treble Cone closed a week earlier.

Laura said she was humbled by the support for both ski areas from domestic and international visitors throughout the season, with both attracting substantial numbers of skiers and snowboarders.

“This was one of our biggest winters to date in terms of numbers, and excitingly we're seeing growth in those choosing to ski and snowboard with us for multiple days,” Laura said. 

“This gives us confidence we're delivering great manaakitanga to our guests.”

The new Soho Basin chairlift opened at Cardrona this past season, which opened up 150 hectares of new terrain and officially made the ski area New Zealand’s biggest.

“We also installed a T-Bar to service some of our high-performance terrain, which has been a game-changer for our athletes training with us on our Big Bucks slopestyle course in particular,” Laura said. 

The team is now turning its sights to the summer season, with mountain biking, mountain carting and walking kicking off at Cardrona on December 13. 

“We have another busy summer of developments, including the next stage of Soho's terrain and snowmaking programme,” Laura said.

“Watch this space for updates as we take things to the next level in winter 2026."

PHOTO: Cardrona Alpine Resort